Black Tide

Prologue

The sun was high in the cloudless California sky, casting its golden warmth over the Santa Monica Pier. The smell of salty air mingled with the aromas of funnel cakes and freshly grilled hot dogs. Children screamed in delight on the roller coasters, street performers dazzled crowds with fire-eating tricks, and the Maze family basked in the rare chance to relax together.

“Kaine, stop acting like you’re about to dunk on the Pacific Ocean,” Renee teased, her voice tinged with amusement. She leaned against the railing of the pier, sunglasses perched atop her head as she watched her younger brother strike dramatic poses against the ocean backdrop.

“Hey, I could if I wanted to,” Kaine shot back, flashing his signature grin. He flexed for effect, making Jordan laugh so hard that he spilled a bit of his rainbow-colored snow cone onto his shirt.

“Man, you look like a melted Skittle,” Kaine said, smirking as Jordan groaned and dabbed at the stain.

Angela Maze, always the peacemaker, handed Jordan a napkin and shook her head. “Stop teasing your brother, Kaine. And Jordan, maybe eat your food instead of wearing it.”

Derek Maze chuckled as he scrolled through his phone, keeping half an eye on the stock market while still managing to enjoy the day. “Let him have fun, Ang. The boy’s ten. If he can’t be messy now, when can he?”

The family moved together like a unit, the kind of cohesion that comes from years of love, shared struggles, and an unshakable bond. They laughed at bad jokes, took turns trying to win overpriced stuffed animals at the midway, and stuffed themselves with greasy, overpriced food.

Then the screaming started.

It wasn’t the joyful kind of screaming from the rides. This was sharp, panicked, raw. Kaine’s head snapped toward the sound just in time to see a plume of fire and smoke erupt from the far end of the pier.

“Holy s**t!” Renee grabbed Jordan, pulling him close as the shockwave hit. The blast rattled the pier, sending people stumbling and throwing debris into the air.

“What the f**k is going on?” Derek growled, his calm composure breaking as he instinctively pulled Angela close.

Kaine’s heart pounded as chaos exploded around them. Another blast tore through the midway, obliterating the carousel in a deafening roar. People ran in every direction, trampling over each other in their desperation to escape.

“Its an attack,” Angela whispered, her face pale as she stared at the chaos.

“Move! Now!” Derek barked, taking the lead as he ushered the family toward the parking lot.

They didn’t make it far.

Gunmen emerged from the smoke, masked figures clad in black tactical gear. They moved with deadly precision, herding the panicked crowd like sheep to slaughter. One of them raised a megaphone and spoke, his voice distorted through the device.

“Today, the corrupt fall. Today, we strike for revolution!”

“Revolution, my ass,” Kaine muttered, his fists clenched as he tried to ignore the growing fear in his chest.

The Maze family was almost to the edge of the pier when the next explosion went off. This one was close—too close. Kaine barely had time to register the sound before he was hurled off his feet, the world around him turning into fire and splinters.

He hit the ground hard, pain lancing through his body. His vision blurred as screams echoed around him. His ears rang. Blood smeared the wood beneath him.

When he finally forced his eyes to focus, he wished he hadn’t.

Renee lay lifeless a few feet away, her body twisted unnaturally. Jordan was crumpled against a post, his small frame eerily still. Derek and Angela were gone, their last words lost to the chaos.

Kaine tried to move, but agony surged through him. His legs—his legs were gone. All that remained were mangled, bloody stumps.

The last thing he remembered before the darkness took him was the searing rage that burned through his pain.

Kaine woke in a sterile hospital room, the hum of machines the only sound. His body ached in ways he couldn’t comprehend. He looked down and saw the bandaged stumps where his legs had been. His hands shook as the reality of his situation set in.

A nurse entered the room, her face a mask of sympathy. “Mr. Maze, I—”

“Where’s my family?” Kaine’s voice was hoarse, trembling with desperation.

The nurse hesitated. That pause told him everything.

“No,” he whispered, his chest tightening. “No, no, no!”

“I’m so sorry, the group Crimson Dawn took responsibility” she said softly. “There were no other survivors.”

Kaine’s world shattered in that moment. The warmth of his family, the laughter, the love—it was all gone. All that remained was the rage.