This is a short story I wrote almost 4 years ago. It's been slightly modified (proofreading mostly) but for the most part, it is as originally written. Since then I have improved immensely and I know many things I'd write differently today, but this story is written and I've moved on, so I will not change it.
Erasing Fear
Chapter 1- Freedom
I push my head up and look around. Ugh, this headache is horrible. Where am I? Its dark around and I can only see a few feet in front of me. Why are there bars in front of my face? And then it clicks. I am in a crate somewhere. Pushing my face against the bars, I can tell that I'm not the only poor kid in these crates. However, I am by far the oldest. I am surrounded by children that look no older than ten, but could be much younger. Some of the kids grow fast, that's just how it is. I keep forgetting where I am.
But now I remember. I'm in the school. And I'm treated just as much of filth as all the other 'experiments' because I'm the loser. I'm the eraser who can't kill. I'm the one who has to be guarded and can't do anything herself. They won't even let me fly. I am the second in a batch of winged erasers, but surely not the biggest failure of them all. I'd seen kids, newborns, keel over and stop breathing in the crates next to mine.
But there is nothing I can do to help. In my world, it's just an accepted part of life, death. I think they keep me in here to get me to kill those flying bird-kids. I am one of the best trained erasers, and I am also the only one that's not aging at an abnormal rate. I am fifteen years old, and look it. The other erasers who look like me are only about two or maybe three. They rarely live longer than seven, so the school wants to keep me alive.
I've not always been in here. I was once one of them, training in the courtyard. But I was never the one to kill one of the poor experiments out there, and eventually they noticed. So they put me in here.
Now that I've seen all these kids, knowing that they will all die eventually, makes me think that maybe it's not so bad to kill experiments. Honestly, it probably makes their lives easier. Somebody, please come let me out of here.
As if on command, a white-coat comes in for the morning. Luckily, I had never been subjected to the cruel tests that he is getting ready for the other experiments. But it seems something is different about today. Today he walks to my crate first and stares into my eyes. I stare back with slight anger in my eyes, wanting to get out of this hell-hole.
It seems there is something in my eyes that strikes something in him. He calls to another scientist in a language I still do not quite understand. They seem to speak Spanish just because they know I speak English! I am frustrated by this fact. The only words I pick out are she, her, ready, and now. They're pretty simple words that they use constantly that I learned over time.
I sit in my crate, waiting for the man to come over and take me out. Even if it was for a test, I want out of this crate so badly. He instead checks on every other crate before coming back to mine. He has a needle in his hand and I sadly but willingly hold my hand out. Co-operating will make this easier. He takes my hand and sticks me with the needle. Soon enough, I feel slightly dizzy. Whatever was in that needle seems to not bode well with my body. Soon enough, I faint.
When I wake up again, I am in a room. It's one of the rooms I remember from my days as a plain old eraser. There is a simple bed, a security camera, and a steel door. When I sit up, someone in the security section is alerted and they send a white-coat in.
"Hello girl." He says to me. They still haven't given me a name yet. I chose one.
"I'm Sam." I call to the white-coat but he ignores me.
"We think you are ready for something. We need you to help us in a way normal erasers can't." Of course, they have a reason for putting me in here. "We need you to make friends with Maximum Ride as if you are simply another avian-human hybrid. When we give you the signal, you will capture her and bring her in. Got it?"
I nod. Finally, some action. As a plus, I don't even have to kill anyone!
"But, if you are unable to contain Maximum Ride, we need you to kill her." Of course. Short lived glee leaves me. I frown slightly, but nod again.
"Good. Go. Train with the other Erasers. Try to befriend one. You need practice." I nod and he leaves with me following behind. I go to the courtyard where the erasers are currently socializing. Contrary to popular belief of the flock, we are more than mindless killing machines. Though, some erasers have no fear of killing, I will give the flock that.
I look throughout the erasers, trying to find one who seems older, closer to my age. (Mental age, not physical age.) I spy a group by the wall, one of them with an expiration tattoo clear on his neck. Poor Guy. I accept it though, expiration is also a fact of eraser life. We all expire sooner or later. I'm just later.
I walk to them and they turn to me. "Aren't you a little young to be over here, little girl?" The expiring one asks me.
"I'm older than you by far. In case you were never told, I am that legendary experiment R-645, the one who is 15? The one that doesn't age like you all do. That one." The guy was dumbfounded. "Sam. Nice to meet you." I held out my hand to him as I had seen humans do.
He takes my hand and shakes it. "Well, then, Sam. Hello. I am D-729, also known as Dan, Danny, Daniel, whatever. Where you been?"
I laugh. "Oh, Off doing stuff. You know?" He nods, pretending to believe it even though he knows it a lie.
"Well, I've been told to go befriend people for my next mission. I need people skills, I guess." I say, looking at the whole group. "What are your names?" I ask.
The smaller female replies first. "Carmen. Pleased to meet you." I shake her hand too and nod.
Then the tall male replies. "I'm Randy." I shake his hand too.
"Hey, I need to train. I'm gonna go find someone to practice with. I'm a bit out of practice. See you." I wave and walk away, towards a much younger looking group. This group is about 17, so they think I am some little kid with more bark than bite. So, they gladly tussle, and I beat each one, barely. Clearly I need more practice. I steadily go around, the crowd around me growing. I steadily get better and my previous skills quickly come back to me.
Soon enough, a white-coat walks out and tells all of us erasers to go back to our rooms. He stops me and tells me to follow him. I obey and he leads me to a room with some other white-coats. "Hello…Sam, is that right? Here is what you will be doing. You will go to school with Max. You will become her friend. Then, when we tell you to, you will bring her to us. Okay?" I nod. It was a simple enough plan.
"Follow me." One white-coat says to me. I follow and he brings me to a van. They bring me to about where Max is staying. I am supposed to go to her as if I am a run-away experiment.
From then on, I am on my own. I have been told her location and must get there myself. For the first time in a few years, I whip out my wings. They are a little weak, but that is all the more convincing for the flock.
I soar around, looking out for the house described by the white-coats. It seemed that the flock found a house with someone they knew. Actually, I was told they were staying with a relative of Max's. I have no idea how they found a relative, but they did. I wish I could know my parents…
I fly over several towns, all of which don't quite match the description. I am looking for a place that has lots of land, which certainly won't be in a city. Soon enough, rather than seeing the house, I see three awkward looking birds. It doesn't take long for me to realize that these awkward birds are actually people.
They all fly down to land, and I land a bit farther away to get myself ready. I need to look disheveled, scared, and panicked, none of which I look like now. I run myself through the forest, getting dirty and sweaty and more disheveled looking. Putting on a scared face, I begin walking quickly in the direction of the house.
What I was not told was of the special powers the flock possessed. Angel senses me coming and warns Max of another presence. Max and Fang begin looking for the threat with the others soon following behind.
When Max finds me, I quickly get a heavy combat boot in the face.
