Fang!" The scream tears out of my throat like nails as I watch him freeze, then start to crumple. With renewed fury, I kick the guy I'm fighting in the ribs, and knock him down as he gasps for breath. I dodge my way through the battle, punching and kicking viciously at anything I don't recognize as one of my own. One thought reverberates through my brain. Find Fang.
After an awful eternity I once again catch sight of him. Dr. Gunther-Hagen is standing over him with the pistol that he had just used to shoot my best friend. I yell, and as he turns, I snap a roundhouse kick to his head. He's unprepared for the ferocity of my attack, and he collapses. Maybe I knocked him out, maybe I snapped his neck. I don't care. All that matters is the boy sprawled on the ground next to him, wings still half unfurled.
"Oh God, Fang, no, please, no." I don't ever cry. I am Maximum Freaking Ride and I don't cry. But as I take in the blood spreading from a ragged hole in his chest, the first tears streak down my cheeks. I sink down to my knees, frantically examining the wound. He's still alive, but it was a direct shot to the chest.
As I hysterically look for something that could help, he stirs a little, and tries to speak, "Max. I-" I stop him.
"Don't waste your energy. We're gonna get you out of here." I try with all my strength to believe it.
"You know...that's not...true," he speaks like every word is a monumental effort. I pull off my jacket and press it to his chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.
"Don't say that!" I yell. "We'll get you out, we'll find you a doctor, you're not going to die!"
He tries to smile. "You can't lose an argument, can you?"
"Not this one!"
"Just…can you please…do something for me?" His voice is growing faint again. "Can you sing something, anything?"
I'm taken aback for a second, stopping my tears. I mean, Fang had always loved music, but I was the only one who really knew. I don't know why, but he'd never told the rest of the Flock, even after once I'd caught him singing. I don't sing, but right now for him I'd do anything. And at this point, it's the only thing left for me to do. I know in my heart it's hopeless.
I frantically shuffle through my memories, dredging up a melody from my childhood, when Jeb still took care of us. The words flow straight from the pain I'm feeling, made of raw emotion. I clear my throat and swipe my sleeve across my face.
"You were always there for me,
And I tried to be there for you
But now, when it really matters
There's nothing I can do
And it's killing me, too
'Cause there's nothing I can do.
Don't leave me alone now,
Don't leave me alone now,
Through the pain,
Through the fire,
Through the fight,
You were always by my side,
So don't leave me alone now."
My voice is barely more than a whisper. That's all I can manage. As I finish the last lines, he sighs, just a little. His dark eyes close one final time.
"No," I whimper. This can't be happening. "No, no, no!"
I bury my face in my hands, curling into myself. The rest of the Flock has finished off their enemies like the well-trained fighters they are, and they stand behind me. Angel and Nudge hug each other, sobbing, and Gazzy and Iggy stand silently. I don't need to tell Iggy what happened. Somehow, he already knows.
"I'm sorry, Max," Angel says in a tiny voice. "I tried to warn you." Normal Max, Leader Max, would have comforted her, but right now, this Max is broken. I am lost, beside the body of the mutant freak I loved more than anything in the world.
I sniff pathetically, hauling my head up off my knees. "I know, sweetie. I know."