For the LawlClan monthly writing challenge. I'd honestly love to see this person burn in the bowels of Hell+, but we can't always get what we want.
Thanks to Samus of the Cranes, The Velvet Masquerade, and Draconigenae for all overlooking my story, even if briefly or not. Thanks for all your help!
I wonder if you'll catch some of the allusions I've embedded into the story below. Have fun picking them out :P
Please Enjoy.
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~*Prompt: Write a non-bash fiction about your least favourite character.*~
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My lust was honestly something I couldn't explain. I was in a continuous battle between desire and love. When I gazed into her milky brown depths, I knew my fate was locked in place, even as surreal as it would be. I went crazy over her highlighted dappled hair, her sun-kissed flesh, even the way her lip curled and nose creased when she snarled. Even though I was programmed to idolize her, I still wasn't able to tell if I was led my my heart or by my hips.
Her name was Maximum Ride. And I had an insane devotion to her. The only problem? She hated my guts.
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~*...She was falling...down down down...*~
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"No! No! Wait just a minute, please, let me-"
Something collided with my skull, setting my ears ringing. I dropped to my knees, but continued my crawl.
"Leave her alone! Please!"
Why couldn't he hear me? He only continued to hack away at her with his knife, yelling with her as she shrieked in pain, obviously pleased by the sight of her agony...
And then she was falling...falling down, down, down...falling so she was quickly plummeting to her death with bloodstained wings...
She was dead. She was dead.
"NO!" I howled, flailing and continuing to scream.
"What? What?"
My heart seemed to have thudded to a complete stop. I fought to sit up, struggling to remove the sheets that were suffocating and entangling me in their grasp.
"Max! Max!" I gasped, my chest heaving as I leaped out of my bed and onto hers, enveloping her in my trembling arms.
"What the hell is going on? Get off me!"
"You're okay,"
"Yeah, I'm just fine Captain Obvious, besides the fact that I was almost suffocated," Max shoved me off of her, grumbling profanities under her breath.
"You're okay," I repeated, clutching my heart. I locked my worried gaze with her glare and uncomfortably ruffled my hair. "Sorry. I...I had a bad dream. And I was scared and...and..."
"Do you hear that?" Max questioned before promptly rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. "That's the world's smallest violin and it's playing 'My Heart Pumps Purple Piss For You'. Now go back to sleep."
And with that, she rolled over and buried herself under the covers. I sighed, climbing back into my sweat-soaked linen. I tossed and turned for a minute before I kicked off blankets and spread my wings, letting the cool breeze from the window wash over me.
'My dream...it was just a dream, right?' I wondered, biting my lip. 'Max will be okay. I would give my life to protect her. I just wish she didn't despise me so much...'
It was an hour or two before I finally slumbered peacefully.
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~*...She was falling...down down down...*~
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"Hey, Dylan! Dylan! Dyyyylaaaaaaan?"
I blinked and awoke from my reverie, glimpsing up to find Gazzy before me.
"What's up?"
"We're going for a flight. Just thought I'd tell you just incase you want to join us or something," the Gasman explained.
"I might be out. Or not, kiddo,"
"Don't call me 'kiddo'," Gazzy complained, his brows furrowed in disgust before he strolled out of the room with his hands in his pockets.
I sighed, observing the empty living room around me before I decided to follow Gazzy outside to the deck. I basked in the Arizona heat, closing my eyes in content as the blazing desert sun warmed my face and neck. Suddenly the light was gone and my face was thrown into shadow. I gently closed my hands around the side railing in wonder as I gazed up at the sky. A large bird had blocked the sun, its wings spread wide as tiny beams of light peeked through its feathers. I blinked, my gaze zooming in and adjusting on the figure above.
"Max..." I felt my lips spread and raise in a large grin as I waved up at her. There was a whoosh of air and then a strong gust of wind that knocked me off balance. I let out a cry of shock, tumbling over the railing and down the cliff side.
I flailed, my mind whirling and my wings limp as they fluttered out behind me. I didn't even have time to register the fact that I was plummeting to my death before there was that rush of wind and a pair of strong arms enclosed around my hips. I was pulled upwards out of my fall, the soft beating of wings lulling me into a false sense of security before I was dropped once again.
This time, I was prepared for my descent. The air broke around me as I soared through the sky, spreading my arms as I watched my shadow fly below me. Tears provoked by the flight streamed behind me, the wind a howling gale in my ears. I should have been screaming but I was completely at ease. I was tempted to keep falling but my lust for aviation won out and I snapped open my wings, immediately rising up through the air.
"Trying to kill me, Max?" I asked once I was eye level with her.
"Me? Never!" Her mock appall was comical. I rolled my eyes, smiling as I flew closer to her.
"How about we go for a flight? Just you and me?"
Max pretended to think for a minute, her finger rapping a quick beat on her chin. "How about no?"
A verbal punch in the gut. I felt the breath whoosh out of me, along with the rest of my confidence.
"We have to stay here and watch the rest of the Flock. They set the house on fire last time we were out remember?" Max derided.
"No, I get it. You just want to stay here and mope about Fang, don't you?" I spat, my blood boiling. Why was I always rejected? Couldn't she just give me a chance?
That smacked the smirk right off of Max's face. "Wha-"
"I heard you crying the other night. You're pathetic, and you know it. Going off to hang in trees and cry, thinking you're alone and sobbing his name. Pitiful, that's what you are. Pitiful."
Max grunted, wound up, and punched me with a jaw shattering blow. Thankfully, my bones were a lot stronger than I thought. I gasped, gripping my face in pain as she ranted.
"What about you? Following me around like some lost puppy dog? With your big doe eyes? You're the one who mopes if I'm not focused on you and you're the one who insisted we share a bedroom when Jeb had to take yours! I'm pitiful? You're the one who was programmed to love me. You're the one who was programmed to be a perfect robot. You're the one who can't just leave me alone, and when you do leave me alone, you brood around the living room until I come home!"
Max was shrieking now, and had the full attention of the rest of the Flock below. I watched as her mouth twisted into a grimace before she continued her famous scowl. I let out a huff, taking off back towards the house, flapping my wings angrily.
Was I really as awful as she said? Was I really some perfect robot? I gulped as I landed on the patio, wrenching the door open to only stop and glance at my reflection.
I was perfect. Unblemished skin with crystal eyes, flawless windswept hair and tidy feathers. I groaned, forcing myself not to throw myself through the window to have some kind of imperfection. My stomach was in knots as I stomped into the house, trying not to break down into tears. Why did she hate me? Why why why? I wasn't that perfect, was I?
My sour attitude was quickly greeted by the aroma of baking cookies. I followed the fragrance, finding myself in the kitchen with Dr. Martinez. She beamed, passing me a plate of cookies.
"Hello, Dylan," she smiled. "How are you?"
I shrugged, chomping into one of the delicious sweets. I wiped a few crumbs off my lips before replying, "I've been better."
Dr. Martinez took a seat on a stool across the bar from me. "Want to talk about it?"
I disregarded her suggestion with another shrug. She patted my wrist, her painfully familiar eyes gazing into mine. "I'm always here, you know. Whatever you need me for, I'm here for you, okay?"
"M'kay," I responded thickly through another cookie. "M'kay,"
"Mom! Mom!" Max exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen with the slam of a door.
"What is it?" I leaped to my feet, profoundly concerned by the terror in her voice.
But this time, Max didn't ignore me, which was an even greater sign that something was terribly wrong.
"It's Nudge! She's gone!"
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~*...She was falling...down down down...*~
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I could've probably siphoned the fear off of the Flock at that moment in time. The rest was a blur of hazy movements. All I could remember was going after Max with an unbreakable desire to protect her from whatever danger lay ahead. We were soaring through the skies in the direction Gazzy had pointed us in. Apparently while I was inside Flyboys had arisen from the dead and snatched up Nudge, taking off west.
I beat my wings, twisting above the rest of the Flock to keep watch. I glanced down at Max, my heart skipping a few beats as I found the cold, hard determination that was molded there. And sadly, it was a total turn-on. An aphrodisiac for my worn soul.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my mind and send those thoughts spiraling away so they could no longer poison my thoughts. I had to focus on saving Nudge. That was the only thing that mattered now.
"There!" I shouted to the rest of the avian mutants below me. There on the top of a skyscraper was a few feathers-Nudge's feathers to be exact.
"What are you-" but as we dropped lower, Max spotted them too. She made a loud and irritated guttural sound before she dipped a wing, banking towards the towering structure.
The Flock quickly followed, and I dived down, landing on the rooftop before anyone else, examining the feathers and surrounding area. Nothing looked booby trapped or dangerous, from what I could tell.
"You can stop trying to impress everyone now," Max rolled her eyes, snatching the feathers from my grip.
"I just wanted to make sure it was safe for you to land, Max," I responded quietly, which caused Max to snort in disbelief.
"I wonder what this place is," Gazzy bit his lip, surveying the rooftop.
"I don't know, I can't see it," Iggy pointed out quickly.
"I'm rolling my eyes, Ig," Max said.
Iggy curved a finger around Gazzy's belt loop before replying, "Thanks for revealing the significance of that eye roll for me."
Max heaved an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Well kudos for-"
"Look!" Angel interrupted, pointing to a door below her. "Nudge must be down there."
I moved to unfasten the trapdoor, but Max was faster. She glared at me, swinging it open and exposing a hole to the floor below. She jumped through the aperture, landing with a quiet thud.
Gazzy, Angel, and then Iggy followed after, I finally bringing up the rear of our rescue party. I hit the floorboards below with a loud squelch. Max gritted her teeth, glowering as if she was about to rip my head off. Somehow, I found that very attractive.
'Get a hold of yourself, Dylan! She'll never love you!' I heaved a bitter sigh, my heart racing as I gave her a shameful look. 'How pathetic...'
"Where do you think she could be in here?" Gazzy questioned timidly. As if on cue, there was a scream.
"Nud-!" Max's hand slapped over Gazzy's mouth, cutting off his yell. The Gasman glimpsed up at Max with fearful eyes, but nodded before Max let go.
"We have to be quiet if we have any chance of saving her," Max hissed. "And that means you, Mr. Squeaky Floorboards."
My scuffed sneakers became suddenly very interesting as I felt my face grow hot. "S'rry," I mumbled.
Nudge shrieked again, setting our band of mutants into action. I locked my jaw as Max gnashed her teeth. Iggy's nostrils flared in determination. Angel only squeezed his hand harder. Gazzy, on the other hand, look absolutely petrified.
"Let's go,"
We pursued Max on quiet toes, following the sounds of Nudge's agony. Our leader came to a halt outside a door just as the invisible bell descended upon us, tolling silence upon us.
"Here," Max's utter finished the impenetrable peals, and she leaned back, kicking to door open.
The room was small, the windows and floors encrusted with dust, a few splashes and flecks of blood adding to the decaying scene. There was a strong smell of mothballs as the odor of moist, rotting wood intruded into my nostrils. I gave an unwilling snort, but the aroma didn't not make any move to leave my scent glands.
"Nudge!" This time, Gazzy managed to fully cry out her name in shock. I came beside Max, spotting Nudge kneeling on the floor, her mouth gagged and blood running down the side of her face. The large chocolate orbs that were her eyes widened in appall as Nudge shook her head frantically, grunting sounds of alarm and discontent.
"Nuh! Nuh! Nuh!"
There was a flash of silver and a howl of outrage.
Adrenaline cascaded into my bloodstream, coating my veins in a frosty layer. My heart hammered wildly in my ears as I shoved Max aside, the dagger embedding itself in my shoulder.
With a spurt of crimson I freed the knife from my flesh, wincing in pain. There was a slam and the floor gave out from under Iggy, Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge and they fell into darkness with screams of shock.
"What the fu-" Max was cut off as the doors slammed closed, leaving only her and I staring at the crazy man before us. His dark hair stuck out at crazy angles, his eyes wild and twitching, the color a murky red from colored contacts. The sleeves of his button-up shirt were rolled up at different levels, the man's jeans ripped and his white apron splattered with gore.
"It was a distraction, Max," he said in a crazed whisper. "They'll be back-I need their wings for later anyways. But you won't see them again. Why? You'll be dead, won't you, Maxie?"
"Fisher," she exhaled, baring her teeth. "I should of know. You always had a thing for bloodshed didn't you?"
"And who would be this consummate little specimen with you, Maxiepoo?" He growled, a coy smirk tugging on the ends of his lips.
'Consummate...he thinks I'm perfect too!' I thought, my grimace sour.
"Dylan, meet my favorite crackpot Whitecoat Mr. John Fisher. We were best buds as the School, weren't we, nutcase? He has a nasty habit of..." she spat the next words, "Collecting trophies."
"And you're pretty little head will look just gorgeous on my mantel," he licked his lips, breathing huskily.
"Over my dead body," I growled.
"Stay out of this, Dylan!"
The lunatic watch us for a moment with curious eyes before his watery gaze settled on Max. "I hate you, Maxiepoo, you know that, don't you?"
"Hate is a cancer spreading across America," Max retorted quickly. "So let us conform and continue to despise each other, Fish,"
"I've done too much for you, Maximum," Fisher whispered, his eyes twitching faster. "I've waited too long. I'm going to kill you. This is where you die,"
My heart beat frantically as if I already knew what was about to happen. I gripped my shoulder and stood on my toes, readying myself.
"Piss off," Max shouted. They lunged at each other like rabid dogs.
"No!" I leaped into the fray as something collided with my skull, setting my ears ringing. I dropped to my knees, maintaining a weak crawl. The world spun and my vision swam as Max cried out in pain.
"Leave her alone! Please!"
Why couldn't he hear me? He only continued to hack away at her with his knife, yelling with her as she shrieked in pain, obviously pleased by the sight of her agony. Max toppled over, still snarling through the suffering. John advanced, holding up the knife to make the final blow...
...And then she was falling...falling down, down, down...falling so she was quickly plummeting to her death with bloodstained wings...
"No! Stop!" I grabbed John Fisher's legs, pulling him to the ground. He cussed as I struggled to my feet, trying to shake off the blow. I punched John in the face, grabbing him into a full nelson. John fought back vigorously as my vision spiraled violently. I felt the bone in my arm snap as Fisher somehow broke free of my bone crushing attempt to strangle our attacker. I moved in front of Max, tackling Fisher as he tried to behead her once again.
A tsunami of pain washed over me as I looked down, by neck bleeding profusely. I let out a gurgle of pain, fell back to my knees, and let my hands scramble to find my wound as I tried to gulp for breath.
"Dylan! DYLAN!"
There was a loud thud and Fisher groaned. The pounding of footsteps and gasps.
'Breath, Dylan, Breath...' Trying to breathe. Trying to breathe. I was struggling, my heart flailing in my chest, racing against my impending death.
"Dylan...oh, Dylan...this is all my fault..." A voice whispered in my ear as a hand caressed my own.
"Max...?" I gargled, blood spilling over my lips. Her beautiful face lingered in my suddenly clear vision.
"I'm so sorry. This shouldn't be happening...I'm supposed to hate you, Dylan. You're supposed to love me, Dylan. It's a love hate relationship, remember? We...we...we can't have that if you-" she choked on the word.
'If you die, you mean? I'm going to die, you have to know that sweetheart...you're too smart, sweetheart...'
"Merely a flesh wound," I rasped.
'I love you, Max...I wish I could tell you that...I love you, I love you, I love you...'
"Dylan?"
I squeezed her hand as there was a sudden bright light, and the world was no more.
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~*...He was falling...down down down...*~
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It was all my fault. I had hit him in the skull, I had sent him flying out of the way. In that moment of protecting him, I had only hurt him worse. I had hurt myself, which in turn, hurt him.
"I'm so sorry. This shouldn't be happening...I'm supposed to hate you, Dylan. You're supposed to love me, Dylan. It's a love hate relationship, remember? We...we...we can't have that if you-" I begged, choking on a sob.
'This is all my fault...all my fault...'
Dylan continued to lay there, his face contorted in pain, blood soaking his shirt. His blue eyes flickered up to mine as his lips struggling to speak.
"Merely a flesh wound," he rasped before his eyes glazed over and his hands released my hand, the ghost of his last smirk permanently etched on his face.
"Dylan? Dylan?" I shook his corpse, tears stinging my eyes. This was a joke. He'd wake up, he had to. My heart hammered in my ears, louder than the pounding feet, louder than the guilt screaming in my gut. A lump was building up in my throat as I kneeled there in the pool of blood over my the boy who had saved me one last time.
He was dead. He was dead.
"MAX, DUCK!"
I glanced up, finding Gazzy and Iggy standing in the doorway, a package in their hands. I glimpsed at Fisher who was just getting to his feet. Only mere seconds had passed. So why did it feel like I had lived a lifetime staring into his blue depths?
I stopped, dropped, and rolled- literally. Iggy grabbed the back of my shirt, hauling Gazzy and I out of an open window across the hall.
BOOM.
A huge explosion sent even the air shaking as we soared away from the skyscraper. I didn't look back as the building collapsed, taking my savior with it. This thought remained glued to the back of my brain as we landed in the rubble.
"Nudge!"
My head snapped in the direction of Gazzy's cry.
The Flock was rushing to the right, letting out wails of joy as they enveloped the chattiest member. I was dumbstruck and paralyzed, my feet glued to the ground as another wave of awe washed over me.
"Nudge?" I croaked, ending my immobilized state, slowly trudging through the debris towards the gang. She was covered in soot and dust like the rest of us, tears cutting tracks through the dirt on her face and her teeth like bright chicklets against the rest of her gray face. She was here before me. She was alive.
I was about to freak the freak out, but as I looked around at the rest of the Flock and saw them filled with such vim and vigor after finally being reunited with Nudge, I couldn't. Nudge was safe, and that was all that matter.
I embraced her, enveloping her in my arms, wishing I could never let go. I buried my face in her shoulder, my body racking with sobs. Nudge succumbed into tears into my own shoulder, hiccuping and uttering apologies as Angel grasped my hand.
"Where's Dylan?" She questioned after a few minutes, wiping away her tears. The whole Flock was looking at me now.
"Dylan...Dylan's dead," I told them. I locked my jaw, hoping my voice wasn't shaking.
"Oh, Max, is he really dead?" Nudge cried. I swallowed hard and nodded.
Images of Dylan flashed briefly through my mind as the wail of sirens broke us out of our melancholia rejoice.
"Let's get out of here," I mumbled, spreading my wings and taking to the air. They quickly followed suit as we ascended above the clouds.
'Goodbye, Dylan,' I thought. 'As much as I hated to admit it, you were my rock. You kept me steady after Fang left. Insulting you was my guilty pleasure...'
I scanned the sky with a sad grin as we began to descend towards home.
'Man...I took you for granted.'
You know, writing this has actually made me see Dylan in a better light. I guess the prompt has achieved a victory this time.
Feel free to review for reviews will be cherished. You might even get one of my famous tacklehugs, homeskillet. I hear they are addicting.
~Illumini