Max
The night was quiet. Not in a cheesy, "It's-quiet-too-quiet" sort of way, but more of a peaceful, breezy late spring night sort of way, the kind that makes you think of Romeo and Juliet, and a midnight dip in the ocean under a full moon and clear sky.
Sometimes my poeticness shocks even me.
Actually, I could take a midnight dip in the ocean right now if I wanted to; it was only a few minutes flight from here, so close I could smell the salt and the seaweed. I could grab Fang and we could take off together.
Except I'm not an irresponsible leader, and I'm on watch now while the rest of the Flock sleeps.
I glanced around at my family, sleeping soundly in the shelter of the hollowed out warehouse we were camped in. Angel and Nudge are curled around Total, their sleeping figures forming a heart around him. The Gasman is sacked out on his stomach, head tilted to the side, mouth hanging open, a bit of drool on his chin. Iggy sleeps like the dead, on his side, but I know that he'd jolt awake at the slightest suspicious sound. He looks much less like a sexist pig in his sleep, almost… innocent.
They're all just so dang adorable sometimes.
Then there's Fang.
He looks less tense in sleep, leaning against an iron beam, his olive skin glowing faintly in the moonlight. He looks much younger in sleep- they all do.
I zened out again, mentally shaking myself for getting distracted while on watch. You aren't supposed to let your mind wander, or you might miss something.
The night started to grow darker as midnight came, and as the stars moved across the sky, the hairs on the back of neck slowly stood up. I tap Iggy's hand twice, and he instantly woke, his eyes flying open without making a sound. Silently he sat up.
"Your turn for watch," I said. He just nodded, a furrow on his brow.
"Do you feel that?" He asked. It's my turn to nod. I turned around and woke Fang, who sat up pretty much the same way Iggy did. It took him a little while to feel it too.
"I'm gonna have a look around," I told them both before spreading my wings and taking off towards the bare rafters of the warehouse. I landed in front of an empty window, the rusty metal of the catwalk groaning beneath my feet. There was something awry in the empty field below, but I couldn't place it.
"Max," Iggy's voice yelled, echoing up from below. I turned to see the rest of the Flock jolt awake.
Then my sharp vision caught what it was in the field, out of the corner of my eye.
A cluster of dark figures retreating through the grass. The sight of them set my teeth on edge.
"Max!" Iggy's voice was louder now, an edge of panic to it, but it was Fang's voice closely behind Iggy's and full of fear, that made me turn and spread my wings to leave.
And that's when midnight shattered around me.
Fang
Fang stood as Max soared up to the ceiling, watching her, every muscle in his body tensed to fly or fight at the first sign of danger. He shot a quick glance at Iggy, who was frowning in concentration, probably listening for danger. Then the blind mutant let out a gasp, panic on his face, and yelled, silence forgotten.
Panic also colored his voice as he yelled, "Max!"
His voice echoed through the warehouse, waking up the kids. Angel sat up immediately, her arms wrapping instinctively around Total. Gazzy was on his feet almost immediately, trying to get Nudge to a standing position.
"What?" Fang asked apprehensively.
Iggy was already trying to shepherd the younger set out of the warehouse, and spoke over his shoulder. "This whole place is rigged. I can smell the explosives there's so many. Max!" He yelled the last part up to the rafters.
It took only a second for Iggy's words to sink in, and Fang's wings were already spreading to take off. "MAX!" Fang yelled, panic tainting his voice. He watched Max turn and spread her wings to join them, concern etched on her face, before the world exploded.
Really, it was just the building. The explosion could be seen for miles, lighting up the night sky.
Fang shifted a heavy chunk of concrete and twisted metal away from himself. His ears were still ringing; other than that he heard only silence. He tried to call out, but choked on the dust coating the air. He couldn't see any of the other Flock members now, but the air was still full of dust. Fang shakily got to his feet and made his way across the barren wreckage, looking for a sign of the others. His hearing was slowly coming back now. He called out again.
"Max? Iggy?" He coughed once. "Nudge? Angel, Gazzy?"
"You forgot me," a small dust-colored creature snorted from the edge of the wreckage. Total.
Nudge coughed from a nearby crater in the rubble. "You didn't give him a chance," she told the Scotty. She stared at Angel, concerned. The little girl had a nasty cut on her head. Nudge looked up at Fang. "I think she might have a concussion," she told him.
"You know where Gazzy and Ig are?" Fang asked. "And Max?"
Angel shook her head, a terrified expression on her face. "I can't hear them," she sniffed. "I can't hear anyone."
"Well, we're right here," Iggy called, attempting and failing to dust himself off, Gazzy right behind him. Iggy knelt and lifted Angel, holding her on his hip like they did when she was still a goofy little baby.
"I'm sorry Fang," Iggy told him. "They must have set it up somehow while we were here."
"Where's Max?" Nudge asked suddenly. Fang saw the color drain from Iggy's face- although none of the kids saw it- and his heart stopped.
He was off in an instant, bouldering across the mounds and heaps of rubble, chunks of concrete and twisted, melted metal.
"Max!" He yelled. Screamed. His heart pounded, panicked, terrified, in his chest.
There was no response.
XXXXX
The sun was just breaking over the horizon, offering some light to their search. They'd been searching the remains of the warehouse for hours, but all they had found was a single mottled feather. Max's feather.
Each member of the Flock had tears in their eyes, although none had let them fall. Each except Fang.
Total had his nose to the ground, sniffing, searching, scanning. Iggy followed behind him, slowly, still carrying Angel. She was the one who saw Total stiffen before racing across a slab of metal and concrete before skidding in the dust.
Fang was digging in the ruin when he heard Iggy's voice.
"Fang?" His voice was quiet, jilted and stiff and mechanical.
Fang was at his side almost instantly, unaware of anything else. Total gazed up at him with watery eyes, standing beside a feathery mass bent at a wrong angle. Fang's stomach clenched, any contents in it instantly souring, bile rising in his throat. His lifted a huge piece of twisted metal and rusted chains, and there she was.
His beautiful, incredible, indescribable, indestructible Maximum Ride. Her eyes were closed, her hair matted with dust and blood, her wing bend unnaturally, more blood seeping from a wound in her side, another in her leg.
"Oh God." That was Nudge and Gazzy then.
Suddenly Max's eyes fluttered open. Her face took on an expression of agony, but she still managed a watery smile.
"Fang," she whispered. Then she frowned, her hand going to his face, catching a lone tear before it could fall into the dust. They both knew how bad it was. "I love you," she whispered. "All of you."
"Max," Fang barely could speak around the lump in his throat.
"Don't, Fang," she whispered quietly. "Just please, take care of them."
Fang shook his head, another tear escaping against his will. "I love you, Max. You can't…" he choked on his words, instead leaning forward to kiss her. One last kiss.
Goodbye.
"Take care of them, Fang." She whispered one last time, his name dying on her lips.
"Max," Fang breathed, unable to believe it. "God, no, Max. No!" He howled the last word, the grief in his voice apparent.
He knelt there beside her, cradling her broken, bloody body in his arms while he cried. Any member of the Flock could tell you it was the first time any of them had seen him cry, seen tears streak through the dust on his face and hear the deep, shuddering breaths of the mourning.
But none of them noticed, so lost in their own grief. Angel turned her head and cried into Iggy's shoulder, and he held her close, his own tears soaking her shirt. Nudge and Gazzy clung to each other, both sobbing and shaking, their tears dripping from their faces, leaving large, damp spots in the dust. Total's muzzle was soaked as he crawled under her arm, feeling her warmth leach away into the chill, glaringly bright early morning, leaving only a cold, empty shell of the once incredible, indescribable, indestructible Maximum Ride.