Disclaimer: i do not own Maximum ride, never have, never will.
I found a place to land in a small clearing in the middle of some giant forest somewhere in Washington. I had to tuck my wings in tight against my back or risk a branch going through them as I dropped, and trust me, that hurt like hell. I hit the ground at a run, opening my wings at the last minute to cut my speed, but the I still felt the impact all the way through my body like a shockwave.
I built a small fire and pulled out the half eaten packet of hot dogs (minus the rolls of course) and roasted them before devouring them. It wasn't enough to satisfy my hunger though, but then, it never was. Food was in short supply considering I avoided any kind of public place unless I absolutely had to.
And where was the rest of the flock you ask? Dead. Gone forever. There was an accident. We were destroying yet another school when a gas pipe burst and the bomb Iggy said would blow a hole in the wall to let us out, blew up the entire building with us still inside. I'd jumped up and pushed my way through the roof as it crumbled around me, using the blast to my advantage. I though the others had done the same. But they weren't following. I stayed nearby watching for nearly three days. I didn't sleep once, but no one emerged from the wreckage. Eventually I succumbed to exhaustion, but I dreamed of them, lying there in the rubble. Blood matting Angels golden hair, a gash across Nudges cheek, Gazzy with his arms at odd angles where he had fallen, Iggy's sightless eyes staring back at me, glazed over. And Fang, a piece of the wall lying across his chest, blood trickling slowly out of the corner of his mouth.
It didn't matter that I'd never really seen it, my imagination conjured up the unbearable image anyway.
When I woke I had looked hopefully at the ruined School again. It was still burning.
Max the voice had said gently They're dead. There's nothing more you can do.
And was when I realised I would never see them again. My Flock, my family, the only people in the world I could really count on, could really trust. The only people who would ever understand me. I would never again see that mischievous glint in Angel's eye when she was up to something. I would never hear Nudge ramble on about something, nor Iggy and Gazzy planning bombs, never tell them off again. And I would never see Fang smile his rare smiles again. I would never get to tell him that I loved him. I felt like an empty shell. They had made me who I was. Without them, I was just a shadow. And every time I closed my eyes I was them lying there again. I still do.
After that I spent some time at my mom's house. I was a wreck. I moped about the house in my pyjamas refusing to go to school or even leave the house. Most of the time I stayed in my room and cried. I cried so much those first few weeks and every minute I kept expecting them to walk through the door to find out what was wrong.
I don't know how long I would have stayed there like that, but a group of flyboys saw me out flying one night and came to the house. I knew I had to leave, Mom and Ella were in danger as long as I was around. So I left and I just kept flying. I lost track of time, not really caring anymore. Days merged into weeks and weeks into months. Finally I snapped out of it. I don't know how it happened but I stopped moping. There were no more tears to cry. Grief turned into rage and a need for revenge. I knew I'd never take on Itex in the state I was in so I started planning. I bought a house on the outskirts of some town. I mail-ordered gym equipment, clothes and food and set up a security system around the house. I spent my days working out and when I wasn't doing that I was researching. I learned how to hack into Itex's files with a pang of regret when I thought of Nudge. I couldn't get into all the files, but I found the ones with the list of Schools and their blueprints. That was all I needed.
I planned my routes and attack strategy, getting fitter and stronger every day. At night I went flying, pushing my speed limit until I could reach almost 300mph. Then when I was ready, I started hunting my family's killers.
The first school never stood a chance. The idiots had built a self destruct button, and all I had to do was push it. I was in and out before they even realised their security was breached. I felt cold satisfaction in my stomach as I watched the building explode.
As I destroyed the other schools with a mixture of bombs and fire I gained quite a few injuries. I broke four ribs, my wrist twice, my wing once and had innumerable cuts and bruises. But I barely even noticed them in my quest for revenge.