This is the beginning of my own story of mutants. The flock should not play a part in this story, though Itex is present, so, just for the record, I DO NOT OWN ITEX OR ANY OF JAMES PATTERSON'S OTHER IDEAS! Happy we have that settled. And without further ado, Those Who Stalk the Shadows.
Drake POV
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The pounding footfalls of the Executioners, their heart beats quickening in anticipation for the kill, the grating voices of their Flyboy counterparts, I could hear it all, coming closer and closer. We were doing the best we could, but with the drugs running through our veins, there was only so much we could do. It was harder for the younger ones then it was for me, I only ate half of the meager food served to the more "successful" experiments before noticing the acrid taste of the drugs lacing the food. The other two had unfortunately eaten it all in their ravenous hunger. Still, Chris was still running steadily a ways ahead of us, even with his super speed repressed, his blond head the only thing visible bobbing through the trees. Spike, on the other hand, looked like he was about to collapse. However, all I could do was take his hand and silently encourage him to keep going, because if we stopped, we were dead. Still, despite our best efforts, they were gaining on us. The snap of a twig, the rustling of leaves, displaying vividly their exact positions in my mind: two hundred yards back, coming from all sides, and getting steadily closer.
However, suddenly I could not hear Chris' fleet footsteps, and in my desperation I stopped and strained my ears, trying to hear Chris' familiar breathing patterns and irregular heartbeat, afraid of calling out to him and giving away our positions. However, all I could hear was Spike beside me, panting and silently sobbing, trying to stay tough and suppress his tears. Actually, I could only hear Spike. I could no longer even hear the racket that the Executioners had been making minutes before. The entire world had gone silent.
"So you thought you could escape," said an all too familiar voice, the voice of the one who had led in my torment for years, besides the hideous tests the Scientists performed on us. The commanding Executioner stepped out from behind me, wearing an insane grin, and dragging a struggling Chris with him, keeping him in check with the gun pressed against his head. "Shouldn't have let this one out of your sight, Drake, I thought you knew better," he said, grinning even more broadly. "I guess lacking the speed of your cheetah friend can be a downer. But, oh yes, how could I forget about your gift, your excellent hearing?" tapping his own ear as he said it. "How's that working for you? Not so good?" He asked, suppressing his laughter. "Seems like someone was a good boy and ate his dinner tonight." My eyes widened at this. I had not even eaten it all! But he was not done yet. "You see, the dosage in your food was even stronger then the rest. You are way too head strong, something I haven't been able to break you of. Still, the drugs may have been less effective then if you had eaten all of your food, but in the end, they did their job. You didn't even notice my men catching up to us, let alone surrounding us. Looks as if I won't have to deal with your will anymore after all."
He snapped his fingers, and out of the trees, fifteen Executioners and Flyboys emerged, pointing automatic rifles straight at us. My head whipped around desperately, looking for any way out of this situation, but it was no use. All I could see were Chris' pleading eyes, and the tears now flowing freely down Spike's face. I had let my family down. We were trapped, and it was all my fault.