Maximum Ride

I

looked behind my shoulder for one second, but it was one second too long. I heard a gun click and I whipped my head around, to find myself looking into the barrel of a gun. I let out a sharp breath. This was the end, I've lived for fourteen long years, been through who knows how many fights, found someone I never want to be separated from, and whom I love unconditionally. But now, we're going to be separated by a single bullet.

I closed my eyes, "Fang I love you." I whispered into the quiet night. I realized that the fighting had stopped, and when I opened my eyes, all eyes were on me. Fang's dark eyes were blazing in anger and fighting his emotions. He was only a few feet from me.

The gunner place his finger on the trigger, pointing the gun directly at my chest, I gulped and looked at Fang, and faintly smiled. I closed my eyes I felt my chest tighten. I braced myself and was pushed to the ground; I looked up and saw Fang standing where I was, facing the gunner. Then he shot.

It all happened in slow motion. My mouth dropped open, and I heard screaming. It didn't occur to me that it was mine. My only thoughts at that moment were 'Fang, Fang, Fang' I pushed my body up from the ground and went for the gunner, grabbing his gun in one swift movement, then smacking the handle into his head. He fell backwards with a groan.

I stumbled towards the limp, bleeding figure on the ground in front of me. I knelt down on the ground, and lifted his head on my lap. Tears rushed into my eyes, this was wrong, he's not supposed to die! Angel's voice rushed back into my head, 'Fang will be the first to die.'

"Fang, say something!" I tore a chunk of my ripped tattered t-shirt, and dabbed the blood welling up around his chest, and the thin stream of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth.

"You… safe?" His voice barley audible, strained at the two short words. My chest tightened as I stifled a sob, with no success. I nodded,

"Yeah, I am. Fang, I love you! Please tell me you'll be ok!" The last part I knew wasn't going to happen. I had to say it for myself, to bring a little more peace to ease the growing pain in my heart.

"Not…ok…" He coughed and more blood came spluttering out of his mouth, I dabbed it away so he could finish talking. "Max…I love you…" His eyes stared of into the distance and he died.

"NO!" I was screaming as I started to thump on his chest to start his heart again. Iggy came up to restrain me from further attempts.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! LEAVE US ALONE!" I thrashed around in his arms to get back to Fang.

"He's gone Max. We have a battle to win! Snap out of it!" Iggy turned me around and slapped me, very accurately across the face. My head went down spilling my hair across my face. Tears were still wildly streaming down my cheeks. I looked into his unseeing blue eyes. They were hurt yet cold. I nodded my head ruefully.

The rest of the flock looked at me, like I was going to break down any minute. I looked at the director of everything, everything I've been through all my fourteen years, and I snapped out my wings and rushed. Knocking him over with so much force he hit the wall behind him. "Are you ready to die, once and for all!" Adrenaline soared through my veins as I held the director to the wall. I smashed his head back into the wall, his head rolled to the side.

"You wouldn't kill me, but we did kill you're precious Fang…" His steely voice rang into my ear, I was taken aback, and he lunged again. I was on the ground, I didn't want to kill, Fang was gone and because of him. I kneed him in the stomach and rolled back over, straddling him.

"I don't want to kill you." I started, my voice equally as cold and steely as his, "But if you give me no choice, you'll look like you're buddies on the ground over there." I jerked my neck towards the many destroyed m-geeks, erasers, flyboys and gunners. He glared back up into my eyes.

"Then you'll have to kill me." My heart skipped a beat, it felt wrong but I knew I had to do it, to protect all kids, and mutants. I lifted him up by his arms and flew into the air. I looked down and released him. He screamed as he fell, but as he hit the ground, everything went silent. I looked at my flock, bruised, and battered. I flew back towards Fang's body. I landed and lifted up his body, the flock landed next to me and I looked at them all.

"Let's go home." I jumped into the night sky, tears dripping onto the face of my true love; looking like they were his tears that were streaming down his dirt and blood crusted face.

***

We were back in the same forest Ari was buried, but this time it was Fang's turn. Jeb and Iggy were lowering the casket into the ground, while I was standing next to the opening. Watching, not saying anything. Not a word has been said from my mouth since the night of the final battle, three days ago. I lost my focus for a minute and when I looked up I saw Iggy walking up to the hole, dirt in his hand. It was just like what happened with Ari.

"Fang…Fang was my best friend, he knew so much about me. We use to joke about him 'taking it to the grave with him' but… now that he's dead… I guess it's not a joke any more." His eyes started to tear up and he dropped the dirt on the casket. "I'm going to miss you." He walked back towards Ella and hugged her from behind. Gazzy and Angel walked up next.

"Fang was my hero, I'm really going to miss him." Gazzy's face scrunched up and he started to cry, dropping his handful of dirt on the casket he left Angel and ran back towards my mother. Angel was already crying when she walked up with Gazzy,

"I'm… going to miss you Fang! You…" She started to sniffle as more tears poured down her cheeks. "Were like the daddy I never had." She threw her dirt and ran back to where Gazzy was standing. Nudge dropped her dirt onto the casket, not saying a word. I saw my mom abandon Angel and Gazzy, and walk towards me.

"Max, is there anything you would like to say?" Her voice was slow, caring and gentle. I nodded my head.

"He is the only person I can ever love." I paused, almost shocked by my own voice, "If I could have done something about the gunner I would have…" I bit by lip and felt warm tears gently roll down my cheek. "But now that he's gone, I…I…" I fell to my knees almost falling into the hole. "I know I can't live without him!" I broke into hysterical sobs, actually falling down into the hole. Jeb, Iggy and Nudge had to keep me from burring us together.

They dragged me back to the house and made me lay down on my bed. They gave me medicine to make me sleep, and the next morning, I didn't wake up.

***

May their love last forever.

-The Flock.

I was pretty proud of this writing, but please review so i know what YOU think.

R&R

~Wings