The front door of the home of the flock burst open with a blazing flurry of raven black feathers. The blur of midnight streaked across the night sky, silhouetted by the golden harvest moon. The flurry was followed by a tawny blast erupting from the very same door. Sensing this, the midnight figure descended into a nearby forest and began to gracefully roll, flip, and occasionally drop into a breakneck free-run. The explosive tawny creature lacked such grace, and proceeded to absolutely shatter every obstacle in its path.
After a few minutes of pursuit, the inky flash encountered the end of the cliff it was on. It landed into a sprint and dove off of the cliff with a twisted flip and power dove fifty feet into another forest. The tawny blur slowed and stopped at the cliff, knowing the chase had ended, and it had lost. Little did it know that the chase was far from over, but rather this was just the start.
\5 years later\
"Fuck you, you cheap whore!"
SMACK
The "whore" wasn't sure which hurt worse, the insult, or the inhuman back hand that followed it. The backhand, she decided, considering one slap to the face had broken her nose and sprawling across the floor. When she got up to scream at her now ex-boyfriend, she realized he had been out the door before she hit the floor.
Fang decided it was time to move again. All the girls who didn't hate him for breaking their hearts, were so infested with STD's or were such total bitches that he wouldn't go near them.
A squirrelly little thought decided to work itself into his brain right then: Why not go to Arizona? Sure, he thought, haven't been there in a while.
Fang flared his onyx wings out, turned on his iPod, and took off. He had a long way to go, from Detroit to Phoenix. He had plenty of time to think, might as well reminisce a bit. (IDK why this is third person. The rest is gonna be 1st person.)
I remember the night well. The night Max and I had our earth-shattering fight. It didn't start out that way, though. Max and I were in my room watching TV, the rest of the flock was asleep, and we on my couch which I used instead of a bed. I put my arm over her shoulders, she kissed me, and things went from there. We took it too far though, and I got confused, scared, and angry. I didn't want to go that far. She didn't either and now we were wrecked. I got pissed and started screaming "Why didn't you stop me? Why?" Eventually, I just decided to leave. I had other reasons, but I couldn't take the pressure anyways. Maybe if I didn't have to leave, I would have come back in a few days, but I couldn't. She tried to chase me down, but I dove into a forest and she wouldn't have been able to find me. Then, I moved away. That's it.
(Break)
6 hours later, I was in Arizona. I decided that I needed to hunt down a dealer. I was walking down the sidewalk, kinda pissed cuz I needed some coke. I had my hoodie up and my hands sunk deep into the stomach pocket. I was trying to remember what gangs hung out on this side of Phoenix when I ran in to some asshole who wasn't watching where they were going.
Looking up from the ground, I could tell by the legs that the person was a chick, and there was a kid. Great, just what I need: a bitch with her kid chewing me out when I about to start having withdrawals. As I was working my eyes up her body, I couldn't help but notice she was pretty hot, for a bitch.
What scared the shit out of me was her face. She looked just like Max, only older. The scarier part was her voice.
"Hey, watch it asslick." Ho-ly shit. It was Max. Ok, this was really bad. 'Course, what should I expect? After all, I was in Phoenix. Dr. M had a pretty stationary job. Back to Max, though. If she recognized me, I was in for a shitstorm.
Being the smoothest guy you'll ever meet, I pulled the most dipshit move ever, I ran. Yeah, running away after bumping into someone, that doesn't scream amateur pickpocket. And Max wasn't stupid either. She started to chase me. Well, if she's gonna chase me down anyways, I might as well give myself a chance. I bolted toward the end of the sidewalk, flared my wings, and flew. Bet that gave her a "what the fuck?" face.
(Break)
"Yeah, Mom, I'm sure!" Max was scared as hell. Some guy just tried to pickpocket her and broke out wings and flew.
"Well, Max do you think the School made a new flock and lost control of them too?"
"I don't know! I'm still freaked out that some guy with black wings just tried to steal from me!" The child next to her began to tap her leg.
"Mommy, I'm scared. Can we go home?"
"Mommy's scared too, Shaydon." She paced back and forth outside a nearby corner store, just a short ways from where she'd just run into some winged jackass. She had walked over here so she could keep an eye on Shaydon in the light, besides, she still needed milk.
"Max," Dr. Martinez said with a grave tone, "did you say black wings?"
Max didn't get it at first. "Yeah, why does mat-" Her jaw dropped suddenly and she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Mom," she said with a shake in her voice, "You don't think…"
"I do." Shaydon, scared by how she was acting, looked up at her, dark eyes curtained by long hair.
Max ended her call and stared at her black-haired child.
"Fang."
(Break)
I walked down the sidewalk, subconsciously I checked my watch. 3 a.m., perfect. I quickly turned into nearby alleyway. I saw a white kid in a jacket with the hood up and his hands in his pockets. Even more perfect, I walked up to him. I patted my chest and he looked at me.
"How much?" I asked in a low whisper, just loud enough for him to hear.
"$100 a gram." I looked at him dirty. $100 for a gram of coke? I could find other dealers who could give me two for that.
"Do I look fucking stupid? Try $40."
He gave me a shitfaced look. "That's the price. Take it or don't."
"Fine." I walked away, around another corner, deeper into the alley. I turned invisible, crept back out, swept his legs, and dragged him back into the alley. I proceeded to beat the hell out of him.
When I was done, I lifted my head to face a gun barrel. I guess the kid was screaming too loud. I thought he was a newbie, but it looks like he has backup.
"Get up, bitch." I stood up. He didn't scare me, though. He had a 9mm. Did he think he could hurt me with that?
"Walk." He walked behind me and pushed me forward with his gun. I passed a guy who started following the guy with the pistol. I waited for a minute and then stopped walking.
"Did I tell you to stop muthaf-" He didn't get finish that sentence, because I spun and planted a shattering kick to his chest. He dropped, fast. What I didn't notice was the other guy moving behind me. Next thing I know, I felt a hit and blacked out.
(Break)
Max was sitting on Dr. M's couch watching her son Shaydon play with his blocks. She was still confused about whether she had seen Fang the previous day. She saw her mom walk into the living room.
Max POV
"Morning Mom." I said looking puzzled at Shaydon. I guess mom noticed because she commented on it.
"Morning. Are you still hung up on yesterday?"
"Yeah, kind o-" I was cut off by the phone. I looked at the caller ID. It was the local general hospital.
Answering it, I said, "Hello."
"Hello miss, do you know a Fang Dusk?" Dusk? What the hell?
"Yes, why is he okay?"
"He suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head, but he appears to be healing unusually quickly. Will you come to sign him out and take him home? He appears to have no set residence, so we resorted to next of kin." My eyes widened as the man on the other end of the line spoke. Fang was hurt? Fang was here?
"Yes, of course." Mom looked at me with anticipation. She seemed concerned.
"Who was it?"
"The hospital. Fang's been hurt and we have to pick him up." Mom was freaking out. She was probably so confused.
(Break)
I saw something beautiful. I saw Max's face, and I wasn't afraid of her this time. She was crying though, I didn't know why.
"Are you alright?" I was confused.
"Yeah, of course." As soon as I said this, she started to look mad.
"Good… you asshole." She said and then slapped me, hard. Hard enough to hurt. That woke me up. I looked past her and around her. I realized I was in the hospital, and then I remembered the piece of shit that snuck up behind me.
"What the hell? Max? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since yesterday."
Shit. I didn't mean to let that out.
"That was you! What the hell, Fang? Where have you been? Why were you avoiding me? What the hell?"
I sighed, "Max, not now okay? I don't have time for this shit. I need to go. Where's my shit?" I got up off of the bed, walking around, trying to find my clothes. I didn't want to talk to Max. I didn't want to deal with her drama right now.
"Fang." She grabbed my arm. I scowled at her. She didn't show it, but that look alone scared the shit out of her. "You're coming home with us."
Us? "Who's us?"
"Hi, Fang." Dr. M sounded off awkwardly. I just now noticed her presence.
"No." I didn't want to deal with this. I tried to stand, but Max pushed me back into the bed, hard. Someone's been keeping themselves in shape.
"Yes, Fang, you are fucking coming home with us. I don't want to hear shit about whatever shit you think you have to do. I've dealt with the shit you left me with, fucking ass. So your bitch ass is mine now. Come on, let's get your stupid shit."
Holy crap. Max just cursed me out. Damn, I think I'm in love.
(Break)
"Go ahead, Max. I think Fang forgot something and I'm going to help him find it." Dr. M said to Max as we were about to walk out of the hospital. As soon as Max said ok, Dr. M put a vice grip on my on arm. She dragged down a hall, and I couldn't fight her. I didn't realize she was this strong. Why am I getting beat up by bitches today?
Once we got far enough away from Max, I looked into Valencia's eyes.
"Fang, go easy on Max, alright?" her voice cracked a little when she said this, and I realized how choked up she was. Still, being acutely aware of some things and oblivious to others, she begs a question, which I eloquently stated as:
"Huh?" She lost the choked-up look and started to look pissed. Now she was in my realm of awareness. After dealing with cheap whores for five years, I was used to anger and could read it pretty well.
"God, you're fucking stupid. I mean try not to be an asshole, a man-whore, or an immature piece of shit. You know what you did to her? Huh?" Her voice started to rise, and I reflexively stopped slouching and stood at my full height of 6'3. I did this because talking down to a taller person usually shuts someone up. I don't do it intentionally; it's just an instinct I developed.
"What." I said flatly. She could tell she was irritating me, but, as if to say, Good. I'm glad you're pissed, she kept going.
"You took her virginity and left her, broken and alone wandering the streets of Phoenix. You made her suicidal. She cried all night, every night for three weeks. And as if that wasn't enough, you get her fucking pregnant, with your kid, and leave her to raise it. That's what you've do-" That last comment woke me up, but not as much as Max walking up just in time to hear it. She must have been coming to see what was taking so long. Shit.
Val turned to see what I was looking at. "Fuck."
(Break)
The ride home was a quiet one, until Max broke the silence.
"Fang, I don't want us to not talk about this." I guess were just gonna ignore good ol' f-bombin' Val over here then.
"What's there to talk about, I came back didn't I?" She was driving, and like a psychotic taxi driver, which trust me, I have seen get even crazier when they're getting chased by gang members on a city street.
"Yeah, after five years! Five years I had to leech off mom because I couldn't get anyone to hire a single "whore" mom. Five years of my son asking "Do I have a daddy? Where is he?" Five years of feeling like ab-so-lute SHIT. I know you're here now, but were where you then?"
"Max, if I'd have known that you were pregnant I would have dropped everything and come running back. But I didn't, and even if I had, I would have still been gone a year. You don't know why I left or the shit I went through that first year or how I was scared to come back because I was afraid of hurting you because of what happened." I cringed, feeling old memories surface as I balled my hands. Next thing I knew, my fists were starting to glow blue.
"Stop the car!" I yelled. "Shit!" I threw the door open and bailed out into the street. I pressed my hands to the ground and watched as the glow bled off. The road beneath me began to crack and heat up. I stood and saw Max and Val had gotten out of the car.
"Do you see now?" I sighed, ignoring their shocked faces as I re-entered the vehicle. "Come on! We're holding up traffic!"
(Break)
I began to wonder where Max had been keeping her kid around the time we got to the house. I mean, she and Val were with me… I wondered about this as Max led me to the door.
She opened it and the voice I heard gave me an answer.
"Max? Dr. Martinez? Who's that third person with you?" Iggy called out.
"Wow," I said to Max, "He's gotten pretty perceptive." We began to walk down the hall so we could see Iggy, but he'd run over to the end of the hall and stopped.
"What the hell's wrong with you Iggy?" Right then, I noticed Val had opened the door and Max was hugged to the wall. I looked back at Iggy to find him charging me. "Cra-" I started to say, getting cut off by the impact. Iggy stopped and threw me through the doorway and dove after me.
"Try not to kill him Iggy, I still haven't gotten my licks in. Besides, I wanna keep him around." Bitch. Heard the door shut and Iggy landed on me with a crazed look.
"Don't worry, Max." he whispered, "I'll be sure to leave some scraps."
Shit.
(Break)
"Do you think we should've left him to Iggy like that, Max?"
I laughed. Mom actually seemed concerned. "He'll be fine. Gotta let the boys have it out from time to time."
Mom did not look pleased. "Max, I know Fang hurt you, but Iggy's crazy. He's been wanting to kill Fang for years after seeing what he did."
"Believe me, Mom, I think Fang can handle himself. Looks like he picked up a couple tricks since he's been gone." I grinned, Iggy'd been acting annoying, bitching about having to watch Shaydon, even though he couldn't actually see. Heh, blind joke. Anyways, he had the beating Fang'll give him coming.
(Break)
Fang is loud. I mean, my hearing's good, keeps getting better, but Helen Keller could follow his movements. He had kicked me off him and we jumped around a bit before he actually came at me.
He swung his left fist at me, I heard it, and caught it. It felt strange though. Was his hand… glowing blue?
"What the fu-" Was all I could get out before I was shot skyward as his right hand nailed me in the stomach and both released a pulse. If he'd hit any bone, it would have shattered. It hurt, damn it. I flung my wings out and hovered as I tried to catch my breath.
"You like that Iggy? Nice little thing I learned." I heard him smacking the dirt off of his clothes.
"You really gonna use a dirty trick like that against a poor old blind man?" I mocked, caustic with sarcasm.
"No, I guess that isn't fair, huh? I'll just beat your ass hand-to-hand, just like old times." I almost lost track of why I was fighting him in the first place. That's what I get for trying to joke around.
I heard his feet shuffle as he changed his stance, and decided to dive. I was maybe five feet from him, maybe, when he ducked under me and yanked me face first into the ground by my shirt. I hopped up and felt my legs get swept midair. I was on the ground again. Damn it.
(Break)
I began to wonder when the two of them would be done when I heard a smack and the house shook.
"Sounds like Iggy's losing." Mom looked skeptical.
"What make you say that? That could have been Fang." As if on cue, the door opened.
A few moments later, we turned to see Fang dragging Iggy in by the collar of his shirt.
"Told ya." I may hate him, but I know odds. Besides, Iggy had it coming.