Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.
A/N
Me: Hey guys, new story! I really hope you like this one. It's going to be far more supernatural than The Runaway Case and Nightmare were.
BFF: We're talking angels and demons kind of story here.
Me: Let's just get a few things straight before we go. Zephyr is not Gazzy and Jeff is not Iggy. They are four separate people. Basically I'm using the Flock's public names as other characters, or at least some of them. Nick and Fang will be the same character.
BFF: Okay, since Wander can't think of anything funny to say right now, let's get to the story.
Me: That's not true! I can think of a ton of funny things!
BFF: Well then tell us a few.
Me: Pickles and French Fries.
BFF: Why are those funny?
Me: Well, technically pickles are cucumbers that sit in this pickle flavoring stuff for a long time so the cucumber takes on the pickle flavor, and French Fries aren't even French.
BFF: Okay, I don't see how that's funny, but thanks for the factoid.
Me: Anytime. *smiles*
Max's POV
It was late at night and Zephyr, my ward, was sleeping soundly in his bed. The boy was so peaceful in his sleep that it was hard to imagine he was the same rambunctious boy I protected during the day. He was a tough job for any guardian angel, but I was up for it.
Zeph, that's my nickname for him, smiled in his sleep. I closed my eyes to see his dream, it was a gift all guardians had, the ability to see their ward's dreams.
The boy was running around in his backyard with a little black Yorkie. The scene was so adorable that I just wanted to pick Zeph up and spin him around like any big sister would when her younger brother was just too cute for his own good.
But I couldn't. Even if I tried my hands would just pass right through him. Zeph can't even see me. It's like I'm a ghost. Oh, the joys of being a guardian angel.
I sat down in a comfy little chair and dozed off a bit. Yes, even angels sleep. It's just that we don't need sleep very often, more like once every week or so.
I rocked back and forth in the chair, gazing at the young boy. Zeph was almost eight. He had bright blonde hair and striking blue eyes. I could tell that when he got older he was going to be quite the heart breaker. I really do hope that he doesn't turn into some kind of player. That would be a real shame.
Zeph breathed in deeply and rolled over in his bed. His hair tossed about and I could tell he was going to have a major case of bed-head in the morning. I smiled and decided that I needed to stretch, so I got out of the chair and shook out my arms and legs which soon regained feeling. After that I stretched out my wings that had been neatly tucked away behind my back. They were stiff since I hadn't used them in a few days. That happens when you're protecting somebody who's earth-bound.
My wings were white and tan. They glowed a bit in the dark, kind of like a nightlight. That glow is what we angels call The Light. It comes from heaven and allows us to survive on Earth. Without it we would quickly die in the Earth's atmosphere. It's too polluted for angels to survive in. It's been that way since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
I walked around Zeph's bed, using the glow from my wings to see in the dark, and sat down beside him.
I smiled at his content face. His birthday was tomorrow and he was extremely excited. It was hard for his mother to get him to bed, but now that he was, he was like a rock and nothing would wake him.
All Zeph wanted for his birthday was a cake and a dog. He's been talking about wanting a dog for months now and his parents took notice. Little did Zeph know, but I'd seen his parents sneak in a little puppy the other day. He was going to be so happy tomorrow.
"Treat that puppy well, Z-man." I whispered into his ear and closed my eyes again to see him petting and feeding the Yorkie in his dream and I knew he'd heard me. I smiled.
This was one of the few ways angels were allowed to communicate with humans, through their dreams. We could speak to them, but they couldn't see us or touch us. It almost seemed unfair. It was already hard for our two species to communicate and that communication was regulated. All for good cause though, if an angel started talking to a human on a regular basis, other than in dreams, they'd probably be seen as crazy to other people when they tried to communicate back to us. Either that or they would actually go crazy.
That's why I only ever spoke to humans in dreams. I really did care about them. They could be cruel, selfish, and conniving, but they could also be caring, giving, and loving. As an angel, I would try my best to keep them as the ladder.
Then, just as I was about to enter Zeph's dream world, I heard a noise outside the window.
Curious, I went to the window and looked outside.
Darkness and trees, that's all I could see, so I turned back to the bed to sit back down and then there! That sound again! I went to the window once more and looked out. Everything looked the same, but then I caught a light in the tree line. The Light from an angel's wings in fact, and it was flickering.
Oh, no, that angel must be hurt! I thought, panicked.
I phased through the window like a ghost and flew toward the light as fast as I could. But then The Light disappeared. That could only mean one thing.
The angel was dead.
"No!" I cried into the night. Then flew toward the last place I'd seen the angel, crying. There's no place for angels to go when we die. We're not like humans who have souls. When angels die we just cease to exist. Disappear into oblivion.
But when I got to the spot where I saw The Light fade, I found nothing. I searched around frantically. There was still a chance I could revive the angel by sharing some of my Light with him or her. I had about three minutes from when it disappeared from the other angel to do so, after that it would be too late. But I couldn't find the angel anywhere.
Then I heard this maniacal laughter come from the woods and I backed away toward the house.
A demon.
I shuttered at the thought. Demons were by far the most deadly and remorseless creatures that walked the face of the Earth. I had fought them in the past, and let me get something straight first. Angels do not fear anything. But I fear demons.
My fear was looked down on by the other angels, but I had due cause. Sam and Jeff, my fellow guardian angels, had been captured by demons alongside me in a battle about a hundred years ago during what the humans called The Great War (This is what WW1 was known as before WW2). They tortured us and tempted us. None of us ever gave in, and eventually they became angered by this and killed Sam.
Sam was my best friend.
We were freed soon after, but the fear had already instilled itself. I wasn't allowed into battle after that. It was a concern that my fear would give the enemy an advantage. An army is only as good as its weakest soldier.
Jeff and I got close after that, nothing romantic, angels were forbidden from relationships. He tried to kiss me once but I refused his advances. He knew it wasn't allowed, same as me. He didn't try to kiss me again after that.
The laughter sounded again, it was deep, throaty, and dark. I shirked away and gulped nervously. Then I jumped up and flew toward the house, toward Zeph's window. Something grabbed me by the ankle. The touch seared my flesh, it was the demon. He threw me back down to the ground.
I crashed to the ground and I felt the pain, but my body was left unscathed, other than where the demon had touched me, which was burned and throbbed.
I curled up into a ball. I tried to get rid of the pain somehow that way I could get back to Zeph and protect him. Just because I was scared of demons didn't mean I couldn't fight one.
There was something burning. I could smell it. I looked up and saw the house on fire. My eyes went big and I rushed toward the house only to be tackled by the demon and pinned to the ground.
I screamed as his flesh touched mine. It didn't seem particularly pleasant for him either, but he was smiling through it.
"I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to hear that scream, Max." The demon purred in my ear.
I shut my mouth and refused to give him any more satisfaction.
"But do you know what I really wanted to see?" It asked me and gave a dramatic pause. Demons were such drama queens. "I want to see you broken."
The house suddenly burst into flames and I could hear screaming inside. The screams of a little puppy. The screams of a man and a woman. The screams of a soon-to-be eight year old. Zephyr.
"Zeph!" I screamed, begging fate to let him live. Get out of the Zeph! Get out!
I fought against the demon, trying to release myself so I could go to Zeph. So I could save him. But I couldn't break free. The demon's hold was too tight.
The little boy cried for help and screamed long after his parents and the puppy had. The others were dead. He was the only one left.
"Zeph! Jump out the window!" I yelled, struggling.
But he didn't hear me and quickly his screams escalated and I could feel the bond between us begin to fray like a string. Zeph was dying.
"Zeph!" I cried out one last time. The connection broke as his screams ceased.
Zeph was dead.
"No!" I screamed, my tears flowed down my face. The demon released me and I sank into the ground as far as I could, curling up into myself.
"Looks like my work is done." The demon smirked, disappearing into the night.
A/N
Me: So what did you guys think? Please review and tell me! Oh yeah, and if you are wondering who BFF is, check out the A/N's from The Runaway Case.
BFF: *sniffle sniffle* that was so sad! How could you kill a kid and a puppy?
Me: Hey I didn't do it the demon did. It may be a bit confusing at first why the demon is out to get Max, trust me, Max doesn't even know why, but as the story unfolds, you'll get the full picture. And the story will get happier once Fang shows up and I'm sure you'll love the troublemaker.
BFF: See you next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!