I landed on the blackened ground, rubble crunching beneath my sneakers. I didn't bother to hide my wings as there weren't any people around for miles.
That was how big the black stuff on the ground stretched, and at the very center was my mom's house.
The house was basically blown apart; the roof was gone, the walls crumbling. The previously-red bricks were—surprise, surprise—black and there was no living creature to be seen. Like, none. There wasn't a hint of green, and the only movement was from either the Flock or the pitifully weak breeze.
I dragged a toe along the ground, and a cloud of ash rose. My eyes watered, and it wasn't just from the dust in the air.
"Whoa...what happened here?" Total exclaimed from inside his baby-carrier thing on Iggy's back. His eyes were wide with shock. "I mean, New York City was bad enough, being blown to smithereens, but this…wow."
"Anybody gonna bother telling the blind kid where in the world we are?" Iggy called out He sniffed the air, "Did something explode here?"
"Max?" Gazzy asked, "This place looks familiar. Is it Dr. Martinez's place?"
I opened my mouth my mouth to say 'no' and quickly slammed down my mental wall to keep Angel from reading my mind. However, I was half a second too late.
Angel's eyes opened wide. "It is?" she managed to sputter.
At that moment, I regretted bringing the younger Flock members here. The stricken looks on Angel's, Gazzy's, and Nudge's faces were enough to make anybody weep.
I looked to Fang for help, but he was staring back at me with a look of sadness in his eyes. That's right—Mr. Emotionless was actually showing emotion on his face. I would say that the apocalypse was coming, but it was already the end of the world…for everyone.
It was Iggy who consoled Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge.
"Guys, guys," he said softly, "it's just the house that's ruined. That doesn't mean anything. The only thing that matters here is Dr. M and Ella, and they're still alive…right, Max?"
I nearly snickered. Wonderful consoling skills, Iggy, just wonderful. But I sobered up when his words actually sank in.
Mom. Ella. What happened to them?
With this thought in mind, I ran for the house, leaping over the crumbling, destroyed wall that was all that separated me from what lay inside. I landed with a crunch on broken glass, followed by the rest of the Flock.
"Total, you don't want to put a single paw on the ground," I warned.
"No freaking duh," was his respectful reply.
Fang asked, "Max, what's all this about?"
Angel answered before I could. "She wants to find Dr. M and Ella. To see if they're still alive," she added the last part sadly.
I looked sternly at her, "You've gotta stop doing that." Angel, still a little sad, just smiled innocently up at me. I turned to face everyone, "We split up to look for them. Gazzy, you look in the living room and hallway. Angel—the family room and dining room. Nudge and Fang, search in the upstairs bedrooms, but be careful…the floor's not very strong. I'll look in the kitchen and closets."
"Max in the kitchen? Oh no!" Gazzy exclaimed. The Flock chuckled as I ground my teeth together.
"What do I do?" Iggy asked.
I thought for a second, then said, "You get the bathrooms, I guess." The Flock laughed at this one while Iggy grinned mischievously. I suppressed a groan—even when it's the end of the world, there are still perverted minds.
Total piped up, "I'll be sure to cover my eyes!" More laughter from everyone.
I glared and said, "You guys better start looking…" I trailed off threateningly. You wouldn't believe how fast the room cleared out then. Well, I shouldn't say that we were in a room…more like a roomlike-space that used to be where a wall used to be.
Fang was the last to leave. "Have fun in the kitchen," he said, "but do me a favour—don't cook anything." I gave him a death glare.
Fang grinned one of his breathtaking grins, and then turned and headed for the stairs.
I sighed and went into the kitchen.
Okay, I've seen a lot of messy things, but the kitchen was a nightmare. It looked like Iggy and Gazzy had exploded a few of their experimental bombs on the stove, along with maple syrup and oatmeal, which was what the walls seemed to be covered with. The walls were streaked with black and the floor was littered with wood and broken glass. The countertops were demolished.
On an impulse, I opened the refrigerator door. I immediately closed it. You don't want to know what was in there…seriously, you don't. But at least it wasn't dead bodies.
Having found no signs of what I was looking for, I headed for other parts of the house.
To make a long story short, neither I nor the rest of the Flock find my mom, Ella, or their bodies. (How's that for good grammar?)
That night, the Flock and I camped out in what used to be the living room. I say 'used to be' because the ceiling and most of the roof was gone, and the furniture was scattered all over the place. Still, it was the best place in the house that we could find.
Digging into our backpack, I found stale granola bars and a bottle of water. These I handed around to everyone.
"How long's our food supply gonna last?" Fang asked, chugging down water.
I worriedly peered into the backpack. "Not long. We only have, like, two boxes of crackers and half a dozen bottles of water left." And you know how long that will last, what with our huge metabolisms…
Later, when everyone was asleep, I perched on top of what was left of the roof, stared up at starry sky, and just…thought.
My mom and Ella were alive, they had to be. At least that's what I kept telling myself. But I had to face the awful truth: although they may be still alive (they had to be, I reminded myself), they weren't here, and it would be practically impossible to find them.
But I could still hope.
Hopefully, this chapter's longer and more interesting than the last.
Was it good? Bad? So incredibly boring that you fell asleep at the computer, hit your head on the monitor, and had to be driven to the ER? Tell me!
Reviews will be appreciated!