Hey everyone! Here's chapter 2 :) This was a lot of fun to write.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does. This story was inspired The Winter Soldier and The Avengers.
Max POV
After my head connected with the hard ground, littered with broken glass, stars shot across my vision and sharp stinging sensations started prickling all around my skull.
"Ouch," I muttered. I watched the boy recover from when I pushed him and he picked up the knife he had discarded earlier to chuck at the attacking soldier. The flying knife landed in the soldier with a satisfying thud.
"You alright?" The boy breathed heavily with a cautious tone, picking up my head gently from the ground.
I glanced helplessly at him sideways, "Please untie me. Keys are probably in that guy's pocket," I nodded at the fallen soldier's body.
He smirked and retrieved the keys to unlock the chains.
"Fang! Over here!" I saw the strawberry-blonde being cornered by a group of soldiers.
Fang, apparently his name, turned quickly and grabbed a gun from the dead guy. I sat up gingerly, trying to ignore the flashing pain in my head.
"Here, take this," Fang pushed the gun into my bloody hands and ran off to help his friend. I sat with my back against a steel beam, trying to maintain my consciousness. I tried to make sense of the situation. It felt like a dream, seeing kids like me saving me from the School. I saw about 5 mutants flying around and punching the living daylights out of the Whitecoats and soldiers-unless I was just totally hallucinating. My vision began blurring, but not enough for me to miss the Whitecoat trying to come kidnap me. I shot the freaking bastard.
"We can't hold them off much longer, Fang! I think reinforcements are coming!" A girl with brown skin exclaimed.
Fang finished off the soldier that was trying to kill him and replied, "Alright, Nudge, get the others and get out of here! I'll get Max!"
Max? Who's that? Oh, yeah… me. Man, I was getting really dizzy.
I saw a dark shape hurtling toward me and suddenly warm fingers grasped my chin that was slick with blood pouring from the wounds on my head.
"Max! Okay, I'm gonna get you out of here, but I need you to stay awake for just a little longer," Fang said urgently.
I grumbled, "I want to go to sleeeeeeeeep," my words slurring together.
Fang sighed frustratedly and wrapped my head with a cloth that I have no idea where he got from. He then proceeded to pick me up bridal style. The world spun upside down and I was on the verge of either passing out or throwing up. My body bounced up and down to the rhythm of Fang's running. As we reached the bright light of the outside, Fang seemed to take flight, and the wind began to ruffle my mussed hair. Seconds, or hours passed, I wasn't sure, and Fang stepped onto solid ground.
"Shit, that looks bad," an older voice said, probably commenting on my head wound that had probably soaked the whole top of my head a grisly red.
"She did it to herself," Fang said, exasperated.
I did it to save you, dumbass! I wanted to retort, but I didn't have the energy to open my mouth. Fang laid me on what I presumed to be a gurney. They wheeled me onto a ramp and into a large van. Someone pressed a plastic mask to my face and began pressing a cool cloth against my head. The vehicle rumbled to a start, and the monotonous sound of the engine whirring eventually lured me into unconsciousness.
Fang POV
I got off the ambulance and saw the Flock waiting for me at the back entrance of the HQ.
"Is Max okay?" Angel looked up at me with her blue eyes as I approached them.
"Yeah, she looked pretty bad," Nudge winced.
I tiredly ran my fingers through my hair, "The doctors said she'll be okay. She'll need plenty of stitches and a hell lot of Advil for it though."
"Do you think… she remembers us?" Gazzy asked. It was the question on all our minds.
"I don't think so," I replied roughly, remembering the stare that held no recognition in her eyes.
"She probably still wants someone there when she wakes up," Iggy suggested.
The Flock went silent, but they all turned to look at me.
"What?" I said defensively.
"You were her best friend, Fang. She'll be scared as hell. She's never known anything other than the walls of the School," Iggy said.
"Yeah. Were her best friend," I said stubbornly. But as I looked at the sullen faces of the Flock, and I mentally resigned.
"Alright, whatever. You guys get some rest. I'll tell you how she is in the morning," I said, turning to go into the building.
Max POV
I usually had nightmares, where I was either being cut open alive or forced to run until my lungs shriveled up. This time, I dreamed about something I only saw on the TV I watched secretly through the bars of my cell. I dreamed about having brothers and sisters, and that we were so close we were basically family. Family. Oh God, Maximum. Stop being such a cheese. Wake up!
I forced open my eyes to a dimly lit room. I was immediately aware of two things: the dull pain in my head, and the steady of breathing of someone next to me. Then, the memories of the last night came crashing down on me like a wave. I had to still be at the School. There was no way, after 19 years I had somehow escaped that prison. But after a few reorienting blinks, I realized that this room was definitely not part of the School. At first glance, I noticed the peppy lavender furniture, a stark contrast from the clinical whiteness of the School. I also noticed a dark boy sprawled against the optimistic furniture, sleeping. Fang, I remembered from last night.
I slightly rustled the sheets of the bed as I reached to touch my aching head. From that small sound, Fang stirred slightly and his eyes slowly opened, revealing sleepy dark eyes the color of obsidian. I froze, hand halfway to my head.
I meant to say, What am I doing here? But it sounded more like What amah doihee? As my voice cracked from the dryness in my throat. I cleared my throat uncomfortably.
His eyes sharpened and his stature became more alert.
"How are you feeling?" Fang asked smoothly. Geez. Why doesn't his voice crack first thing in the morning like me? I cleared my throat one more time just to be sure.
"Fine. Water would be appreciated," I said cautiously. It was weird, talking to someone who didn't want to torture me.
Fang nodded and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but turned and left. I sat up and looked across the room at myself in the mirror. There were soft, white bandages running across the top of my head. I looked thinner and paler than I had the last time I'd looked at myself in a reflection (which was in the reflection of a metal food tray, if you're curious). I tested my wings out to see if the paralyzing serum had worn off. They were a little sore, but I was able to extend them to full length. I looked at them in the mirror; there were little spaces where feathers had been plucked off and dozens of cuts scarring the surface. They were matted with blood with feathers tangled and bent, nothing like Fang's healthy, full raven wings. Speaking of Fang, where is he with my water? And speaking of water, I actually have to go to the bathroom…
I gingerly peeled the blankets off my legs and nudged them over the side of the bed. I ripped the IV drip off my arm and dropped to the cool, linoleum tiles barefooted. Slowly walking, I was about to open the door when a lady, followed by Fang and that blessed glass of water, entered the room.
"Oh, Max, you shouldn't be out of bed!" The lady said. I assumed she was a doctor, with her stethoscope and all.
"I just wanted to go to the bathroom," I protested.
"Of course, of course," the doctor chimed, "it's right outside the room to the right, honey."
Well, that was the first time anyone's called me "honey."
I opened the door only to find a tall, strawberry-blonde kid and a young angelic looking boy fall forward as if they'd been leaning on the door. The small boy embarrassedly hid behind the taller guy. I realized they were part of the group of bird kids that had helped save me.
"Max?" The older one breathed. The younger one took this as a cue to come wrap his arms around my waist and cry, "Max! You're back!"
I confusedly looked back at Fang and the doctor. There was clearly a memo I was missing.
Fang sighed, "Were you guys seriously eavesdropping? I told you I would tell you guys her condition when she woke up. Gazzy! Give her some space"
The little boy, apparently Gazzy, said innocently. "We couldn't wait."
"I'm very sorry to disappoint you guys, but I don't know any of you, and I really really really have to go, so I'll be just a moment? Kay?" I said as I rushed out of the room.
What the hell was going on? And who were these people who seemed to know me?
Ayo, hope you guys liked it! I threw in a Fang POV there, but I think it'll be mostly Max POV for most of the story. Fun fact: I kept typing Fnag instead of Fang and it was really annoying lmao.
Please R&R :)
-Jessica