Hey all. Here is the chapter I promised. I was up late and early this morning working on it. This might be the last chapter I write for a while. Odet and me have midterms and regents next week. So, yeah. But here yah go!
L.Z.
3.
Courage is resistance to fear-
Master of fear-
Not absence of fear.
-Mark Twain
Max's POV
All I felt was the pain.
Images flashed before my eyes: rolling hills of lush green grass – the grass burning in a wall of flames, birds flying away through the smoke that rose up as high as the sky, screaming their lungs out; cities burning; a tsunami hitting a beach and people running away, but being caught and drowned in the deadly waves; of people, screaming out in pain, and then – of the flock – of us, flying above it all – all the pain and suffering of the world below us.
The Voice was doing this to me.
There was so much pain, so much agony. And so many things I saw.
First there were just random images. Of people, places and things.
A mailbox, full to bursting with letters; a dead bird on the ground – a sparrow; a house, burning to the ground; kids, human kids swinging on a swing-set in a park; a small schoolhouse; an old abandoned and condemned building with broken windows and holes in the roof; crows pecking at road kill; a bear and her cub in the wintertime forest; a bustling city full of tall skyscrapers and apartment buildings; then, it all faded away into a scene, one what involved me and my flock.
We were all flying, someplace down south, near the beach. I suddenly sped away from the flock towards the beach with my super speed, and was there in a few minutes.
I landed on the beach too fast and fell on my face.
I was angry.
I kicked a piece of driftwood so hard it flew out of sight.
I was yelling things, and then ran towards the waves and picked up a broken shell – one edge of it sharp. I walked back up the beach and knelt in the sand and started sawing away at my forearm.
Wait! This is that day at the beach! This is a memory!
I was now vaguely aware of the pain – I was so engrossed in watching the scene play out before me.
Then Fang was there.
Then the flock.
Fang was angry.
He was yelling at me, and I could tell, at the point of view that Fang – Fang was trying not to cry.
"Want the chip out," I said brokenly.
"Well forget it! The chip stays in! You die when we die!" Fang yelled, bandaging my arm.
Then – I burst into tears.
Fang held me close, trying to soothe me – stroking my hair softly.
The others were there, all looked shocked and scared.
Then – the memory faded away.
Everything became fuzzy – hazy all around. I could see.
Then suddenly, I was running – running as fast as I could down a dirt path in the forest - running as fast as I possibly could. I looked around frantically – behind me – to the right – to the left; again and again.
Then 10 Erasers jumped out in front of me.
I spun around to run back the way I came, but more Erasers blocked that path. They were all around me – I had no place to go.
They snarled and howled and ground their teeth – flexing their muscles and sheathed and unsheathed their claws.
They suddenly jumped for me – and I went down in a fury of claws and teeth.
Then, everything went black – and I saw a small light in front of me – a long ways away.
I began walking towards it. Slowly; slowly.
As I walked, I looked around in the darkness all around me.
I screamed.
I saw Angel – lying dead beside me – horribly mangled.
I couldn't stop walking.
Then I saw Gazzy.
Then Nudge.
Then Iggy.
I cried out every time I saw one of them – but nothing could stop me from walking.
Then, laying before me – was Fang.
He was dead.
I felt like my heart had been ripped out and trampled on by a team of soccer players wearing cleats.
"No!" I cried, dropping to my knees, face in my hands – crying. "No, no! Not Fang! Please! Not Fang!"
Then suddenly the images were gone – and I woke up screaming.
So, there you go. Please review! I need encouragement! And if you're wondering why Odet hasn't updated is because I've been hogging the computer. HA!!!