disclaimer- i do not own maximum ride.
claimer- i do own the plot. whatever the plot may be…
I held my fist back, ready to strike again, when I noticed something. The Eraser, bruised and bloodied beneath my legs, was not fighting back. He was biting his thin lip and pinched his eyes shut, ready for more hits.
As I ceased in the attacks, he slowly reopened his eyes, looking up at me in fear. I saw confusion in his deformed wolf-like face as I climbed off of him. As I stood up, a fresh burst of pain seared through my head. I felt my neck hang low, as if there was nothing holding it up onto my shoulders. Unbearable pain erupted through my neck and back. I the warm blood flowing out of a large laceration on my hairline mix with the cold sweat on my forehead.
I looked down at the Eraser sitting below me and gave him a half-smile. He wasn't like the others. He didn't want to do this. He scrambled up from the ground and ran across the open lot. I was able to think through the massive headache and I remembered almost right away. Fang.
I overheard what they were grunting out in their fight.
"So, Fang. Want to die today?" Sam snarled at Fang as he threw a right hook.
"I don't think you're the one to be asking that." Fang answered quietly, calmly. He kicked Sam in the knee and watched as he buckled over.
I whirled around and shot over to where they were in combat. I went up behind Sam and, in between Fang's constant punches to his stomach and head, side kicked him square in the back. He whipped his head around to see me standing there, hands curled into fists, ready to fight. A slow gin spread across his disfigured face.
He backed up a few steps, in order to improve his view of Fang and I. One of us, alone, would have no chance of taking Sam down. Maybe, collectively, we both can. He had been enhanced way beyond our years. He was stronger than the whole Flock combined and could take each one of us out, one by one.
"Maxie, do you really want to hurt me?" He asked in a low, inquisitive growl. "I remember how much you liked me, back in Virginia. You liked me a lot."
Fang's hands clenched as Sam spoke. "Yeah. Maybe." I said matter-o-factly. "But, I'm over jerks. I've moved on. On to better guys." I glanced over at Fang who looked as though he was about to rupture from anger.
"Oh, you know you can't resist me." Sam said, spreading out his sharp, yellowed teeth. I snorted in response.
"Is that really what you think? Well, you're mistaken wolfy." I said, seething in frustration. "Why don't you come over here and I'll tell you what I really think of you."
"Gladly." He said as he strode forwards. I took one last fleeting look at Fang and he nodded. Attack when least expected.
Sam got as close to me as he could without me snapping his neck, like he had done to me. As soon as he was in arms reach, I seized his wrists and kneed him where the sun don't shine. He swayed backwards, groaning in pain as Fang ran up behind him and snap kicked him in the back of his head. I unfolded my wings as Fang landed one last strike in the side of Sam's head, by his temple.
Fang raced back over to me and leapt into the air, his midnight black wings expanding behind him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the high noon horizon.
I glanced back behind me and saw that Sam had super strength, enhanced hearing and eyesight, and inhuman-like speed and accuracy, but one thing he didn't have, was wings.
He was running back to his second-in-command, screaming orders. Instead of saluting and running off like Erasers usually did, the second-in-command punched him, square in the nose, and ran off into the trees. My eyes widened at the sight. I craned my neck around to try and see through the treetops but the branches were too thick.
"Max!" Fang said loudly. After I had realized he had been saying my name for about a minute, I, painstakingly, turned my head to face him. "Come on. We have to find Iggy and the others." He swooped around to where I was suspended in the air.
"Yeah. Okay. I was just looking at something. Sorry." I said quickly. "Let's go."
He grabbed my hand and flew on with me. I started to get light headed from the loss of blood and my flying slowed, to a complete stop. I held my hand to my head and felt the smooth liquid coming out of the open wound. I looked up at Fang, who was hovering about a foot from me.
"Max, come on. We have to get you to Iggy so he can check out your head." He said soothingly.
"We don't even know where they are." I said, reasonably. "Just look for them, okay?" He just nodded, his normally impassive eyes looking indecisive.
I flew ahead of him and scanned the forest floor for any sign of the rest of the Flock. Where were they!?
We're in a cave. A small voice chimed into my head. Over the water. On the side of the forest.
A cave? Water? I put my flat hand over my forehead to block the sun and I looked around me. Sure enough, I saw a small basin of water to the left of the trees. A waterfall-looking rock sculpture going right through it.
I swerved away from the path I was on and turned to the water, Fang following behind me. Sometime later, we reached the rock and searched around for some sort of indentation in the sculpture.
"Max!" Fang called out from above me, "They're over here!"
I flew up and banked on the edge of the cave, the rest of the Flock running towards me. I hugged them all and walked over to the fire that they had made.
"What happened to you?" Iggy asked as he felt the side of my head. For any more cuts. "You have at least twenty rips in your head."
I looked up at him, internally laughing about his choice of words. "Sam pulled me down and my head was smashed against rocks. I think he snapped something in my neck too."
"Yeah. I heard it." Fang added in. Speaking for the first time since we got back to the cave.
"Who were they? I thought all the Erasers were dead." The Gasman said quietly as he poked the fire with a loose stick.
"I don't think they were Erasers, Gaz. They were a lot stronger. A lot faster. A lot better in general." I said as I winced from Iggy pulling a small rock out of my head.
"Max?" Angel said faintly. I looked over at her, giving her all of my attention. "You know that Eraser that was with Sam. The one that didn't hurt you?"
"Yeah, Ange." I said. "What about him?"
"He knows you. He knows you really well and he doesn't want to hurt you." She said, keeping a straight face. "He wanted to keep you safe, but he couldn't."
I looked over at her in disbelief and glanced over at Fang. His eyes widened slightly and he locked eyes with me.
"Did he say that?" Fang asked. "In his mind, I mean."
"Yeah. Over and over."
"That's really weird." Iggy said from next to me as he dabbed water onto my neck.
"Do you know him?" Gazzy asked from besides Angel.
"I- I don't think so…" I said hesitantly. "Maybe."
"Max, your neck is really bad. It's affecting your head and back. You need to see a doctor." Iggy whispered quietly.
"Yeah, because doctors worked out so well the last time." I said, peeking at Fang, whose lips formed at half smile at the memory.
"What about your mom?" the Gasman asked.
"That's a good idea!" Angel said excitedly. "She can help you and we can see Ella!"
"Okay. We'll leave tomorrow morning. Bright and early." I said, relieved that I could see my mom and sister again.
After that, Angel started talking animatedly with Gazzy about chocolate chip cookies and seeing Total again. Fang and Iggy discussed the best possible way to get to Arizona the fastest. I looked around and saw Nudge sitting at the edge of the cave, looking out at some hawks circling the water basin.
I stood up, dusted off my grimy jeans, and went over to her. I sat down and spread out one of my wings, wrapping it around her shoulders. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes, and rested her head on my shoulder. She hadn't said anything in hours. Something was wrong.
"What's wrong sweetie?" I asked, stroking the tangled mess that she called hair.
"It's nothing." She said in barely a whisper. "No big deal."
"If it's making you like this, then it is a big deal." I reasoned. "What's going on?"
"Well, when I saw Sam dragged you onto the ground, I thought he was going to-to- to kill you. I was scared, Max. I don't want to lose you. You're like my mom and I love you." She took a deep breath and continued. "It looked like he snapped you in half and it reminded me of when I was with Fang over Lake Mead when you went to help Ella, and I saw those hawks brutally rip open those animals. And when Fang went after you, I didn't know what would happen and-"
Tears started streaming down her cheeks and I enveloped her in my arms. She cried into my t-shirt and I whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere. Not for a long, long time."
so, good? bad? great? suck-ish? amazing? horrible? so good it's not funny? so bad there are no words to describe it?
feedback is always welcome.