Silence.
It lasted for one second, maybe two.
Then came the uproar. The multitude of scientists around me burst into sound. We were all wondering the same thing: why wasn't I dead? In those brief moments of quiet my mind had twisted in confusion. I should have been with my flock. My heart had stopped; I knew that for certain. Its comforting thumping was gone, and it now laid -as heavy as steel- in my chest.
My thoughts didn't stay there for long.
They lingered only to warn me of the most delicious scent I had ever smelled. My mouth watered at the thought of what the food I was smelling might taste like.
Then conscious thought fled. All I had left was instinct; the instinct to find and eat the source of that scrumptious smell.
Two white coats rushed for the exit. I leapt nimbly to my feet and raced for the door, banging it closed. Turning, I surveyed the room before me for the food.
Hey, I was hungry. When had I last eaten? Five days ago?
But several things became apparent in the blink of an eye.
The first was that the scientists who had been making their way toward the door seemed not to have moved hardly at all, their feet about six inches from where they had been.
The thick leather straps that had bound me were lying on the floor in pieces. I must have really worn them out when the venom was coursing through me… right?
I looked to the whitecoats throughout the room.
My eyes widened.
What was happening? I was sure that I had lost my mind. Or maybe I really was dead, and this was the afterlife. All I knew was that what I was seeing couldn't be true back when I was alive.
Imbedded deeply into the chest of every person in the room was a glowing sphere. These weren't actually light though… it seemed almost as if they were sucking the light from the air around them. They were all varying shades of gray and black.
Instinctively, knowledge sprang into my mind. I was more wary of each person the darker their light got. But I wasn't afraid.
I knew that no matter how smart these people were – they were the dregs of humanity. Heck, I'd spent enough time in their company to know that most of them had no humanity. What kind of normal person could do what these freaks had done?
But what happened next pushed those thoughts from my mind.
A burning sensation seemed to writhe its way up to the back of my throat. I was so… so…
"Thirsty…."
"Would you like a glass of water, Maximum?" The man that had sat by my side for days swallowed hard and made his way closer. His words trickled out like molasses, and he seemed to be moving in slow-motion. His light was darker than most in the room. My entire being focused on him… particularly the veins jumping at his temple and neck. I could practically smell this man's overpowering fear. He stopped five feet away.
"Would you like something to drink?"
I couldn't stand it any longer. All of my control was gone. Lunging at the white coat, I dragged my face to his neck and felt my teeth pass through his flesh as if it were liquid. His… blood… poured down my throat, satisfying the barest needs of the crawling monster inside of me.
It was the best thing I'd ever tasted… better than homemade cookies, even. Tangy and salty, warm and fresh… it was heaven. I needed more.
I dropped the empty husk to the floor and reached for another person. And another. And another. And another.
They all had darkness emanating from their chests… until they were dead.
Screams echoed all around me. Unadulterated terror had infused the scientists. Now they were the ones hunted and killed without mercy. During my rampage, I didn't think about the people I was killing. I didn't think at all.
Finally, the thirst was slaked. The dead woman in my arms slid to the floor. I glanced around the room.
I had killed and drunk the blood of every scientist in the room in under ten minutes. What looked like around a hundred bodies littered the floor. I didn't feel any remorse for their deaths. Why should I?
These were my hunters, my jailers, and my torturers. They had killed my flock.
My flock. The first twinge of regret pierced me. If their really was a heaven, I'd never be able to join my flock now.
The fact that I was now apparently superhuman and had just drunk the blood of over a hundred – well, not innocent – people didn't matter. My thoughts were in turmoil, jumping from one plan of action to the next.
I should just end it all, I thought. There was nothing left to live for… No! That was selfish, I had to free the other experiments!
I turned to the reflective metal door to leave, and for the first time became aware of the state I was in.
I was totally naked, but that's not what concerned me. My skin, normally deeply tanned from time outdoors, was as white and bone and covered almost everywhere in shiny, raised scars. They were all that remained of the oozing slashes that had decorated my skin, except for the dried blood that was still caked on.
That's not all that was different. My hair was blonder, and when I ran my fingers through it, felt softer and thicker than before. Stretching my wings out slightly, I was relieved to see that they looked relatively the same… though they did seem sort of glossy.
Then my gaze settled on my face.
My eyes stared back at me like twin pools of lava. They seemed to reflect the sweet nectar I'd just sucked from my victims… they were windows to the pain and hurt inside me.
Tearing myself away from the image, I turned to my most pressing problem: finding some clothes. A slow smile spread across my face as I once again regarded the dead woman.
Well, she wasn't using them anymore.
I stripped the white coat and tugged on the loose black slacks and turtleneck she had been wearing.
As I looked over the room one last time, a thick file lying next to my first victim caught my eye. Its tab read:
Experiment AH700329 "Maximum Ride"
A cursory glance through its contents proved that the file was not something I wanted lying around. It included photos, quotes, eyewitness accounts… practically my life story.
I pulled on the man's lab coat and shoved the file inside its cavernous pocket.
Grasping the handle of the door, I gave a hard tug, expecting – even after all the superhuman stunts I'd performed in the auditorium – for it to swing open slowly.
That was not what happened.
The handle crumpled in my grip, and the massive steel door soared across the room. I turned to see a whole in the wall where it had punched through.
What had this venom done to me?
I shoved the questions from my mind and left the auditorium, turning into a long hallway lined with dog crates. It didn't matter what happened or why – I would be dead soon anyways.
The crates were small, and their occupants cowering from me in my white lab coat. I pinched the locks between my fingers, and they crumbled into dust.
"Leave here," I whispered to each mutant escapee, "Never come back."
A few thanked me. Most just ran. I smiled after them. They had a chance. Maybe not a huge one, what with their mutant deformities, unstable DNA, and their penniless, parentless state. But hey, anything was better than this hellhole. I turned to the last cage.
"Max." I froze, not believing my ears.
"Total?" I ripped the cage door off and flung it behind me. Careful not to use any of my new strength, I gathered him into my arms.
"I thought you were dead!" A heaving sob ripped out of me and I buried my face into his furry back. He squirmed around to lick my face. For once, I didn't mind.
" Max, they're all gone! We're the only ones left!" Total wailed.
"I'm going to make sure nothing ever happens to you, Total." He smiled sadly and nodded.
I couldn't kill myself, not when another flock member needed me. After he was gone, though….
But there were things I had to do first.
I continued down the hallway, marveling at how far each step took me. As I went, I slid the tiny dog into the pocket opposite the file, where he promptly fell asleep.
Huge metal doors rose in front of me. Were these the ones I was looking for? I wanted out of this place. I opened them and poked my head through.
No, this wasn't the exit. This was even better.
Rows and rows of flyboys extended as far as the eye could see. Remembering my new strength, I wrapped my arms around the nearest one and squeezed. Dust.
I turned them all into scrap metal. This was revenge.
Suddenly, though, I couldn't take the suffocating hospital smell and the gray walls anymore. I punched my way through the walls into the fresh forest air.
And then I was running. I didn't know where I was going… but I knew that I was never coming back.
A/N: I know where Max is going! She's heading to Arizona to see if what Jeb said about her mom and sister is true. Get it? Hope you liked this, because I totally poured my heart and soul into it. Also, go back and read "Innocent." It's a new chapter.
Love,
ILuvLuv
