Hmph none of you even are about Max! Well, maybe a few, which is why I'm updating, but I'm not telling you if she dies. Maybe I'll kill her just because you all don't even care. So anyway here's the next chapter.


FPOV

There was a rustling coming from the trees branches below me. I knew it wasn't the kids; they were sound asleep right next to me. The Gasman was curled around Angel protectively. He was a good brother. They looked so peaceful in sleep. Max would have loved to see this.

The rustling sound came again. I slid off of the branch. My eyes adjusted to the new level of darkness, absent the moonlight that I had been bathed in before.

"Who's there?"I said. I was braced to fight. Please don't let these be Flyboys. I really didn't feel like fighting them at the moment.

"Fang?" That sounded like Nudge. Could it be? No, Max had too much pride for that. "Fang?!" A little body came flying at me. I almost fell over at the surprise hug.

"Nudge?" I gasped. It was actually her. "Iggy?!" My eyes had landed on Iggy over Nudge's head as I set her back on her feet.

"Yup." He didn't sound too happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "More importantly, where's Max?" I realized that I had just betrayed the depth of my emotions for her, but Iggy just shook his head. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, Fang…" Nudge cried. There were tears streaming down her face.

"What happened?!" I moved closer to Iggy, prepared to shake it out of him.

"She…she…there was a fight…Omega came…she wouldn't let us help…"

"What are you saying?" I felt incredibly slow. There was something very obvious that my brain refused to process. "Spit it out." Then he said the words that broke my world in two, tore out my heart, plunged my soul into darkness, and all of those other melodramatic things.

"She's dead." His voice broke. I stumbled back like he'd punched me.

"What kind of sick joke is this?!" It couldn't be true. I would have given anything for it not to be true.

"It's not a joke. Max is gone, Fang," Nudge's voice piped up. I heard twin cries of shock. Angel and Gazzy had woken up. There was loud talking, crying, so much pain. I didn't process any of it. Max was gone. I should have been with her. I could have saved her. I could have fought Omega with her. Max was gone. Max was gone.

The words sounded so strange; like a horror story told to scare you at night. Max couldn't possibly be dead. I had been so sure that I would know if something happened to her, that the world wouldn't feel the same without Maximum Ride in it. If only I had been there. I was such a fool. I should never have left her. And now she was gone. I would never see her face, watch her fly, hear her shout orders at me, laugh at her angry glare. My heart felt like it was imploding.

"What exactly happened, Iggy?" My tone was sharp. The words came out gravely with pain. Max, Max. Why did it have to be her?

"We were infiltrating an ITEX school. We got out, but he showed up. She told us to go." He pulled Nudge close to his side as if he needed comfort. "We could barely see. I saw them both go down. She killed him, but he took her along with him." I felt a sob rack my body. I had to suppress it. I was the leader now. The thought held no joy for me.

"You're in charge," I said, and took off. I flew for a long time, too long. I couldn't bring myself to stop and face the reality. In the air, I could pretend that Max was back with the Flock, alive. I had never felt so much pain. For so long, I had thought that the worst thing was cages. Being in a cage was nothing compared to this horror. I could have saved her. It was my fault that she was dead. I had broken my promise to her, and it had gotten her killed. There was no cure for the pain. Max, Max. Why did you leave me? My heart cried out of its own accord.

The pain eventually brought me out of the sky. It was a weight on my wings. I felt like I'd never move again. My soul was gone. My reason for living was dead.


Poor Fang. Will he have to live a Maxless existence? Your choice. Review!