A/N: Will Fang pull himself together and seek out Dylan?
Chapter 8: Dylan in the Rotting Flesh
Fang
Clawing at the ground was pointless, and it would achieve nothing except waste time. I had to keep moving for Dylan's sake and Max's. I walked around piles and piles of robot parts, carefully inspecting each and every one.
"Aha," I whispered, under my breath. A couple of grenades and mini dynamites were scattered in one particular area that I hadn't examined. "I can break that vault down with this…" Walking in through the front door pretty much seems like suicide; however, I don't really have much a choice. There are absolutely no other exits or entrances. Therefore, I'll have to fight them head on.
I gathered any possible weapons and then headed toward the huge vault door. I, then, threw the grenade and another explosive, which made harmonious boom sounds. Now, I know why Iggy loved those sounds.
I burst inside, rapidly flapping my wings to blow away the lingering dust, which made seeing literally impossible. I stood in a white hallway, fists up and ready to kill. It was empty…
The alarm was going off, but no one was here. I walked the halls cautiously, being careful not to set of any traps or bump into any enemies. Where was everyone? Every room was mysteriously empty. There were desks filled with reports and computers with blank screens. Papers were all over the ground as if somebody had rushed out. Did they already evacuate?
Just then, I heard a moaning sound, which quickly turned into a cry for help. The voice sounded broken and pained. Could it possibly be…?
I ran down the halls without thinking. I must have passed a hundred rooms before I was forced to either stay on this level or go up.
"Where are you?!" No one answered, making me shudder all over. Then, as if all of sudden, I heard a thumping sound coming from above me. Upstairs!
I ran, making my wing hurt like hell. Getting up the stairs was painful, but necessary. Just as I reached level two, I could either go left or right.
"Give me a sign! Again, please!" Clink Clink It was the rattling of chains. A shrill and eerie soundthat was coming from the right hall. I quickly followed it as best as I could. The sound became louder and louder the farther down I went. Every room I passed had an ominous air about it.
I finally came to the end of the hallway where the clinking sound was loudest; however, there was no one or nothing here, except for a wall. On the right side of the gray wall was a mini computer asking for some password. This must be it.
I stepped back and then threw my remaining grenade, making sure to cover my ears. Clouds of debris shot up after the loud boom echoed throughout the building. After the dust had cleared, I solemnly looked about. The door was gone; therefore, I stepped in, afraid of what I would find.
"Dylan?!" Although it wasn't Max, I was happy that I could see a somewhat familiar face. I rushed towards the weak figure that was bound by chains to the wall.
"Wow, are you excited to see me or what," he said weakly. His skin didn't have its usual glow; it was very pale and green in some places. It looked almost as if he had been left here to rot and decay. There were also several bruises in different areas of his body. His left eye was still swollen and his arms had burn marks all over them.
"God, what the hell happened to you?"
"The whitecoats are what happened to me. However, that's a story for another day," he replied sighing. "That is if we live to see another day…"
"Trust me. I am getting you the hell out of here. Now, I just need to get you out of these."
"I tried pulling. I-I'm just to weak. You have to get yourself out of here now."
"I'm not leaving you."
"Dude, you hate me! Why are you-"
"Leaving you here is out of the question!" Fang yelled, shutting Dylan up. I already lost someone else today. "You're still a member of the flock, and last time I checked, the flock sticks together."
"Fang, this whole area is set to go. The bomb. It's a freaking trap. I'm the bait, and now any second, the timer will hit zero!" Fang's eyes widened in horror. Did he seriously mean that this place could go off any second? Why didn't he tell me before?!
I quickly got up and ran to the desk on the other side of the room. I fumbled through several drawers, trying to look for something that could possibly break through the chains.
"Fang, go!" Dylan screamed as I kept on my search. I, then, glanced over to a cot, filled with bloody feathers. There was a handsaw. I hesitantly grasped it, hoping that it would work.
"Stand still, Dylan," I warned as I approached him with the saw. Dylan' eyes widened in horror as I neared him.
"Hey, get away from me with that thing!"
"Relax dammit!" I understand that this saw was a great source of torture for him, but now's not the time for this. I began sawing at the metal chain that bound his right arm. He head moved ferociously, while his crazed eyes darted back and forth. He looked as if he was experiencing a nightmare. Hm, I actually felt some sympathy towards him, and that's saying something. The metal was resisting at first, but eventually, it gave in, freeing Dylan's right arm.
"Big mistake," he muttered, grabbing my arm. He, then, flung me against the wall, making my wing hurt a whole lot more. What the hell was he doing? Dylan got up weakly and tried edging closer to me; however, the other metal chain was the only thing keeping his flying fist away from my head. I didn't have time for this… I quickly shot straight for him, dodging his fists and landing my kick in the precise area, which quickly knocked him out.
"We'll deal with you later," I muttered, as I sawed off the other chain. Now that Dylan was free, I lifted him and started carrying him down towards the exit. It was a slow process, but in time, we made it.
"Huh?!" I gasped, loudly. T-the vault door! I had blasted it to down! How is it in my way again? I, then, took a deep breath, remembering my grenades. Just as I was about to reach for one, however, I noticed that I had spent my last one trying to rescue Dylan. My body shook as I realized what this meant.
"I-is there really no escape?" How? Why? No, there must be someway out of here! Above the huge vault door lay a red screen that was quickly ticking down the number of minutes I had left. Oh, God. I carefully placed an unconscious Dylan against the wall and started running down the halls, carefully examining each and every room for any possible escape routes, but like before, nothing had changed. Dylan had been right. This was all some type of setup. Dylan was the decoy. He led us to here, an empty and inescapable base. I dropped to my knees, feeling defeated, and out of frustration, I punched the floor with my bloody fist. It felt rather hollow. Maybe there was some kind of room underneath…
Feeling some sense of hope, I began kicking and slamming the tile beneath me, which quickly fell from under me. I was right. It was a room. Perhaps Dylan and- Dylan!
I ran and kept running until I reached the vault door. Dylan was still there, bruised and unconscious. The time was still running; however, it wouldn't be for long. I quickly scooped Dylan's body up and ran without thinking. The timer was racing and so was I. I quickly dropped Dylan down through the hole in the floor and dropped down myself just in time to see the whole lab ignite and go up in flames.
Heat. Fire. Pain. All three words echoed throughout my whole mind and body, while I lay on top of Dylan, absorbing the flames that managed to come in through the hole above. I could feel my hair being singed off, as well as my wings and the skin on my back. Although it was only for a second, it felt like an hour of intoxication and white, hot pain. After it was over, however, I made the mistake of rolling off of Dylan and landing on my back, which hurt like a bitch. I suppressed a scream as I felt my wings being crushed under my own weight. I quickly sat up and realized that I couldn't hear a thing in my right ear. Great. Just great.
