AN: First and foremost: HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!! Hopefully as you are reading this, you are wearing green. And if not.......... *Pinch* Hahahahaha. Sorry, I just ate sugar. Sugar rush bad, but writing new chapter, Good.
Disclaimer: I have no rights over Xam. And I am only borrowing Rose, Kyla, and Chase from Ms. Ador and Rose; Bailey from Maxy1998; and the newest character Krissy from TalyorSwiftTwilightFan75. I guess the only things I do own are Tom, Abby, Devon and this plotline. Man, I need better lawyers...
Xam POV
Tom, Abby, Rose, Kyla, Chase and I were at a loss for words. The once complete apartment looked like it was smashed by a hand of God. There was debris crumbling off at certain angles. There was walls caved in and collapsed doors underneath them. I was the first to move closer to the hazardous wreckage we used to call a home. I landed inside where a nice living room, I guessed from the wreckage, used to be. I gestured to everyone to follow me. Tom landed behind me and folded his wings up, followed by Devon, then Rose, and so on. Tom walked past me and to where a door used to be and looked around.
"This is our hallway, over here," He said pointing to the left, "Wanna go check the damage, Abs?"
Abby nodded, "Let's go see what we can find."
Abby and Tom took point, Bailey and I right behind them and everyone else behind us. Tom went to the door and then made a 'be quiet' gesture with his hand. I heard shuffling behind the door. Tom looked at Devon and made some hand gesture I recognized from my own training as 'Back me up, I'm on point.'
Devon nodded and took his duffle bag off, handing it to Abby. Tom did the same and handed me his. Devon took his spot next to Tom and then nodded. They both kicked the door down with their right feet. Tom entered first and checked corners, Devon following and checking his own. The rest of us watched until they had disappeared into the back of the apartment and we couldn't see anymore.
"Xam?" Bailey squeaked out. I looked down to her.
"What Bailey?" I asked softly. She looked up at me, fear in her eyes.
"I'm scared," She whispered. I knelt down and hugged her. Wow, I didn't know I had it in me.
"It's okay Bail-" I was cut off by Devon's cry of pain and the sound of wood snapping.
"FUCK!!!" Devon cried. A blur of light brown, possibly dark tan moved into the living room. Tom skidded out from the back and kept his aim straight. He fired twice and hit the blur in the shoulder.
"OWWWW!!!" the figure screamed. From the sound of its voice, the figure was a girl. Tom walked closer and held his gun to her face for a millisecond. Then he knelt down and grabbed her chin.
"Who are you?" he asked. The girl glared at him. Tom looked at me and gestured for us to come in. I looked the girl over as Bailey and I got closer. She had wings, but they were light brown and had black and white speckles on them, reminding me of a type of deer. Her skin was also a lighter brown, possibly a dark tan as I said before, and her body was an average build, like a young teen. She had black hair but light brown at the tips. When she saw me walk around and behind Tom, her blue eyes widened. Tom snapped his fingers in her face, getting her attention.
"Please, focus," Tom said, "What. Is. Your. Name?"
She glared at Tom again. He threw his arms up and released a groan. He looked at Chase and Kyla, who were looking at the blood forming on the girl's shoulder. Tom followed their gaze and realized he hit her.
"Shit," He muttered and knelt back down, he reached for her arm, but she recoiled and continued to glare at him. Tom noticed this and gave her a look of annoyance.
"Listen, I'm sorry for shooting you," he said, "but if you want it out, I have to be able to touch your arm."
"Hmm, how about I do this myself, and you can go screw off," The girl replied. Tom smiled halfway at her, I have no idea why. I was mad as hell at this girl. Tom was trying to make up for shooting her by helping, why not let him? And then replying to him with sarcasm? Not funny. Not funny at all.
"Listen you un–" I started to say, but Tom cut me off.
"Okay, but if you need help getting it out, I'll be helping my friend put his leg back together," Tom said with a grin. The girl returned it with a grim smile of her own. Tom stood up and looked at Chase, Kyla, Abby, and Rose.
"Watch her," Tom said, "Wounded or not, she doesn't leave. I want answers, mostly who she is and why she's here. If you can get that, I'll be impressed."
"Right," Chase said. Tom nodded and then went back towards his and Abby's room's hallway. Abby walked closer to the girl, who was staying where Tom left her.
"Hi! I'm Abby," Abby said introducing herself, "Can you tell me your name?"
"Yeah! It's Goe Screwurself," The girl replied. Abby's jaw dropped. Rose started to snicker to herself. The girl turned her head towards her.
"What are you laughing at, Big Red?" She asked. Rose's face turned into a grimace.
"What did you call me?" She asked, starting to stalk over to us. Kyla and Chase stood in her way, trying to hold her back. I sighed and covered a hand with my eyes. I felt something tug on my arm, and I looked down to Bailey.
"What Bailey?" I asked quietly.
"Where's the bathroom?" She asked in the same tone. I pointed in the direction that Tom went. Bailey smiled and ran that way. I sighed again and knelt in front of our mystery wounded girl.
"Oh what, are you gonna try that nice & sweet suck up BS, too?" She asked me. I frowned.
"No, but if you continue to talk to my friends that way, I have no problem kicking your ass across the room," I told her dead serious, and she looked scared. Like when she first saw me walk behind Tom.
"S-seriously?" She asked with a slight stutter. I nodded slowly and cracked my knuckles to emphasize my point. She gave me a frightened look.
"So, y-you're Max II?" She asked. I recoiled with shock. I shook my head after recovering.
"Not anymore," I answered, "I go by Xam now, and that guy that shot you is Tom."
"So? What's you're point? He your husband or something?" She asked. I froze temporarily again. A lump I've never felt before formed in my throat. I cleared my throat and looked at her again before speaking.
"Yeah, he's my boyfriend," I said, "And I don't take to kindly to you talking to him that way. All he wanted to do was help."
"Phht. If that's all he wanted then he and his boneheaded friend wouldn't have kicked my bedroom door open and off its hinges," She said in an annoyed tone, "That and he shouldn't have shot me in the first place."
"Honestly, his shooting you doesn't bother me," I said, "The fact that he offered to make it right and you blew him off does. So now I'm going to ask you something he asked you twice. What is your name?"
"Krissy," She answered. I was surprised. I was sure I would have had to resort to threatening her life to get her name.
"Krissy?" I asked and she nodded. I opened my mouth to ask more, but Bailey's scream cut me off. I stood up and looked at Chase, Rose, Abby, and Kyla. The four of them were sitting at the half destroyed island table, where Tom and I ate not a month ago on the day this all started.
"Guys," I said getting their attention, "Watch her. Abby, come with me."
Abby nodded and followed me into the hallway, which was partially destroyed. Tom emerged from Abby's doorway.
"I heard a scream," He said. I peered past him to see Devon finishing a wrapping on his leg, and then looking back at Tom. Abby walked past him to help Devon stand up.
"You did," I said, "Did Bailey say anything to you on her way to the bathroom?"
"Yeah," Tom said walking towards the bathroom, "She asked if Devon was okay, and I said he was. Just a small sprain on his knee. Whoever that girl is, she sure knows how to use a wooden bat."
I winced and we continued to the bathroom, where we found the door closed. Tom knocked on it.
"Bailey?" He asked. When he got no answer, we both pressed our ears to the door. I could hear soft cries from the other side. Tom started to tug on the handle, but it was stuck. He backed up and pointed his gun at the hinges.
"Bailey, Cover your ears," Tom warned. He fired twice at the hinges and grabbed the door with both hands after holstering the gun. He pulled it out of the doorway and moved it to the wall on his right.
I looked in to see Bailey on the floor in a ball, he hands covering her ears and crying. The bathroom was big enough to fit three Erasers, but that would be it. There was a shower on the left side and the curtain was torn so that it was covering something. Tom walked back in to Bailey, and he crouched down to hug her.
"Shh, it's okay," Tom whispered, "What happened? Bailey, calm down. I can't understand you. Shh. What happened?"
Bailey continued to sob and raised a shaky hand to point at the shower. Tom and I exchanged a glance, and I substituted for Tom as 'Shoulder to cry on' while he checked it out. He flipped the top of the curtain off, and then put it right back on.
"Xam, get Bailey out of here," he said in a shaky voice, "and get Abby in here."
"Why, what is-?" I started to ask but Tom shouted over his shoulder, "JUST DO IT!"
Not wanting to get in a fight, I picked Bailey up and carried her out of the bathroom, and towards the living room. Abby and a bandaged Devon were sitting on the couch, Krissy was sitting on the love seat, and Rose, Kyla and Chase hadn't moved from her spot. Everyone was looking from where Tom's voice came from.
"Whoa, what happened?" Devon asked, "I haven't heard T-Bro yell like that since graduation day in boot, when I left him behind after we pranked the Drill Sergeant and he was caught by the D.S."
"Abby," I said ignoring Devon and still trying to calm Bailey down, "Tom needs you back there."
"Okay," Abby said getting up and walking past me back to Tom. I sat Bailey down on the couch, keeping an arm around her while she leaned on me.
"So, does the TV work?" Devon asked. I picked the remote up and aimed it at the cracked screen, pressing the power button. The TV flickered and then came to life with a news report.
"And then Maximum Ride and her flock of five others helped the Californian tourists escape the EIGHTH forest fire of this year. In the "Flock Gossip" fandom, Rumors are being spread that Maximum Ride and her former second in command Fang have apparently-"
I angrily changed the channel to something that didn't involve Maximum and her flock. Devon looked thankful, as he watched SportsCenter. Bailey quieted down as well, and all was calm...for three minutes.
"NO!!!!" Abby screeched from the back. Rose, Chase, Kyla and I stood up. I pointed at Bailey and then Krissy.
"Devon, watch them," I ordered and resumed my way to the bathroom. When we got there, Tom was hugging Abby while she cried. I looked at them and then looked into the tub and gasped. Lying dead with a chunk of wall in her head, was Chelsea. She was face down and the concrete was in the back of her skull. She smelled rotten and gross. I put the curtain back over her body. I turned around to Chase, Rose, and Kyla. I started pushing them back.
"You DON'T want to see," I said sternly. They accepted it and Tom and Abby walked out first. Abby walked to her friends out of Tom's embrace and told them what it was, causing them all to cry for their lost friend. Tom and Chase Moved the door back to where it was and we all returned to the living room.
"What happened guys?" Devon asked. Chase went over and explained it to him. Devon stood up and walked to Tom, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Tom," Devon said, "I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thanks man," Tom said with a small smile. Devon returned the gesture and then they clasped hands in a brotherhood like form. I walked up behind Tom and tapped him on the shoulder when the brother moment was over. Tom turned and gave me a sad smile.
"You saw too, huh?" He said. I nodded and wrapped my arms around his waist and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned on his chest and he rested his head on my own. We stayed like this for a few seconds, before someone cleared their throat. We looked up to see Rose looking at us expectantly.
"What's the next plan of action?" She asked with slightly puffed eyes. Kyla and Abby were no better; Abby was sitting next to Devon and had Bailey in her lap, while Kyla was sitting near Rose on the coffee table. I noticed Chase had a look of concern locked on the back of Kyla's head. Nooo, he's not feeling anything towards her...not. Then his attention turned to me. In fact, everyone's attention was on me, even Krissy.
"Why are you all looking at me?" I asked. Tom nudged me.
"Aren't you the leader?" he asked. I looked up at him. What was he? Out of his mind?
"Um, No thanks!" I said backing away from him. Everyone groaned.
"Why not?" Kyla asked, "If not you then who?"
"Uhh, what about...Tom?" I suggested. Tom looked at me like I was crazy.
"What are you nuts?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No, you've got military experience, you're the one that decided to come here, and I think you'd do a much better job then me," I said. Tom let his jaw fall slightly.
"Yeah, but you've been a Hybrid longer then I have, you know what we're up against, and I'll bet the training you were given was much better then what I got," Tom argued. I huffed. We both had our eyes locked in a intensive stare-down, like if one of us looked away, the loser had to lead.
"Why not hold a vote?" Krissy suggested quietly. We both looked at her.
"What'd you say?" Tom asked, shocked. Possibly surprised it wasn't a snarky comment.
"I didn't say anything," she grumbled to him. Tom sighed.
"Listen," he said, "I know I don't know you're nam-"
"Her name's Krissy," I interrupted. Tom looked at me.
"She answered you?" he asked. I nodded.
"This is another good reason as to why you should lead," Tom grumbled.
"No, I like her idea," I said. Tom looked at me again.
"Really? A vote?" Tom said. I nodded and then he smirked.
"May the better leader win," He said. Tom clapped his hands and began, "We're having a vote. If you want Xam to lead raise your hands."
Krissy, Tom, Chase, and Rose all raised their hands. Tom counted hands.
"Four for you, hon," Tom said with a smile. I smiled right back.
"That means I win," I said. Tom thought about it for a sec.
"Crap." He muttered. Everyone snickered and I walked up to him.
"So," I said softly and slightly seductively, "Where to now, Mr. Leader?"
AN: Well, again. I leave you with a cliffy. HAHAHAHA! I am CLIFFY KING! I want to wish you all another happy St. Patty's Day! I love this holiday...
Keep on Keepin on
Tsparks158
