Nudge POV:

The darkness was like a bottomless pit of hell. It sucked me in, pulling me down like a horse caught in a lasso. I tried desperately to escape, to do anything, to do anything apart from get dragged down. The last thing I remembered was.... going all crazy on Collin at the park and then, a little kid screaming and Collin completely freaking out. He needs to learn to chill...

Wait! Collin. Where was he? Was he okay? Of course with those questions came my own, where was I? Was I okay? But never mind about me, Collin is the issue now. I frantically racked my brains for some sort of answer. Think back now, calmly. Okay, I mentally took massive deep breaths, Right, we have the park incident with the cruel arms dragging you away, the screaming child and freaked out Collin thing, and then... the darkness and loss of everything.

That led me to only two conclusions. One, I was on drugs. Two, I was at the School and experiencing some weird out-of-body experience.

Well, that was easy enough then. One was completely out because a) Collin would never let me take drugs (stupid overprotective idiot) and b) I would never let me take drugs, it just wasn't... me. Damn, that only left the School option. Damn. I would rather swallow a million spiders than end up in that hell-hole again. I tenderly tried to move my wings. I couldn't feel anything.

Great. Perfect. Just freaking perfecto.

I needed to get out of here... wherever 'here' was. I opened my mouth and screamed. As I was screaming – although no sound was being produced – I got an image of Iggy. Iggy. God, I missed him. Wait, no I didn't. I didn't miss them, at all. I hated them... right? I should hate them. The Flock, I mean. They left me. I didn't want them.

I thrashed around, feeling my body move, but still trapped in the blackness. Shi- shoot. I screamed and yelled, begged out for help, howled for someone to save me. All the time I was desperately trying, I still kept seeing Iggy in the back of my head. What the hell was happening?

Suddenly, a burst of light exploded around my head. Pains spasmed through my chest, making me cry out in agony. More lights exploded around me and I felt myself being sucked backwards, like a vacuum was sucking me back. Hopefully back to reality. The world was spinning around me at the speed of light, confusing the heck out of me.

I sucked in a huge, rasping breath as reality caught back up with me, appearing in the form of an operating theatre, complete with around twenty whitecoats crowded nervously around me. I gasped for breath, not resisting as an oxygen mask was slapped cruelly onto my face with deliberate force. The air I breathed in was life-saving, and I took massive breaths, unable to get enough of the gas.

Finally I became aware of other tubes and wires attached to my arms and body. I tried to lift my arm to push the mask away, as the air was starting to be tainted by something else, when I realised my arms were pinned securely down to the table. The whitecoat nearest to me smirked at me as I started to panic. The gas I was now breathing in was making me woozy.

Not again... I struggled to stay awake as I was slowly being knocked out. My mind tried desperately to come up with a way to get out of the situation, my eyes darting around with worry as I could feel my eyelids drooping. The restraints were pressing into my wrist making too hard to concentrate and –

Wait! The restraints were made of thick metal... metal that I could work to my advantage. I sneaked a peak at the whitecoats. A few of them were crowded around what looked like a vial of blood, more gazing up at an x-ray of wings on a human's back. Oh shoot, they were probably my wings. The rest were checking the various machines attached to me, or studying charts with intense expressions.

I, still fighting the urge to close my eyes, tried to move the metal a small bit. It took a second, one that I could hardly afford to waste, but after what seemed like years it moved. It was only a small movement, I didn't have enough strength to do verymuch, but it was enough that the catch clicked open. Luckily, none of the scientists noticed it, and I set to work on the other ones.

When I had released all the catches so I was free to move if I wanted, I located the exit. It was in the form of a door, thankfully a little ajar, and I could make out a corridor bending to the right. That was my target. If I wanted to do this, it had to be done all at once and fast. Please don't let me kill myself. Again.

I wrenched my arms and legs out of the open metal bands, ripping off the mask, and making a beeline for the door. The scientists, taken off guard, jumped out of the way in surprise. I could feel the tubes, wires and other general hospital-y stuff that had been in my arms tearing away from my skin as I sprinted for freedom. But Collin first. Then fresh air.

The alarms started blaring the second I took three steps down the dark corridor. The red lights flashed around me as my bare feet pounded on the cheap lino. My hands erupted into purple energy and, even though it drained my strength by the second, I blasted doors open and Erasers off their feet. I raced down random corridors, yelling Collin's name out at the top of my voice.

I could hear them following me; the Eraser's getting closer and closer. I tried to push my legs to go faster, urging myself on in my head, but I was slowing down. My head was pounding, my arms aching and feeling as if they were weighed a thousand pounds. I flicked my wrists desperately, smashing windows to my right and my left, still screaming out for Collin.

They caught up with me at last, though. I cried and screamed, kicked and bit, I tried everything. But the reality was that I had just been dea- well, let's just say not completely there, and there were almost a hundred of them vs. me in a squished hallway.

The last thing I yelled was in a desperate scream that rattled my bones. 'COLLIN!'

Fang POV:

Iggy had stopped screaming awhile ago. Now he was just conked out on the floor, twitching every so often. The rest of the Flock were either asleep, or pacing. I glanced at the other teen who had been dumped in with us, then at Max who had Angel sleep on her lap. I paced in unison with the Gasman, who looked half asleep but still terrified.

The boy was hunched in the corner, his eyes full of rage and unconcealed pain. His fists were bloody – well, at least the one that wasn't covered in a glove of metal – from punching the wall and steel door repeatedly, his hair was messy and stained with a dark red colour in some places, his expression unreadable. The look Max sent me practically screamed don't trust him! I sent back a no-freaking-duh... look and went back to pacing.

Suddenly, there was a scream from the corridor. The tiny window of our cell flashed with a purple fire and there was the sound of a serious fight going on outside. The boy was up against the door in a flash, his face pressed against the glass. 'Nudge! Nudge, God-damnit, Nudge!' His voice was hoarse and strained from stress, but there was an undercurrent of fear and pure panic.

Wait, Nudge? Did that insolent little kid just say Nudge? He was now pounding on the door, over and over. I was shoved up next to him in a heartbeat, my face looking down on his bloody, angered one. 'What did you just say,' I grabbed his shirt in my hands and shoved him up against the wall. 'Tell me what you said!' I growled as he struggled and tried to punch me.

'Let go of me, she needs me!' When I didn't move, he yelled in frustration and snarled again, 'You're going to kill her, you... bastard!' I dropped him in a second, my eyes flying to the door; it couldn't be... could it?

The boy beat me there, punching in the door with a desperate, crazed look in his eyes. 'Nudge!' He yelled again. At this point, Max, Angel and Gazzy were all pressed behind me, me right behind the kid. All at once, the whole glass pane of the door shattered with a crash and bits of metal flew into the room. I yelled and pushed the others back, shielding my eyes with one hand, with the other, pulling the boy back who hadn't moved an inch.

He resisted my touch and didn't move, stayed as solid as a rock, as the metal and glass smashed into him at lightning speed. I winced as the blood streamed down his face and embedded in his skin. He didn't hesitate and tore the rest of the door to pieces, sprinting out into the battle that was raging in the corridor. I pushed past the remains of the door and followed him, half dreading what I was about to see.

I was right to be wary. I froze upon seeing the boy shouldering his way through the pile of Erasers that were crowded around a small figure on the ground. They were all taken by surprise as he dropped down beside her and took her head into his lap. He breathed a sigh as relief as he checked her pulse and seemed satisfied, then turning to face the bloodthirsty guards.

I jumped in there, trying to take out the rest of them, the rest of the Flock following my lead and getting into battle mode. Well, we sure as hell tried. But reality kicked in and there was over a hundred of them, and only four of us – Iggy was still unconscious and the boy was busy with Nud- I couldn't say her name until I was sure.

We were all shoved into a new room, Angel tossed face down on the floor, the boy refusing point-blank to let go of the girl. They finally gave up and left, the snick of the door locking sounding weirdly comforting. We were alone now. Max immediately fixed Iggy in a better position, checking his pulse and stuff to make sure he wasn't dead or anything, the boy crouched over the girl worriedly. I looked over his shoulder, concerned and curious, almost fainting when I saw who the mystery girl was.

It was Nudge.

I yelled and jumped backwards, true motion showing on my face for the first time in a long while. The others rushed over, only to meet the same sight I had, each reacting in a different way. The Gasman swore loudly, stumbling backwards until he hit the wall, his face as white as a sheet. Angel screamed and choked, clutching onto me with shaking hands. Max froze, her eyes fixated on the girl's face, her face unreadable.

The boy, seeing our reactions, immediately put himself in front of her, snarling at us with dangerous eyes. No one moved for a few minutes, all confused and stressed, until we heard Iggy start to stir. He moaned and rubbed his temples with long, place fingers, muttering to himself incoherently. I hissed out of the corner of my mouth to him, 'Dude... you okay?' Out of a reflex. Besides, the others were too shocked to say anything.

'Ugh... why does my head feel like one of those coconuts that rich people slice open to drink fancy drinks with swirly straws in,' At the silence that followed his moan, he stiffened and immediately went into "danger mode". 'Shoot, guys? What's wrong? Why is there another person in here with us?'

More silence.

'Seriously! What the heck is going on?'

Nudge – at least, I thought it was her, I still couldn't be sure because I had seen her die right before my freaking eyes – started to come around, curling instinctively into a ball behind the boy. He put his hand out to keep her back, but stroked her hair to let her know he was there. She groaned, and then took a rasping breath, before wiping the dried (and fresh) blood from her face with one hand.

Then she opened her eyes and looked right at us.

Lindsay POV:

The alarms started blaring the second I rounded the second corner. Did they really miss me after two seconds? My right hook mustn't be what it used to be. Until I realised the alarms weren't set off for me. In a different building, with huge glass windows, I saw an intense fight going on. I silently thanked my lucky stars – I at least had a few minutes to look for him without worrying about them realising I was gone.

I paused every few seconds to look through tiny porthole things where the experiments were being kept. No sign of him. Yet. I wasn't about to give up easily... or at all.

My fingers feverishly dug into my palms as every window was missing his face. I cursed fluently as I tripped over something on the ground and lost my balance. I rubbed my ankle, sprawled on the floor, my eyes getting a close up of the plain white floor. I tried to stand, only to fall on my butt again. I so did not have time for this.

I forced my body up, leaning on the wall for support. I took a few steps forward, still with the wall, gritting my teeth in immense pain. Way to pick a day to break your ankle, Lindsay. How freaking convenient. I fell the minute I let go of the wall, almost screaming in frustration as I tore the leg of my jeans off so I could wrap my ankle up. I loved those jeans.

I tightly wrapped up my ankle, swearing as my hands did a messy job. I shot up the second I was done, trying to block out my pain receptors. It didn't work. I hobbled forward in a run, stumbling, but desperate to find him before it was too late.

I grew more panicked as I heard the alarms shut off. They must have got the experiment. How long would it be before they found me? I raced around the building, crying soundless tears of pain and despair. I wasn't going to find him. For I knew, they had killed him. He couldn't be dead. I wouldn't freaking let him be dead.

I heard the footsteps behind me, the shouts that alerted the other. They'd found me. I tried to push myself and go faster, but only resulted in falling again. I hit the ground hard, unable to move for a few seconds. A few seconds was all it took for them to surround me. I didn't even try to fight as one of them slung me over his hairy shoulder and headed off in a random direction with me, the others following with hungry looks in their inhuman eyes.

I was numb.

Maybe he was dead. Why wouldn't he have come looking for me, if he wasn't dead? I didn't know what to do if it turned out that he was dead. Dead. That word made me shiver and a lump situated itself in my throat, a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Instead of depositing me back in my own little slice of hell on earth, the beasts threw me in this random room. I landed hard on my stomach again, groaning loudly in pain, curling into a ball.

I could hear other things breathing, but all was deathly silent. Death-ly. Why did that word keep coming up? I lifted my heavy head, black dots fading at the edges of my vision. I looked around the room slowly, my head about to explode with pain and exhaustion, taking in my surroundings. I was in a plain room, with other experiments scattered around the room in different positions.

Their faces all showed various degrees of shock and horror, some looking at me, some staring at the other girl who was tucked behind one of the guys. Most of them had dirty wings hanging limply out of the backs of their clothes, all with expressions that probably mirrored my own.

I looked around a final time, really seeing things for the first time. Wait... some of these kids looked familiar. I scanned their faces one last time and gasped aloud as I saw the one face I had been looking for. Except I never expected to find him here. I screamed his name out, my voice sounding crackly and sore. He whipped his head back to look at me, his eyes widening in surprise and what looked like fear.

'L-Lindsay...? Is that really you?'

Okay, I am so sorry for the late update. I have exams starting this week and my mom has been practically locking me in my room, trying to get me to study. I'll try and get the next chapter up next weekend, but I need your reviews and comments to keep me concentrating and focused!

Let me know what you thought...

addicted-2-oxygen *.*