Shadows of the Flock-Chapter 25

By MyNameIsCAL (Formerly MyNameIsCAB)

Denver's rain turned into snow the next day. When I woke up, Fang was still asleep. His light stores filled the room, giving it a peaceful feeling when I sat at the window, watching the snow fall.

"The snow is so pretty, isn't it, Max?"

"You can see?" I asked Iggy.

He shrugged, sitting down next to me. "Sure I can. I don't exist, remember?"

We sat there until, in some sense, together, until Fang woke up and sat on Iggy.

"You sat on Iggy," I stated plainly.

Fang jumped up and stared at the couch intently.

"He can't see me," Iggy frowned. "It's time for me to go. Goodbye, Max."

"Wait, do you ever see the others?" I placed my hand on Iggy's shoulder.

"No, Max. It's a lonely world out there," Iggy shook his head. He gently touched my hand. "Goodbye for now. See ya later."

"See ya, Ig." And he's gone, just like that.

Fang continued to stare at the couch. "That…Well, it's sorta creepy if you think about it."

I smiled up at Fang. "I see dead people."

Fang and I checked out of the hotel around noon. We walked through the streets of Denver, hand in hand. All the death, everything we've been through, had softened Fang a little. In a good way.

"So what's it like, talking to the dead?" Fang questioned we sat down on a bench.

I half expected Iggy to appear in front of me. "It's like talking to myself."

"Maybe you should talk to me."

"I do talk to you." I felt my head drop to Fang's shoulder.

His head dropped onto mine. "Not enough."

Fang went out to go get food for us. I laid on our bed, staring at the ceiling, glancing out every once in a while to watch the snow flicker across the lighting.

"He just thinks you talk to me more."

"Go away, Iggy."

"Go away? I can't go away if I'm not even here."

I turned to my side. Iggy's pale blue eyes seemed to pierce through me. "He's damaged inside, Max. You might not see it, but he's going to break one of these days. All he needs to know is that you love him. He needs you, but he'll never admit that."

"I need him too." I'm no longer looking at Ig.

"Then tell him that somehow. Everything around him is falling apart and the only thing he has left is you. He's afraid of losing you and he's afraid of losing himself too." Even though Iggy isn't real, I can feel the bed sink as he sits. "Because when he's gone Max, you'll lose yourself."

"I'm gonna save him!" I snapped at Iggy.

"I'm not saying you won't. Just, look after him." Iggy isn't lying to me.

"I will."

"In five seconds, he's gonna walk in. Make it look like you weren't talking to me." Iggy vanished after his last word.

I closed my eyes and listened to Fang come in through the door. After a moment, his arms are wrapped around me and he's next to me on the bed.

"Fang," I whispered.

"Max," he whispered back.

"Fang," I whispered again. "Fang, I love."

He didn't hesitate to answer. "I love you too Max."

I turned to face him and he pushed himself on top of me. Our lips pressed together as he leaned in closer. After a moment of making out, Fang rolled off of me, "C'mon we got food to eat."

"What'd you end up getting?" I questioned as he pulled me out of bed.

He smiled. "Chinese food."

I lay on the bed now. It's almost midnight. Fang is breathing into my ear, his arm wrapped around me. I'm watching the news with closed captioning, my hand running through Fang's hair. I couldn't tell if he was asleep.

"You should go to sleep." I guess Fang wasn't asleep.

"I know, Fang," I replied.

Fang squeezed me a little closer. "Goodnight, Max."

"Goodnight, Fang."

The news was still on when I woke up.

"When did you go to sleep?" Fang asked.

"I don't know," I yawned.

Fang yawned too. "Yawning is contagious."

I punched him playfully. He punched me back and I wrestled him off the bed.

"Haha, what're you doing?" I've never seen Fang smile so much.

I shrugged, looking down at him from the bed. "I don't know. C'mon let's get out of here."

We packed our few things together and checked out of the hotel, back into Denver. That would be our last bit of fun for a while. Iggy showed up during lunch.

It's time to run again.