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Chapter 61; Exodus
"You go und get zee helicopter! I told you zis all ready!"
"You can't tell me what to do, Mom said that I am in charge, NOT you. I'm the only reason you're not DEAD right now! So you can go get your own damn helicopter!"
Despite the fact Max Two was an evil version of Max, Iggy wished she would tell Ter Borcht off some more. He wished HE could tell Ter Borcht off again ... It had felt so good to punch him ... To finally tell him exactly what he thought ... Even if he did end up in a cage. He would have that memory to keep him company ... until they disected his brain anyway.
He put a hand on David's still chest and a deep overwhelming sadness crept over him. There was no way the boy could be pretending. You couldn't stop your own heart, and David's heart was definitely NOT beating.
"David, if you're pretending ... Please be pretending."
And then all of the sudden Iggy felt an explosion of soft fluttering from David's chest. He jerked his hand back and his mouth came open, forming a silent scream. Unconsciously he imagined Gasman beside him screaming in Gene Wilder's voice 'IT IS ALIVE!'
"Don't move," David hissed under his breath.
Iggy swallowed hard and froze. Meditating on a mental image of a statue ... One of those angel statues in big churches or in graveyards. I ... am ... STONE...
"I don't care who your mozer iz go und get zee-"
And Iggy heard two muffled thuds as Max Two and Ter Borcht fell over, victims of The Sandman.
Total ran out of the thicket laughing, "That was so cool, they were all like, 'TIMBER'!"
Iggy heard David clamber to his feet on unsteady legs and walk forward.
"Where is everybody?"
Iggy turned his head, as if he were able to see, "They're fighting, we have to stop them," He jumped up and ran forward. "How were you dead? What did you do to keep your ability working while you were ... You know."
"I told you," He said happily. "I can die whenever I want! I can do anything that I can in my dreams! That's my good 'bility!"
Iggy ran after the boy's voice, nearly tripping over the snoring forms of Ter Borcht and Max Two He paused only long enough to kick one of them, he wasn't sure which.
"So, this is all just part of a ... a dream?"
"No," David said cheerily. "I gived them dream powers with my good 'bility so they can go save Aaron. And when the bad guys showed up I taked myself out and put them in too and made 'em think I was dead. But first I had to take you out too, a'cause I needed your help getting away from the bad man and Bad Max."
"Why me? Why not Max ... Good Max or Fang?"
"Cause he wanted Nick, I had to keep him far 'way in the castle... I knew you'd be safe, you would be able to help me ... And Max makes a scary werewolf."
"Wait ... Max is a werewolf? Max is an ERASER?"
"Yeah, I gived her the 'bility to turn into a werewolf cause she does it in her dreams..." Quite suddenly his little face fell and his hands came up in fear, "Hey, where'd the castle go? Why is everyone fighting each other?"
"David, you can't really GIVE us powers ... Its all a dream, a hallucination."
Total skidded to a halt and his mouth dropped open. "Stop them, David, for the love of God, stop them! They're killing each other!"
Iggy could hear Ella ... He could hear her screaming and cursing, so he ran at the sound, praying there were no trees in the way for him to run into.
He slammed into something and he knew it was her because she was the only one of them wielding a plastic sword. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and picked her up, holding her off the ground.
She screamed in fury and scratched him but he held on tightly, not letting her go.
Iggy didn't like hitting girls, in fact, he'd only hit one girl his whole life and that was Max. And sometimes he didn't really see her as a girl. She was just Max.
But when Angel grabbed him by the throat and tried to tear out his Adam's apple he hit her. Not hard enough to injure her, but hard enough to knock her to the ground.
Ella was fighting him now, punching, scratching and kicking, all the while cursing like mad.
Iggy nearly dropped her when her heel connected with his inner left thigh and he let out a high pitched, near feminine scream stumbling away cupping himself thanking God that he was so much taller than her or he could have been castrated by her horribly sharp shoes.
"David! STOP THIS! WAKE 'EM UP!"
Then Gasman was on him, clinging to his back, and in a very vampire like move, the Gasman turned Dracula and bit him, though rather ineffectively seeing as how he only had plastic glowing fangs in his mouth.
"OUCH! YOU LITTLE-" Iggy swung around and snapped out his wings, knocking Gasman off of him and sending the blonde boy sailing across the field.
Angel was up again, grabbing him around the feet and Iggy realized that he wasn't going to be able to stop this. Not alone, "DAVID, IF YOU DO NOT WAKE THEM UP THIS INSTANT I AM GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"
Aaron was hissing, like a cat, making feeble slapping motions at Nudge as he came at her trying to bite her. But Nudge was too fast, and much too angry to allow that to happen. She slashed at him again and again with her claws, tearing his jacket and gouging five long bloody grooves across his shoulder.
"DAVID!" Iggy screamed, still wrestling with Ella, Angel and Gasman. He could tell from the sounds of the battle that Aaron wouldn't last very long against Nudge. "She'll kill him!"
David didn't reply and Iggy wondered if the boy would ever answer him, or he'd simply knocked himself out so he wouldn't have to face his fears.
But if Iggy had been able to see he would have caught David as he lifted two fists into the air, squeezed his eyes closed and bring his fists down, as if to throw handfuls of dust at the ground.
Ella went limp in Iggy's arms and Angel slid off of his legs. He heard the Gasman hit the earth a few feet away and Iggy crawled to his feet running toward the origin of the 'Pissed off Nudge' sounds.
He slammed into her and she turned on him, slashing him across the chest. Iggy recoiled but jumped at her again, grabbing her around the shoulders, which he realized were covered in feathers.
He laughed to himself. Nudge hadn't gone Eraser as he feared she had, she'd gone Harpy!
Nudge shrieked again but Iggy held on tightly, lifting her off the ground so she kicked the air instead of his legs.
"DO IT NOW, DAVID!"
But David had turned to Aaron, who was in the process of running forward with a stick, intent on bashing Nudge's brains out, as well as Iggy's.
Nudge herself wasn't paying any attention to anyone other than Aaron, even though Iggy was holding her nearly two feet of the ground.
Aaron stumbled, shaking his head. "What happened?" He said in a heavily slurred voice and turned to Iggy.
"OI! What the hell do you think you're doing!" And he strode forward, intent on kicking Iggy's arse for holding HIS Nudge that way.
But Nudge had other things on her mind and she lashed out, kicking Aaron square between his legs.
He didn't make a sound. He merely folded in on himself and fell over, his face as white as a sheet, lips slightly parted eyes squeezed closed.
Nudge was aware of something heavy lifting from her and she felt someone holding her tightly around the shoulders and she snapped out her wings, grabbed one of the arms and flipped the person over her head, twisting their arm behind their back.
Iggy cried out, not out of pain but surprise that Nudge had reacted so quickly when usually she was so docile.
And then she saw her hands... Her claws ... And something in her broke. She sank to her knees staring and running her hands up and down her arms, over the feathers that had sprouted out of nowhere and were falling out as quickly as she ran her claw like fingers over them.
She ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth and felt her teeth as they shrank back into her gums...
And her fingers softened, loosing their claw like sharpness. Where was the castle? Where were the Wizards she'd been fighting?
And then she saw Aaron curled on his side a few feet away and she remembered kicking someone as she was waking up...
She crawled forward frantically hands going to Aaron's pale face, "Oh, Aaron! I'm so sorry!"
He grunted but didn't speak. He'd speak when he was sure he wouldn't sound like Mickey Mouse...
Iggy climbed unsteadily to his feet and walked toward the sounds of Max and Fang fighting.
It sounded like an intense fight ... Even more so than Nudge and Aaron.
"DAVE! Stop them!" He stopped dead and fell to his face when he felt the wind of Max's flying kick dangerously close to his head.
She was growling and Iggy pictured her foaming at the mouth. And he heard Fang ... And Fang didn't sound good.
And then something hit him, falling across him like a sack of potatoes. Iggy scrambled forward, fearing Max would mistake him for Fang and possibly make real her threats to kick his ass. But the dead weight sprawled across his legs wasn't moving.
Iggy crawled from beneath what he knew was Fang and turned, his hands finding the other boy's chest. He could feel Fang's heart hammering behind his ribs and the shallow gasps of breath filling his lungs... Cracked ribs ... BROKEN ribs... Bruises, cuts-
"IGGY!" Ella screamed.
He turned and caught her as she fell to her knees beside him. Her hands were on his chest, smoothing his shirt, on his neck adgitating his adam's apple and forcing him to swallow. She ran her hands over him, feeling, assuring herself he was alive. "Oh my God, who scratched you!"
"Its OK ... I'm OK."
She burst into sobs, "I thought you were dead ... Oh, Iggy, it was awful!" She kissed him, "I love you, I love you so much!"
Iggy tried to pull away, tried to call for Max to check on Fang but he couldn't.
"I ... Love ... You ... Too," He managed between her kisses and intermittent sobbing.
He heard Gasman and Angel moving around and Aaron groaning as Nudge helped him to his feet.
And then he heard Max shuffle up to Fang and gently kick the bottom of his boot. "Come on, Fang, get up, this is no time for sleeping.
No answer.
"Fang, get up!"
Silence.
"This isn't funny, get your ass up!" She dropped to her knees beside him.
At first she was afraid to touch him because a thick line of blood was running from his nose and the corner of his mouth but then she realized she had to wake him up, if she'd hurt him...
"Fang, get up!" She shook him.
He moaned and Max's hands went to his cheeks ... She didn't even have to touch him to feel the heat coming off of him.
And then she remembered ... Before that little tremor ran though the ground he'd been only semi-conscious. She gave him another shake and brushed his hair away from his face. "Fang, wake up!"
Aaron limped up, one hand on his privates the other going stifly back into the sling. "Is he alright?"
Max shook her head, "I don't know what's wrong with him, he's burning alive and he won't wake-up!"
"We have to get out of here before they get up," David said pointing across the field at Ter Borcht and Max Two.
"What the hell are THEY doing here?" Max said indignantly.
Iggy grasped Ella by the shoulders and pulled her away from him for a moment. "They're releasing the virus tonight, Max. They were here to get us out ... They knew we were here."
"Tonight? They're releasing it TONIGHT!" She jumped to her feet a hand going to her forehead. "That memo said they weren't going to do it until next Thanksgiving when people are traveling around ... Jesus..." She fell silent. She couldn't do this. She couldn't freak out, not now. Not with Fang sick and the fate of her flock and the world on her shoulders. She had to be strong. She had to be the leader.
Max took a deep breath and let it hiss from her lungs. After a moment she nodded, "So this is it ... It's either save the world or die trying..." She rocked back on her heels. "Mom isn't going to like this."
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Chapter 62; The Beginning of the End
Before they left the clearing Nudge and Aaron tied Ter Borcht and Max Two to trees. Using strips of Aaron's shredded costume they bound them and with the tube of red lipstick Nudge had hidden in the pocket of her shorts they wrote 'Bird Kids Rule!' across Ter Borcht's face and 'Wings 4-Life' on Max Two's.
Total even hiked his leg on Ter Borcht's Rolex.
"Who broke his nose?" Aaron called over his shoulder.
Iggy grinned but remained silent ... At least for the moment.
Iggy and Max carried Fang back to Lynn-Dee's house, which they found abandoned, streamers, paper cups, candy wrappers and the odd pirate prop strewn about...
There were burns inside on the walls and Aaron voiced what everyone else already knew. "The Wizards were here ... They've taken everyone..."
All the cars were still parked outside Lynn-Dee's house but since Dr. Martinez had gone into town to pick up the birthday cake she'd ordered in secret for Fang and Aaron the SUV wasn't there.
"Put him in the back," Aaron said and dropped the tailgate.
With Iggy's help Max was able to maneuver Fang into the back of the truck. Ella and Iggy climbed into the cab with Aaron and everyone else climbed into the back with Max and Fang.
"Its going to be a bumpy ride," Aaron called out the window and turned the key in the ignition.
The truck rumbled into mechanical life and pulled out of the driveway.
They drove slowly, heading back toward Dr. Martinez's house. Toward safety...
Halfway down the road they encountered the first body ... A woman, about thirty years old with blonde hair ... To Max it looked like she'd fallen to her death and she had to look away.
She guessed the Wizards had that net they'd tried to catch Aaron in. She could just imagine them carrying it, completely full of people in Halloween costumes, through the skies.
The road was deserted ... Every house was dark. No life, nothing...
"Oh, jeez ... I don't want to sound morbid but ... This is just like something out of Dawn of the Dead!" Gasman said under his breath. "If people like start swarming us, trying to eat our brains I'm taking off!" He jabbed a thumb at the sky.
Max rolled her eyes, but at the same time she was wondering exactly what this virus did to people. Could they really turn into zombies?
A car horn blasted and Aaron slammed on the brakes.
Max lifted her head and saw a rag-top jeep coming around the corner at them. She couldn't turn completely around, so she had no idea who it was until she heard his voice.
"Thank GOD!" Allan said and jumped out of his jeep, running at the driver's side door eyes wide. "I was so worried."
"Allan!" Gasman said happily from Max's left and the boy leapt out of the truck. He grabbed Allan around the waist and hugged him tightly.
Allan hugged the Gasman in return then mussed the blonde's hair and stepped to the truck, peering in at Fang. He flattened a palm on the boy's forehead. "Is there someplace you kids can go that's safe?"
"We were going back to my mom's," Max said as-matter-of-factly.
Allan nodded, "I'll follow you, anyone who wants to can ride with me."
Angel and David climbed out of the truck and let Allan carry them, one on each hip, to the jeep.
Max pursed her lips. She felt somewhat as though Allan were encroaching on her territory, trying to take charge ... But she understood why.
Max maybe the leader, but it would be safer to be in a jeep with seatbelts than in the back of a truck. Especially if they did get swarmed...
As they started off again Aaron flipped that little switch Iggy and the Gasman had installed on the dashboard and bathed the night in light.
It was eerie to drive along and not see a single person, even though a clear path of papers, and the odd discarded Halloween costume said that indeed everyone had passed this way.
Max looked to her left at the row of houses leading toward her own and noticed windows had been broken ... Doors stood open ... And the dogs that usually barked at night were silent.
A shiver ran up Max's spine and she absently stroked Fang's cheek, feeling the slight roughness of the little dark hairs on his chin ... And the horrible heat rolling off of him.
What was wrong with him?
Max remembered when she was developing her 'Light Speed' ability, how she'd felt incredibly hot all over ... Maybe that was happening to Fang. Maybe he was developing a new ability, other than the talking to birds thing... But that didn't explain why the heat hadn't disipated. Why was he so sick?
Could there be another, more sinister explanation?
She shook her head, refusing ...But ... She had to be sure.
She braced herself for the worst, tilted his head to the left and lifted his hair, peering at the back of his neck...
Relief flooded her. No date ... He wasn't expiring.
She looked up then and saw another body lying on the grass ... Then another and another, these though, had not been trampled to death ... Their skin was torn ... And Max recognized the jagged puncture wounds of Wizard Bites...
Fang stirred, shifting his head against her thigh, dark blue eyes fluttering for a moment before they came open. He clearly didn't know where he was because he looked up at Max as if she were an alien for a full five seconds. Then he relaxed and a smile came over his face.
"You really did look Peking-"
She swatted his shoulder, "Shut-up."
Surprisingly he listened to her and grew quiet, staring up into her face a moment before his eyes closed again.
Aaron pulled the truck into the driveway and Max heard him curse bitterly.
She turned her head and stared in awe and horror at her home ... Or what was left of it.
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