"Hey, up and at 'em."
She groaned and rolled over, rubbing her eyes.
"We need to get an early start if we want to get there soon," I had already packed up my things, laptop included.
"Okay," she sat up and stretched as I folded her blanket for her. She glanced at my stomach, then her eyes widened, "Wait, you mean-"
I smiled, "Liftoff is in ten."
She smiled as well but it quickly faded. She turned her head from me just as I finished packing her bag. The last time we flew, I was bleeding out and she was being ripped from the life she's always wanted. I knew I had to take this slow, but we couldn't wait too long. Plus, I craved to get some air time again.
"Can we eat first?"
"Sure," I brushed her hair and stood, pulling her with me. She stamped out the twig fire and hiked her bag up on her shoulders again, still solemn. I thought a bit before suggesting, "We could eat somewhere nice, if you want. We have enough money."
"Isn't that risky?" she tensed up.
"Don't you remember?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"That's my middle name."
Good thing we went in early. The small diner had plenty of hearty food to choose from and little to no people. Plus, the employees weren't fully awake. I had to ask for the menu twice until they got it right. I also had enough cash to buy them out, but I made sure that we would get enough to save for the road. Speck had her menu standing on its own as she read through it. I jokingly knocked it over and she gaped then slammed it back down where it was. I froze, but then I heard a slight giggle. She was coming around. I eyed the menu just as the waiter came by.
"Anything to drink?" he handed us silverware.
"Just water," I replied.
"Coffee please," Speck stated.
The waiter raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to me. I rolled my eyes, "Just water, maybe a juice later?" I shot her a look to not be inconspicuous. She went back to reading the menu.
"Alright, I'll be right back with those!" his forced perkiness made me chuckle. He went off and I turned my eyes to the breakfast menu. Though as much as my mouth salivated at the skillets, my mind focused on our trip ahead. I wanted to be optimistic, but my life was anything but. One second I was living the life I always dreamed, the next I had a bullet in my gut. I instinctively put a hand there, feeling a deep ache from just the thought of it. I wondered about the bullet still there, thinking of it moving around, tearing more into me, or even infecting me since it was a freaking bullet.
"Here you go," the waiter set down our waters. "Ready to order?"
"Um-"
"I'll go," Speck raised her skinny arm. The waiter smiled and turned towards her. "I'll have the Four Stack with two eggs and bacon please, and some orange juice."
"Alright, and for you?"
"The same, but with sausage instead," I nodded as he wrote it down. "Also, we'd like to take another order to go afterwards?"
"Sure thing, I'll come around once you two are done," he smiled again and walked off.
I turned my attention to Speck who eagerly sipped her water. She didn't look at me and I lightly sighed. Is she really going to get over all of this? The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I would. I felt I had to do something to wake us from this dread, to just run away from it all. Maybe we could go do something fun? Yeah, like to the zoo or an amusement park.
"How long until we get there?" Speck swung her legs, her shoes barely brushing my knees.
"Um-" I scrambled to think. "Two days? Maybe three?"
"Okay," she sipped loudly.
"We can stop somewhere fun along the way, if you want to."
"Really?" her eyes widened.
"Yeah, maybe the zoo or something," I smiled widely.
"Okay!" she beamed, and my heart swelled. She has gone through hell and back and still acts like any typical seven-year old. I leaned back in my seat, smiling as she excitedly thought it all over.
"Here you go," our plates set down between us and the wondrous smell of sausage sifted up to me. I swear I drooled a bit, up until Speck screamed.
I didn't even think. I quickly jabbed my elbow at the man and ducked at the last second. Speck shrieked and dove under the table as the man clawed in her direction. Growling, he turned towards me and began morphing. His skin stretching and sprouting thick, dog-like fur. He snapped at my face and I sent a fist to his muzzle. At his whine, I ducked under the table to join a horrified Speck. But just before I could tell her to run, the table exploded. Well, it broke in half from the Eraser wailing on it. I pulled Speck close to me to protect her as pieces of the table and food spilled onto us.
Peeling my eyes open, I felt my ankle grabbed and yanked, causing Speck to be torn from my grasp. "Speck!" I cried as he tossed me aside like a rag doll. My head collided with a table's corner and I saw stars. I crumpled and moaned, trying to blink away the blurriness. Speck continued shrieking, yelling, trying to fight him off. He easily pinned her arms against her sides with two hairy hands, trying to keep her still. She writhed and kicked, her eyes watering. He pinned her against the floor and brought up his hand, teeth bared and snarling, his eyes sinister with every intent to kill. NO!
I growled and lunged at the furry blob, jumping onto his back and wrapping my arms around his thick neck. I squeezed hard, causing him to drop Speck and turn his attention to me. He swiped at me and spun around, attempting to shake me off. He reached behind, not able to reach me as I continued to hold on. He clawed at my arms and gagged, but I refused to let go. I pulled my arms tighter, and tighter, blood streaking down my arms as he attempted to free himself. I was not going to let him get her. Not after everything. My blood boiled at every thought of what happened.
He began to whine but I didn't let go.
I won't let you get her!
I could hear the employees screaming and slamming doors and feet slapping as they sprinted away.
This is what you get for everything you've done!
Speck yelled at me to stop.
You deserve to die!
The Eraser continued to gag, Speck continued to scream.
You deserve to-
I was falling. I collided against the floor with my arms still latched onto the beast.
I blinked and my world came back to focus. Speck stood over us with her hands covering her mouth, hiding her scared expression. Splatters of syrup and clumps of bacon clung to her hair.
"I'm okay," I released my grip and instantly regretted it. My arms were bleeding profusely, and my skin was whiter than average. I couldn't feel my fingers as I shimmied out from under the Eraser and to a sitting position. Speck jumped over and threw her arms around me, sobbing. I rested my head against hers and numbly patted her back.
"You're okay, you're safe, we're fine," I assured her.
"I-I, he-he was g-going to k-kill m-me," she sobbed, her clothes covered in eggs and syrup.
"Shh, you're safe now, he's not going to hurt you anymore," I squeezed her to the best of my ability and glanced over at the guy. For some random Eraser to deliver us with food, I was actually glad this happened. What if he poisoned it? I looked him over, glad he was out for the count – but his chest wasn't moving. I stared, waiting for the rise and fall.
It didn't move.
I glanced at his face.
Nothing.
A deep chill ran through me as I slid out of Speck's hug and touched my fingers to his neck.
"Amber?"
I gulped and sat on my heels, not looking at her. I stared at the space between us.
He was dead.
I killed him.
What did I just do? He was dead. I just killed an Eraser. I killed him. I killed somebody. And here he was, laying in front of me, lifeless. Not breathing. Not moving. Not anything. He was dead. I lifted my scratched arms. I choked him. I choked him to death. Never had I killed somebody before, even the whitecoats I attacked in my early days. They survived and gave me hell for attacking them. But he was an Eraser. A bloodthirsty, killing machine. I feared them, and I just managed to kill one.
My blood boiled.
No, he was an Eraser. He worked for those sick, psycho freaks that threw me into a cage and turned me into a freakshow. He killed kids like me for fun. He killed Leon. He almost killed me. He almost killed Speck of all people. I wasn't going to let that happen, and if killing him was my only option, I was fine with that.
But having the blood on my hands, literally, scared me.
"Amber- we have to go," Speck's voice reached me. I looked at her and heard sirens in the distance. We turned our attention to the windows and saw red and blue lights speeding towards us. I shakily nodded and stood, my legs wobbly. Speck caught me.
"We'll have to go through the back-" I grabbed my food stained bag and tossed Speck hers. She pulled it on and nodded. "We'll have to run, but then up and away, alright?" I killed him.
"Right," she jogged towards the kitchens and I followed her. I glanced back at the mass of Eraser lying there in debris and mess of food. His eyes blankly glared up at me. He's dead.
Once we opened the back door we took off running, Speck jumping into my arms so I could mad dash our way out of there. I tore through the forest, dodging tree roots left and right. I killed him.
We reached the edge of the forest that opened to a large field. No houses or people in sight. Perfect. I raced out and quickly took flight, my muscles stretching and aching every second. I had to fight through it. Up, down, there we go. I killed him.
I banked and dove back down to snatch Speck up into my arms. She held on and I pushed a hard downbeat of my wings to get higher. Speck hooked her bag to mine and tied herself close to my chest, her arms loosely wrapping around my neck. I killed him, I killed him.
I reached my maximum altitude and tried to keep my breathing steady. I felt an asthma-like attack happening but I tried to keep it down, taking deep breaths and staying on course. We were flying again, and I felt elated to be in the sky, but my insides were churning.
I killed him, I killed him, I killed him.
"So... San Diego?" Fang asked.
"San Diego!" the gang agreed.
Fang leaned back on his arms as everybody began gathering their things. At the thought of leaving to see whatever the Doomsday Group was up to made his stomach churn. What were they going to face? He glanced at Maya who was busy twirling her magenta strand.
"I know what you're thinking."
Fang blinked, wondering if she could actually read his mind.
"What about that Amber girl? You said to meet her somewhere in Wisconsin. We're all the way out here, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking this will be short and you and I will fly out there afterwards."
Her eyes widened, "You and me?"
"How else are we supposed to meet them?"
"I mean they could come here."
"And let them mess up our plan?"
She paused, "True."
"Then that's it then," he stood and stretched his wings. He was a bit eager to go for a late night flight again. His eyes glazed over Maya and she stood with him. "If we get a good lead, I'll tell them to head out here. If they fly, it should take them... a week?"
"Maybe," she crossed her arms, thinking of the amount of air time they could go through. But with a flightless-kid, and not knowing what else she meant with scales and tail, Fang had no idea what to expect. All he had was their faces. Plus, he could only learn so much from text on a screen.
Star and Kate giggled and Fang turned towards them hovering over his laptop. He walked over hoping he wasn't going to find something indecent on there-
"You what?" he gulped as they both continued giggling like squirrels high on acorns. His fingers quickly moved to stop the upload, but it was already done. The video popped up and likes and comments were already pouring in. Max wasn't going to like this.