TRIGGER WARNING: Blood, mild gore, cursing
"That went well," Fang spat out some blood.
He and Maya were soaring back to where the rest of the gang was, a little winded from what they just went through.
"At least we got some names," Maya pointed out, her voice thick from her split lip. "And it's lucky we're headed to Colorado anyways."
Fang quietly agreed as he pumped his wings. When they reached the place, he couldn't bear to walk in. It reminded him so much of the School despite it being in ruins. Maya was the same, though her trauma wasn't as extensive as his. She took the lead as they tiptoed in to see a large group of DGers in the middle of what used to be the cafeteria. Their discussion was just that of the DGer's mantra, but something was different. They talked of a "second stage" which they didn't get the full details on but caught a few names and a place called Telluride before things got crazy. He still couldn't put his finger on how they spotted them, or how those kids jumped them from behind.
"We should call up Nino again, before they get on to us," Maya suggested, though her tone was more commanding. She paused before adding with a slight blush, "I mean, I think we should."
"Good idea," Fang assured her, relieving the tension. "We'll do that once we land."
The air sang in their ears for a moment before she asked, "Do you think we can help her? You know, after…" She glanced at him, "We already know who her brother is, so why even meet up? Why don't we just tell her and be on our way?"
Fang didn't respond or react, as he was deep in thought. Maya only echoed his own thoughts back at him, in which he still had no answer to. Why was he still going through with this? Did he do this because they were just more lost kids that needed people like them? Or was it because they reminded him of a life he once left behind? Every time he pictured her face from news reports, he could easily transpose Iggy's right onto hers. Their eyes, nose, hair and skin, they were identical to some degree. But what if it was all a farse, like when the flock exasperated their lives to find their parents? He shivered, remembering meeting up with Iggy's parents and how they wanted to expose him to the world. He wondered if Amber knew of them too, since they said nothing about a second kid.
On top of knowing so much, he also knew so little. How in the world was she still alive? The last few times he crossed kids with animal traits were months ago, maybe even a year ago. She mentioned having wings, a tail, and scales, and the look in her eyes of her picture screamed School damage. But she wasn't there when he was – if she was there, she wouldn't be living now. Not to mention Speck, who he had no information on, which made him more antsy about meeting them. Where did they come from, and why are they just now reaching out? What happened to make things align this way?
He finally shook his head, "Let's hear them out. They might know something we don't."
"But, will they stick with us?"
"Not sure," he glanced up at her, admiring her powerful wings. "We'll just have to see."
"Ratchet would strangle you if he heard that."
He smiled, "They all would."
They continued in silence until Fang spoke up again, "I think you and I should go there first, so they don't get spooked by the rest of the gang."
"Sounds like a plan," she smirked at him. "Leader."
His cheeks reddened as he tried to ignore her.
"We're here."
I somewhat-gracefully landed just on the edge of a cliff and leaned forward, hoping to avoid slipping off. I stopped a few feet inwards and unhooked Speck from my backpack straps. She moved her hands to copy me, and I felt her skin flakes brush onto my skin. I narrowed my eyes at her, and her face flushed. "You said you would be fine before we left – look at you!" I picked off a piece from her wrist and she shuffled away.
"I was! The air's too dry here," she defended herself.
"Well, we should find a lake or something then," I rolled my shoulders to take off my bag and relax my sore wings. My tail flicked as I listened for any unusual sounds. The worst I heard was a coyote some yards away, but I could fight it off if need be. I dug into my bag and shook out a small towel.
"Where?" she peered around. Despite my great eyesight, I also didn't see any major bodies of water except for a small stream lower on the ridge.
"There," I pointed and Speck peered over, responding with a scrunched up nose. "It's the only way to avoid you drying out. At least it's not a sewer puddle."
"I guess," she sighed, taking the towel from me.
We hiked towards the stream for about thirty minutes when I heard the screeching of a hawk. I froze in place and pulled her back into a hug. She gasped but I covered her mouth with my hand quickly. We cautiously glanced over the ridge to a sight that made my jaw drop. Hawks were everywhere. I could see nests on the top of rock pillars with a hawk or two perched nearby. Most of them were flying and banking along the ridge of the canyon below. Their wings were powerful, glinting off the sunlight when turning. It was kind of beautiful, until I eyed a nearby hawk who cocked its head towards me.
"Wha-"
I clamped my hand over her mouth again. "Shh- don't move."
The bird kept its gaze on me, more particularly Speck, as I tried to calm my racing heart. My stomach growled in protest, and a low cat-like hiss escaped from my lips. The hawk turned its body towards me and flared its wings, sending out a harsh scream in defense.
I gulped and tried to back away slowly, just as I heard another scream. I looked back, seeing a second bird, both flapping their wings in hopes I leave them alone. These were Harris's Hawks, one of the birds of prey that commonly lived in groups.
My heartbeat picked up, and I instantly thought of how hard those talons would hurt going through my skin, let alone Speck's. I didn't know I was gripping her shoulders until she put her hand on mine.
"Am, open your wings," she whispered.
I stared at her wild-eyed, "Are you crazy?"
"Just. Do it," she said through her teeth.
If she thought I would somehow influence them like I did with those cheetahs at the zoo, she was wrong. I was just going to aggravate them more. But she had a point. I slowly unfurled my right wing and all pairs of yellow eyes spun to stare at me. The ones that were flying came a stop and joined the others. I paused in the middle of opening my wing, but Speck's hand squeeze cheered me to continue. Once I extended all six-and-a-half feet of it, the hawks seemed to relax. A couple of them fell off the ledge and caught a thermal, while the others went back to tending to the nests.
My heart was racing at the acknowledgement and slowly pulled my wing back in. "I can't believe that worked…" I watched as the first one "ee-eed" at me before taking off too.
"Me either," Speck breathed, aweing at their speed.
"Wait- did you make me do that based off a hunch?"
She hesitantly shrugged and I made a mental note to smack her later. "Well, at least you won't get eaten," I added and she nearly shouted "hey" at me but refrained from making noise. "Come on, we're almost to the stream."
Thankfully it was only a few more minutes until we reached it, and one of the hawks was happily bathing there until we caught his eye. He "ee-eed" and fluttered off, causing Speck to giggle. She began stripping her clothes until she got to the essentials. "Here," I unscrewed my water bottle and gathered some water. "I know it's not a lot, but you should sit here until you're not crusty."
"Thanks," she poured it on her head and breathed out in relief. Despite it being so dry, it wasn't incredibly hot. I glanced up at the hawks as they soared over us. They must have been born this past spring, as some were still shedding their downy feathers. One young male kept berating a female, who flapped her tail feathers at him in reply. I softly chuckled as Speck sat in the stream and used my bottle to cover her skin.
"It's weird," I started, catching her attention. "When I saw those cheetahs, they were so scared of me. But here, I feel…" Included.
"I wish I had that," she mumbled, splashing half a bottle on her back.
"We can find some frogs if you want," I surveyed the ground. "But I think they only have toads here."
She stuck her tongue out at me and continued to freshen up. I smiled. It had only been a few days, but she was already coming around. I guess it woke her up so much she threw her fantasy out the window. As much as I was happy to have her feeling better, I knew she wouldn't give up. She would keep trudging along, wanting to be accepted in some way. I wanted that too, but I had other priorities.
"Where are we meeting them again?"
"Telluride. It's still a half-day away, but I thought we could get some food first," I continued watching the birds as she started drying off. "You okay with dumpster diving again?"
She glanced down at herself, "As long as I don't get too dirty, then I'm fine."
"Of course," I smiled as she pulled back on her clothes and dusting them off. "You ready?"
"Yup," she ringed out the towel to her best ability and tied it to her backpack to dry. We hooked our bags together, but before I could take off, she turned around with her back to me. I rose an eyebrow at her. "What? I want to see too." I adjusted the straps to be tighter and she hooked herself in. After a running start, I was in the air and we circled up and above to where the hawks were again. I saw an outcropping not too far off and made a mental note of its location.
"Hey, if anything happens," I pointed. "Let's meet up there, okay?"
She seemed a little bugged, since that would be a climb for her, but she grumbled an "Okay."
I continued to circle higher until I got a good view of our surroundings again, trying to find a town or village. A few hawks rose with me, banking and circling as well. They startled me for a second, which in turn startled them, but then we were all flying together in a loose formation. They searched the ground while I searched further.
"Hey, look at their wings move!"
I followed her finger to the hawks near us. When they banked, one wing moved just slightly faster than the other, creating a tight and smooth turn. I awed at their power radiating from their flight pattern. I tried to mimic it and almost lost my balance.
"Sorry!" I called to one who dipped out.
I bit my lip and tried again. It wasn't perfect, but I could practice. Though I felt wary, since I knew my wings weren't built the same as theirs. I didn't know of any hawks with red wings, so I doubted I would accomplish the technique.
Speck heard my sigh, "Don't worry, you'll get it."
"Maybe," I swerved away from them, finally spotting civilization. "Let's get food first before I pass out from flying."
"Sounds great!" she beamed as she threw her arms out in tandem with my wings. I couldn't help but smile back. She was such a trooper, even when I wasn't the perfect person she saw. I matched my arms with hers and she laughed.
We continued soaring until we hit the outskirts of the town. I cautiously landed in the forest nearby. Speck eagerly unstrapped herself as she saw one of her favorite restaurants. "Amber!" she waved her arms as she ran towards its dumpsters.
"Shh! You'll make us stand out!" I loudly whispered, jogging after her.
Once we stopped behind it, I made her crouch down while I scoped the area. The back door opened just slightly as cardboard boxes flew out and landed short of the bin. Speck narrowed her eyes as I crouched over and leaned against the door, my ear tuned to the other side. I didn't hear much so I waved at Speck to get started. I walked over to help as we dug out the freshest stuff on top.
"Ooh!" she handed me an untouched take-out meal before reaching again. "That's mine."
I chuckled and put my arms around her waist to steady her, "Remember, make sure it's sealed."
"I know- jackpot!" she handed me a fully wrapped burger with a rotten pickle on top. I gagged and quickly flicked it off. The burger was still pretty good aside from being a mistake in the kitchen. It astounded me how much these places threw out food. Good thing it was free, despite smelling like a dumpster.
"I think I see a-" she waved her hand but couldn't reach it. "Amber? Could you-"
"Oh, sorry," I lifted her a little more but as I did so, an unknown figure stepped around the corner of the building. Before I could react, something hard hit the back of my head and I crumpled to the ground.
Speck squealed as she tumbled into the bin, her momentum causing the top to slam shut as well. My vision blurred and hearing began to ring, but I could distinctly hear her muffled screams from the container. I tried to sit up but felt another whack against my shoulder blade, right where my wing connected. I shouted out, the pain reverberating throughout my wing, causing the muscles to stiffen. I blinked, trying to see through the blur to fight back.
"Stay down." Another hit to my back, at the base of my spine this time. My whole body shivered, and I fell face first to the gravel. Bits of pebbles clung to my skin as I tried to make sense of everything. My head was pounding, I could barely move, and I was jumped. But who-
"Stay still you little freak." I heard a gun click and my head swiveled around. Everything was still blotchy, but once I rolled onto my side to look up at my attacker my heart stopped.
With the barrel baring down at me ready to fire, Jacob stood with the most menacing look in his eyes. Behind one eye I could see a translucent gear, rotating like it was working inside a clock. Like it was inside a machine. No. No way.
"Bye bye."
He pulled the trigger and I flinched as it ricocheted off the ground next to my ear. I screamed in unison as a high-pitched ringing replaced my hearing. He laughed and placed a heavy boot on my thigh, keeping me from moving.
"Finally caught up to ya," he grinned, showing off his canine teeth. His voice was faint, but I could hear him with my good ear. He readied his gun again and I braced myself, turning my body away as much as I could. I closed my eyes, ready for the gunshot, but instead he cracked up again as I cowered underneath his weight.
"Aw, the wittle froggy is all smewwy," another familiar voice sang.
"Ah! Let me go!" Speck shrieked.
I strained my head to see Speck getting dragged out by her ankle and slamming to the ground. My heart picked up and I squirmed, only to feel the ridges of Jacob's boot dig into my skin. Speck seethed from the hit, only to have a long gun point to the back of her head. I froze, knowing full well any movement of mine meant she would- I blinked away the thought. Her eyes searched mine as I analyzed her attacker.
"Great work Raiden," Jacob praised, and Speck's expression changed to utter fear.
"Do we have to kill them?" Raiden poked the end of his gun to Speck's neck.
I growled, and he glanced at me. His eyes bore into mine before turning them back onto Speck. That same gear sat behind his left eye. That's right. He's an Eraser too. "This promotion is great and all, but this was way too easy. We should have some fun with them," the young wolf flashed his fangs.
Speck and I exchanged worried glances, though my eyes were filled more with determination to kill. Seeing Speck unable to move for fear of immediate death made me want to rip out his throat. I hissed at Raiden whose smirk made my blood boil.
"Why not? Excers are never paid enough anyways." Jacob said in that signature tone I initially fell for. I gulped and tried to focus on a plan to escape. But how? They had guns. And I could barely move my wings, let alone my leg that was about to break. I looked at Speck who had large tears in her eyes. I mouthed, "Don't worry," though I had no plan in mind. The only idea I had was crazy and didn't guarantee a good outcome. But our lives were on the line; Speck's life was on the line.
"I'll start," Raiden slid a knife out of his pocket and leaned towards Speck. Before he could react though, she rolled onto her back and swung her heel into his ankle. "God-" he shouted, nearly keeling over. She jumped up to kick him in the stomach, but he quickly snatched her leg and twisted it. She cried out and fell to the ground once more, and Raiden pinned her. I shouted as he pushed his forearm against her neck to keep her still while his other hand reached for the knife. She flinched as he pointed it against her cheek, against a scale, and poking some blood out. "Damn, you're good. But not good enough," he wickedly grinned.
"You!" I turned my body, allowing more pain onto my leg. I ignored it. "You let her go!" I snarled, but Jacob didn't let me move.
"A-Amber," she cringed, water filling her eyes as he began tracing a long red mark across her cheek to her nose.
"Stop it!" I shrieked.
"Let them be, Ams," Jacob stated. He grabbed my chin, pulling my face to him. I then realized he wasn't Jacob at all. His skin was colder, and the color in his eyes was different. They were more neon, and I swear his grip wasn't this strong even when I found out he was an Eraser. I gritted my teeth. Why isn't he dead?
"We finally have some alone time, huh?" his voice came on a little thick, and my heart ached as the memory flashed before me. It was brief, but I remember him using the same tone back in my old, fake life. He used it to swoon me and make me trust him wholeheartedly. He would then pick me up, hold me close, and kiss me.
I spat in his face.
"Ams, Ams, Ams," his eyes fell. "You really shouldn't have done that."
A loud crack resounded, and a scream escaped from me. The pain didn't settle in until he moved to my other ankle, his weight ready to crush it as well. He gripped my face to look at his, which was painted with the desire to break me piece by piece. Speck screamed too, but it was quickly muffled, and I couldn't move to help her. I squirmed, trying to escape to save her, but his grip tightened as he prepared to break my other ankle, rendering me unable to walk. I had no other choice. I had to do it, for Speck!
"Try that again," he growled, and I hissed in response. He chuckled and creepily brushed my cheek with his thumb. "I can't wait to break you- agh!"
My teeth dug hard into his neck and he quickly let go of me. I didn't. I kept my jaw clenched as he leapt up and tried to pull me off him. I dug in my nails and kept my jaw tight, feeling it lock into place as I closed my eyes. Well great. He roared as he punched my head, over and over again, but it was useless. Even if I wanted to let go, my jaw was locked, and I couldn't move it.
Blood spilled into my mouth as he jostled around, trying to swing me off and Raiden shouting at him to calm down. Instead, fur sprouted from his neck, and I felt long claws rake into me as he morphed into full Eraser-mode. He continued to punch me; my vision blurrier at each blow. But the more I tasted blood, the more I realized he was slowing down. Raiden shouted again, and I couldn't hear Speck. My heart skipped a beat. Where is she?
I opened my eyes to see red and a flurry of long strands of fur. My body spun around as Jacob kept trying to pull me off him. I felt a hand on my bad ankle and grunted as Raiden unsuccessfully tried to yank me off. The more he pulled, the more flesh peeled back, and more blood poured from Jacob's neck. It tasted horrible, like he was rotting away on the inside.
I was close to taking off a large chunk of skin when the grip on my ankles stopped just after I heard a whistling whack. Jacob fell to a knee and I landed hard. He howled, though kept trying to pry me off him despite the massive blood loss. I could feel it sinking into my clothes, warm and smelling horrendous. I heard another whack and Jacob toppled to the side while I fell backwards, a large piece of flesh still between my teeth. Retching, I pulled it out and proceeded to puke the rest onto the ground. My jaw was still locked; my mouth partially open as blood blended with vomit.
After I finished, I coughed and looked up to see Speck standing with a bent tire iron in hand. Her pants were ripped, and blood scratched across her face, but she was alive. I could already see bruises forming on her neck, too. Her chest rose as she surveyed the damage along with me. Raiden was out cold, blood dripping from the back of his head, and Jacob lay there in his own scarlet pool. Honestly, it looked like a scene from a horror movie. The dumpster was dented from what I assumed was my body, as the pain was finally registering, and spots of blood splattered the building's door and outside walls. A red handprint marked the side of the dumpster, matching the size of Speck's hand.
"What-," I coughed out, trying to expel the acidic taste. "What did you do?"
"I think I knocked them out," her voice was hoarse as she shakily bent over Raiden and checked his pulse. "But I'm not sure…" Her eyes trailed over to Jacob, who's irregular breathing reached my ear quickly. The other was still ringing, but I disregarded it and shakily stood to walk over.
He was still alive, barely, and he was still in his wolf form. My jaw tensed, as I couldn't dare to swallow my fear. I remembered when I first saw him like this, when they set me up for that test against the other Erasers. Among the other psychotic wolves, he was the alpha and had the distinguishing looks that fit the job. His toned body was still the same, and his jet-black fur mimicked his hair, but now it was matted with blood and he couldn't stand. Was… was he…
"You little shit," he haggardly breathed. My stomach wrenched as I looked down at him. I had to ignore the grotesque wound I inflicted on him, otherwise I was going to barf again. Speck turned away, covering her mouth. How the hell was he still alive?
"Jacob," I started, though I had no idea what to say. He manipulated me, and I wanted to rag on him for it, but what was the point? He did that for the sake of his job; he told me. He did everything for ITex, from kidnapping me to putting me through tortuous tests…
"Why?" I managed to spit out, as my jaw began to ache.
He chuckled, though it sounded more like a gurgle in his state, "You know why."
"For ITex, I know, but why them?" I tried to talk normally, but I sounded like I had a large jawbreaker in my mouth.
"Why should I tell you?" he coughed out red, then grinned.
"Because- ah!" my jaw popped, pain resonating through my skull as it settled back to its normal position. I tried to stay on topic, "Because I deserve to know."
"You deserve nothing," he growled. "You're nothing. You deserve to die."
I swallowed, regretting it as the taste still lingered, "And you?"
"I will kill you," he gurgled again, blood splattered out of his mouth.
I briefly closed my eyes, "No, you won't." I stole a glance at his neck, taking note of the torn artery and convincing my stomach to stay calm. Deep in there, though, I saw what looked like wires and other electronic parts. I broke through those too, since they lightly sparked. That was how they kept him alive this long. He was set up to kill more but had to go through the tests and get prodded just like me until he was perfect. How could he face that? How could he subject himself to that kind of bodily torture?
But I couldn't ask him anymore questions, since his chest stopped heaving and the blood started to slow down. The gear behind his eye wasn't turning, and I knew it was over. He was dead.
My body felt numb and rigid at the same time, though my heart raced as I stared into his lifeless eyes. Jacob, the guy who I thought I loved, lay lifeless beneath me by my own hands. I killed him. The anxiety hit me like a wave again, just like the first Eraser I ended. I killed him.
But this time it was different. I managed to blink away the blurriness and turn my head slightly at my second kill. The first time was by accident, and this time… Was it by accident? The aftermath screamed no, and it painted me as a serial killer. But I wasn't a killer. I'm not a killer. Right?
No, I did kill him. And I wanted to.
"Amber…" Speck grabbed my arm as two workers peered around the back door to see the bloodshed. The girl shrieked and the boy went white, taking it all in. Their eyes settled on me and they collectively screamed and slammed the door shut. I blinked again and looked down.
My entire front was splattered with blood, and while I must have looked like Carrie, I was more worried about getting the blood out of my clothes. This was the shirt mom gave me. The thought made me smile just slightly which made Speck retreat a little. I think I was still in shock at what happened; I could barely move a muscle but could hear perfectly, despite the low ringing in the one ear. I could hear Speck tugging on me that we needed to leave. I could hear distant sirens. I could hear people mingling towards the gunshots they heard. I could hear the two employees freaking out behind the door. I could see fine as well, aside from the fuzzy edges, and glanced at Speck whose neck was now the color of a blueberry. Her brown eyes widened at me; her voice now gone from attempting to speak.
I didn't know I nodded, or if my feet moved at all, but we eventually found ourselves deep in the thin trees of the mountains yet again. We kept going, further and further away until I could feel the burning in my legs, and the pain in my ankle. I forgot about it being broken, and knew it was even worse now. Not to mention my sore wing, it ached from where it connected with my shoulder.
We finally reached the outcropping from earlier and I limped forward, following Speck as she looked around. She caught sight of something, and I numbly followed, and we ended up in a small cave in the side of the mountain. She leaned against the wall of the cave and slid down to a sitting position while I tumbled forward to the dirt. I didn't dare to move; every fiber in my body burned. I wanted it to stop, all the pain I felt, but it lingered and soaked in. It was so much that it eventually drowned out the intrusive thoughts and words in my head.
I killed him.
He deserved it.
You're a killer.
He had to die.
I'm a killer.
Each thought attempted to puncture through, but the throbbing kept it at bay enough to allow me to sleep and sleep I did.