Chapter 17

Haven't updated for a while and may not update for another while, but i've been bitten by the bug again so this may be the beginning of the end for my writing of this story. I intend for it to go out with a bang. Stay tuned! Please review, i need some feedback before i write more as i've gotten quite rusty it's been so long. Anywho, enjoy!

Nudge and The Gasman looked tiny behind the towering might of the eraser who stood at their door. Max leapt up, ready to fight, to scream, do anything if it would stop that thing hurting her family. She could only just stop herself when she heard a soft voice behind her.

"No" It was Fang, she turned to see he had stood up and nodded his head towards Sam. He was smiling at the eraser, actually smiling.

"Are ya sure?" Max looked quizzically at Sam, who, apparently using most of his energy, nodded.

"…I'm Jake" Said the eraser, his giant appearance melted away when Max heard the genuine fear and apprehension in his voice.

"I can help you, get you out. But only if she… it doesn't come back" Jake looked quickly around, twitching. Max thought this had to be the saddest thing she'd ever seen.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Angel?"

The eraser sniggered. "That's her name? Surely fallen Angel would be better? No? After all isn't that what the devil is? Evil. She… the things she does, the power."

He was beginning to ramble.

"Jake? We get it, okay. What's your plan?" Max heard him whisper to himself even as she spoke, ranting about that "Devil" which apparently was now a new name for a member of her family.

"We have to stop him. Jeb must be stopped, he's making a new Institute and he will have the little one control his creatures. She made me kill for him, even erasers aren't that ruthless. It feels like your brain's going to explode every time and drives you mad. Angel has the power, she could turn every creation into something lethal. I think she'd beginning to turn against Jeb." Jake looked at Sam, who was trying to stand up.

"I know you. The woods?" he asked

"Yeh" whispered Sam. "A little help here"

The eraser entered the cell and picked Sam up gently by one arm.

"You okay man?" This concern in an eraser stunned Max, Fang, Gazzy and Nudge into absolute silence. Yes, even Nudge.

"Why are you not stupid?" asked Max. Jake looked at her, a little offended.

"Sorry" Max stuttered, embarrassed. "It's just that every other eraser we've met has wanted to eat us or generally hurt us. One-track mind, ya know?"

"I'm a fairly new eraser, he's making us more and more intelligent. He just doesn't count on us being able to think for ourselves I guess."replied Jake.

"So… you care about who you kill?" Asked Max.

Jake replied, a little stunned. "I don't kill unless SHE makes me, or I have to eat. But hey, then there's always take-out" He grinned, showing his white fangs. A cough interrupted them.

"Call me irrational but shouldn't we get out of here, before we all get killed?" This was the familiar sarcasm they had come to associate with Fang. But he was right.

"Let's go" said Sam, growing stronger.

Jake picked him up and led them out of the room. Tania staying close to Sam, mewing quietly. The group together looked, for want of a better word odd. First there was the towering wolf-man, with paws like dustbin lids and ferocious teeth. Then there were the human beings who of course, had wings. Then there was Sam, something the same yet entirely different to them, his wings were different and it seemed unnatural that he didn't look gloriously strong. Sam's wings began to brighten. They passed through a door into what seemed to be an abandoned room. Sam dreaded to think what might be lying in the few cages that were scattered around the huge, eerily bare room. He supposed they were experiments who'd outrun their usefulness and had been casually abandoned. Sam wasn't given much time to think about the horrors of the room however as he felt a tap on his shoulder and a familiar voice utter two, much less welcoming words.

"They're here." Said Iggy.