Chapter Five

We flew straight on for two days and a night. At the end of the second day, I ordered everyone to land. All of us were exhausted. Iggy and I were flying slower and lower than ever. Angel, Gasman, and Nudge hardly said a word while we went on, which was shocking.

Plus, Fang was worrying me. He would wake up every once in a while, muttering something incoherently and then pass out again. I had Angel keep prodding him in his thoughts, making sure he didn't go into a coma or something. I didn't ask her what he was saying back, but tears came to her eyes every time she did speak to him.

We landed in a small city that had a hotel with a grocery store right across the street. Iggy and I placed Fang down on the ground carefully as the others landed around us. I knelt down next to Fang and tapped his bruised cheek lightly.

"Fang, wake up," I said.

He didn't move. Angel went into his mind again and concentrated for a moment. Fang opened his good eye slowly, looking around at all of us hovering over him. He sat up slowly and stiffened for a moment. I knew he felt pain again, but he wasn't about to show it on his face.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"About two days," I answered.

He shot an angry look at me. "You guys went that long without stopping?"

"It was our idea," Gazzy cut in. "One of the few times we didn't listen to what Max had to say."

"We wanted to make sure we got you to Dr. Martinez's faster," Nudge said. "We're fine. We'll be there in another couple of days."

"Fang, listen," I muttered, regretting what I had to say. I dug through his pack and found his jacket. I pulled it out and looked at him again. "We're going to go to a hotel for the night, so we have to, um . . . we have to tuck your wing in. We can put your jacket over it, but we need to . . ."

He nodded, understanding what I was saying. He stood up and went to hold on to Iggy's arms. I went behind him and got ready. He nodded at me, closing his eyes. I pressed his broken wing against his body. He cried out in pain this time. I was on the brink of crying, too, feeling all of the broken bones and feathers. I saw tears in his eyes as he put his coat on. I had to hold his wing in place and tuck it into his coat. When Fang let go of Iggy's arms, he swayed slightly, as if he was going to pass out again.

I put a hand on his back lightly. He straightened up again and cleared his throat. We all walked together toward the hotel quietly. Angel took Fang's hand, squeezing it lightly. Fang was never one to take to touching much (with the exception of me, but that's beside the point), but he squeezed Angel's hand back and smiled at her, or at least the best he could. Only one side of his lips was lifting up.

We made it to the hotel lobby. We walked up together to the desk. The clerk gave us in the weirdest looks in the world, probably because Fang and I were both pretty beaten up and all of us were dirty. I smiled at him and asked for a single room with two beds. I knew everyone wanted to stay in the same room to make sure Fang was okay. I paid with my cash card and received the room key cards.

I offered a room key card and my cash card to Iggy. "I want you guys to go to the grocery store across the street," I explained. "Grab whatever you guys want to. Fang and I will go up to the room so he can rest. Make sure you guys all stay together, got it?"

They all agreed and went off. Fang and I slowly went up to the room. I had all of our packs, so I tossed them in the corner of the room while Fang was slowly trying to pull his coat away. I came over and helped him. For once, he didn't argue. He leaned against me as I pulled him over to one of the beds. He plopped down on it immediately, laying on his stomach.

I walked over to the bathroom, found a washcloth, and wet it with warm water. When I came back to sit down on the floor beside the bed, I saw tears falling down Fang's face, over his nose and down on to the comforter he was laying on top of.

"Oh, Fang, I'm so sorry," I said quietly as I began to wipe away all of the dirt and dried blood from his face.

"You need to quit saying that," he answered. "It's not your fault."

"It should have been me, damn you. I thought you were dead. I could never live with myself if you did, Fang, do you realize that? It would've been my fault you were dead. I should've handled them. I could have taken them on my own."

"You didn't know they were back, Max. None of us did. Besides, they were a lot faster and stronger. Plus, that one in front of you came out of nowhere. I just got pissed off and went for him. It was the Eraser's fault, plain and simple."

"But—"

"Max." His dark eyes stared at me seriously. "It was their fault, not yours. Don't you ever think it was. If anything, I would want you to feel grateful for what I did for you."

That got me mad. "What!? What you did!? If anything, I should beat you up for what you did! You almost got yourself killed because of me!"

He smiled lazily as I finished cleaning his face. "You know, you're cute even when you're mad. And don't say you're not cute. You aren't allowed to argue."

I shook my head, blushing despite myself. I hated when he managed to make me turn red. I wanted to slap him, but knew better to. I moved down to his wing. Very carefully, I cleaned and straightened out his feathers. It took me about ten minutes. I looked up once I finished and saw his eyes closed. I kissed his forehead lightly before I stood up.

I walked back to the bathroom and placed the washcloth on the towel rack. I looked into a mirror and grimaced. There was a reason why I didn't carry one with me on a regular basis. Thin lines of dried blood were randomly across my face, probably from falling through the trees. There was a bruise on my temple, no idea where that came from. My face was covered in dirt and grime, aside from two thin tracks from my eyes where my tears ran. I thought I saw some bug guts or something on my cheek. Gross, how did I not feel that?

I scrubbed my face thoroughly and towel-dried it. After a moment of studying my tired eyes, I stepped out of the bathroom to get a clear view of Fang. His arm and broken wing hung over the side of the bed, his back was raising and falling slowly. I leaned against the doorway and watched him sleep for a while.

How is he holding up? Jeb asked in my head.

Beat up. Where have you been?

Busy trying to figure out what's going on. I think you noticed the Erasers' differences.

Yeah, I did. What happened? I thought Itex was finished.

So did I.

That wasn't very reassuring at all. So, who made them?

No idea. Oh, even better. But it looks like they definitely improved them. They can match your super speed, they're so quiet even Iggy couldn't hear them on a clear day, they also have mind blocks so Angel can't control them.

What about when that one appeared in front of me out of nowhere? He literally came from thin air.

Invisibility chips in their skin. All they have to do is think of being invisible and they disappear. Not all of them have it yet, but some of the more advanced Erasers have them.

So basically, we're fighting something that's impossible to beat.

Not impossible, just . . . very difficult.

That's even better. Jeb, I need to ask you something.

Go ahead.

I sighed out loud. Fang moved slightly, his eyebrows furrowing and then slowly relaxing again. I think moving at all hurt him.

Is . . . Is Ari really dead?

Jeb's voice didn't come back. I waited a couple of minutes and sighed again. Of course, he would never answer when the answer actually mattered! Typical! I sat down next to the bed beside Fang. I stared off into space, the dream still playing through my head. He had to be dead. I watched him die, I was right next to him. He had to be dead. There was no way around it. Besides, even if he was alive, there was no way he would go back to being bad . . . would he?

I snapped back from my thoughts when I saw a hand slowly waving in my field of vision. I jumped despite myself and looked over to see Fang laughing quietly. He smiled on the one side again. Apparently, he had been watching me for a while.

"You okay?" he asked. "You looked a little gone for a while."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered.

"Liar."

"I'm fine compared to you, Fang."

He took my hand and weaved his fingers with mine. "Well, you know what's hurting me. Tell me what's hurting you."

"Nothing."

He tugged my hand gently, coaxing me toward him. He lifted his head up and kissed me softly. I put a hand in his hair. I had an obsession with doing that. I just liked the feel of his hair. He put his hand on the back of my neck and adjusted slightly. He broke away from me instantly, hissing from the pain. I went from pseudo-girlfriend to concerned mother in a nano-second.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry!"

He laughed, pulling me back to him as I tried to move away. "You're the best thing I've felt in three days, if anything."

I smiled and went to kiss him again. Before I even met his lips, the door swung open and Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel all came in, chatting excitedly about their spoils from their journey across the street. They dumped the bags on the other bed and Iggy immediately started to make sandwiches for everyone. Gasman and Nudge were arguing about getting the first shower.

Angel walked over and offered Fang a bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of water. "It should help a little bit," she said. "Just don't take too many at once or too close together."

"Thanks, Angel," Fang said. He took four right away, drinking some water to follow them. He downed the bottle in record time.

While Gasman and Nudge were still arguing about the shower situation, Angel walked by them quietly, slipped into the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. Fang saw it, too. The two of us laughed as Iggy did, too. He must have heard her, despite all of the arguing. It took Nudge and Gasman a second to realize why we older ones were laughing. They immediately went to the door to start yelling at her. She simply turned on the shower to tune them out. That made all of us laugh harder. Soon, Nudge and Gazzy joined us in laughing, knowing she had them beat.

After all of us had full stomachs and clean bodies, even Fang who was determined to get cleaned up, we all claimed spots. Nudge and Angel got the extra bed while Iggy and Gazzy took the floor. I laid down next to Fang, but didn't huddle next to him, afraid I would hurt him again. Fang reached over and held my hand lightly, smiling at me.

I scooted over just enough to kiss his lips. He smiled again and began to doze off. I moved as close to him as I could without touching him. I watched him sleep for a few minutes before feeling my eyes droop and close. I was just glad to be here for now. But I knew in the morning, we would be going back out. Hopefully to get Fang better, but I felt that something worse was coming. It was just a matter of time.

A/N: Thanks to those of you that have been reviewing for me, it's greatly appreciate it. But, come on, guys, just drop a line if you like it! It makes me feel loved and like someone actually cares that I write these things! You can go ahead and review, it won't hurt, I promise! ;) More comin' up later, guys, but we'll have to see how many reviews I get before I decide ... Please and thank you!