Hey! I would like to give a shout out to JesusFreak. Thank you so much! I could not have done this without you! Well, enjoy this chapter! Not much Fax, but there's some intense violence.
Fang: Goddess of the Books owns nothing
Me: I didn't even have to ask that time! IT'S A MIRACLE! :D
Fang: Shut up
Me: -scowl- One step forwards and two steps back, we're not getting anywhere!
Fang: -smirk- Nope
Me: Never mind, warning, this chapter gets pretty intense and graphically violent. Enjoy!
Wanted, Preferably Alive
Max P.O.V.
"Max, Max, Max, Max!" There's someone whispering my name, right next to me, at some unholy time of morning… I don't like this wakeup call very much. "Wha-" That's as far as I get before someone slaps a hand over my mouth. That wakes me up; I sit up, and see Nudge.
"Shut up Max!" Her voice is a quiet hiss. "Our generous friends who let us borrow their house are home…" Oh crap, that's not good at all. I get out of bed quickly and quietly, and then hear some unpleasant words from downstairs. We need to leave, now!
"Where's Fang?" Thoughts of the previous nights kiss swirl through my head, but I push them away. Those are thoughts for another time, right now, we have to bolt. Nudge motions to the door, and we leave my room, heading towards his quickly. We open the door, and find him standing by the window. He opens it, and motions for us to follow him. It's like he was expecting us, how the heck does he do that?
He kicks the screen out and jumps, snapping out his wings and gliding down onto the grass in the back yard. Nudge jumps to, then I remember, the backpacks! We left them in our rooms! I grab Fang's, then as quietly as I can run into Nudge's room and grab hers. I run into my room, but I hear footsteps, they're coming up the stairs. I race into the room and grab the backpack. I run to the window, and hear the sound of a shotgun being cocked. Any noise a gun makes is scary when directed at you, but that particular sound is probably the worst.
"Turn around real slow stranger." I turn, terror and adrenaline beginning to pump its way through me. He's middle aged and about 5'10. He's got brown hair, dark blue eyes and a hairline that looks as though it's been receding for quite some time. I'd put him at about 55, give or take a few years. He's got a crooked nose, but his clothes and shoes are nice.
I see two young children behind him, a teenage boy and slightly younger teenage girl. A plump older woman with auburn hair shoes them away, herding them downstairs. "You're just a kid. What made you so desperate as to do this?" The words strike me as painfully true. What we're doing is wrong. But we can't let them take Iggy.
"My cousin was kidnapped. We have no food, and no money. We just needed a place to stay. Look around, we didn't steal anything except some food, clothing and hair dye. I just want to get my cousin back. Please sir, just let me leave." My voice sounds desperate; I really don't want to end up as a blood stain on the carpet. And I can't let Iggy down.
"We?" Oh crap, I gave away Fang and Nudge. Real smooth Max. "Yes, there are three of us, but the other two are outside, they left, but I came in here to grab our supplies." My voice is even, there isn't even a quiver of fear, and I'm darn proud of that, considering he's pointing a gun at me.
"Look here little missy, I'm sorry about your cousin, but breaking into other people's homes and stealing isn't the way to go. Why haven't you contacted the police?" I can see sympathy in his eyes; it's obvious he lost a loved one in a similar circumstance.
"Please sir, I can't explain everything, but I'm asking that you let me go so I can save him." My voice is firm, but inside I'm anything but. I'm terrified, what if he pulls that trigger? Then what? I guess it would pretty much be bye-bye Max! He lowers the gun.
"Miss, I'm letting you go. Go save your cousin and try not to get yourself killed. But there are other ways to get what you need." I nod, grateful that I didn't just die. I open the window and pop the screen out, then look back at him. "Thank you." I leap out into the night, unfurling my wings and soaring down onto the grass. I toss Nudge and Fang their backpacks.
"What took you so long?" I quickly explain what happened. "He let me go. Now, are we going to save Iggy or not?" They nod, and we leap into the air, gaining altitude and soaring through the air. I feel my new short hair whip against my face. It may be shorter, but it's no less annoying. Next time we stop, I'm getting some hair bows.
We fly for a long time, and end up somewhere in Arizona. We hit the nearest town, and land in the woods outside it. We make out way to a small park and sit down on a bench.
Its mid afternoon and we're starving, so food is our number one priority right now. Hey, a mutant bird kid's got to eat right? That's rhetorical; don't answer unless you want to be laughed at. We grab some food from our backpacks, and that's when we spot the Erasers. They almost look like normal guys until they morph into wolf freaks. Then it's kind of obvious that they aren't just average people.
We hastily stuff our food into our backpacks, while trying to look nonchalant. It doesn't work out well. The Erasers haven't spotted us yet. We head into the woods nearby, and run until we find a meadow. Its small, but we can take off from here. We hear a gunshot and we snap out our wings, adrenalin pumping through our veins.
We hear another and as we are about to leap into the sky, an Eraser leaps from the woods onto Nudge, who screams. I close my wings and kick it in the head. Erasers pour out of the woods, there are at least ten. I run towards the nearest one, then do a flying kick at that hits him square in the chest, and he drops.
I turn to my right, and see a familiar face. Ari. An Eraser stands between Ari and I, and he's fully morphed. He lunges at me, and a leap back. I punch him in the solar plexus and he doubles over.
For those of you who don't know what that is or how bad it hurts, have someone hit you slightly below your ribcage. But I'd recommend that you ask them not to hit you hard. It hurts like the devil when you get hit there and it knocks the air from your lungs.
The Eraser doubles over and I bring my knee up and hear a satisfying *crunch* as it connects with his face. He drops, and so do I as an Eraser hit's me from behind. I roll onto my back and roll up to my feet.
For all you people who are saying, 'why didn't she jump up like they do in the movies?' There's a reason you only see that stuff in movies you know. And if that isn't enough, then why don't you try it?
I punch hit him in the shoulder, but it's a glancing blow. He snarls and leaps at me, claws aiming for my face. I grab one arm and step out of the way, and he crashes into the ground, getting a face full of dirt and grass. I twist his arm behind him and push, hearing a pop and a whimper of pain. I just dislocated his shoulder, but I'm not done yet. I shove down on it and hear a snap and a cry of agony. I flip him oven and punch him in the jaw, then hear a cry of pain coming from Nudge.
I turn and see an Eraser holding her. I start towards her, but Fang gets there first. He punches the Eraser viciously in the mouth, and he instantly lets go of Nudge, who turns and kicks him where it hurts. That's my girl. The Eraser falls down, and I turn towards Ari.
He has a gun. He steps towards me. "Now Max, does it really have to be like this?" His voice isn't like the voice of the innocent little kid he used to be. No, it's the voice of a monster. He points the gun at me. Then turns and points it at Nudge.
"Max, come with me and no one gets hurt." Never! My mind screams, but he would shoot Nudge without a second thought, and I can't let him do that. Then Fang comes out of nowhere and hits Ari with a vicious uppercut to the jaw from his left side. Ari staggers and a grunt of pain escapes him.
Then he pulls the trigger, and I hear Nudge scream. Ari spits some blood onto the ground and turns towards Fang, an insane smile twisting his face. He points the gun at Fang and I run towards him, grabbing his arm and kneeing his elbow, breaking his arm. I look at Fang, and we run to Nudge.
She's lying on the ground, eyes closed tightly. Fang picks her up gently, and we see where the bullet hit her. It hit her shoulder and her wing. Oh no. She grits her teeth, trying hard not to cry. The bullet went clean through her, and there's no way she's going to be flying any time soon.
I hear laughter, and turn to see Ari standing, his arm dangling uselessly at his side. I run towards him and punch him in the face as hard as I can, and hear his nose break. He's on the ground, and I start hitting him. Blood trickles from his mouth, and Fang drags me off him. I scream curses at him.
I yell at him. I yell at him for Iggy, and for Nudge. I yell and scream and try to hurt him. It's his fault! He rescued us and now he's trying to take us back! I try to get away from Fang, it's not fair! Why can't they just leave us alone! No, instead they have to kidnap Iggy and SHOOT Nudge! I scream at the unfairness of it all, and tears blur my vision.
"Max, think about Nudge, we need to help her right now." Fang's right. I wipe my tears and push back my anger. I save both for when I need them, because right now is not a good time. Fang lets me go and we go get Nudge. He helps her up, because we can't carry her without it hurting her. We start walking back towards town, and right then it decides to rain. Perfect.
About fifteen minutes later we see a small house. It's all by itself, but near a school. We go towards it. I hate to admit it, but we can't help Nudge. I gather my courage and knock on the door. A woman opens the door. She has brown hair that reminds me vaguely of my own before I dyed it.
"Yes? How can I help you?" I take a deep breath, and start talking, knowing that I'll regret every word later. "My friend's been shot and we need help." Her eyes widen and she motions for us to come in. We cautiously enter and Nudge sits down on a couch.
"My name is Dr. Martinez. I might be able to help you, I'm a vet." Oh isn't that appropriate? Nudge looks at me, and I bite my lip, and then nod. "Dr. Martinez…" Nudge trails off. Dr. Martinez looks at Nudge, and her eyes widen even further as she opens her wings. Nudge cries out in pain as she extends her left wing, and there's an ugly hole in it.
"Oh my god!" Dr. Martinez rushes over to her, examining the wing. She looks at Nudge. "Sweetie, I'm going to take you to my lab. I can help you there." Nudge nods and stands up, closing her wings. She grabs some keys and we get into her car. She drives us to her lab and we get out. She opens the door, quickly explaining to us that she owns it. She gives Nudge a jacket to cover up the wound, saying that it would be hard to explain.
She takes us in and I run my fingers through my hair and wipe the blood off my face and arms. Dr. Martinez leads us through the building and into a plain white room in the back. She gently lays Nudge down on a plain metal table. Nudge looks frightened, this place is like the school. I nod encouragingly at her, and she takes a deep breath.
"Can you please wait outside?" Dr. Martinez looks at us seriously, and I find myself nodding. Fang and I step outside and sit down on a convenient little bench. I look up at him, and our eyes meet. A thousand thoughts go through my head, and I can tell that nearly as many are going through his head as well.
"Thank you." That's all I can say. "For what?" The only sign that he's confused is his voice. His dark eyes stare into mine. I take a deep breath.
"For not letting me lose myself back there. For being here. For helping Nudge. For helping me get Iggy back. For everything." I mean every word. I'm so grateful he's here. I couldn't do this without him. He half smiles.
"You really think that any of this would have happened without you? Without you, most of what we did wouldn't have worked or even happened. Max, I should be thanking you." His voice is quiet, but I hear every word crystal clear. Despite his words, I feel as though I've messed up.
I open my mouth to speak and he cuts me off with a brief kiss that makes my heart soar. I smile, I can't help it. I hear the door open just as I'm about to say something and I leap to my feet. Nudge is standing there, her shoulder heavily bandaged.
"Max, Fang, Dr. Martinez said that I'm not going to be flying for at least three weeks, and that's factoring in my rapid healing." She looks at the two of us, expression grim. Darn, that crashed my happy mood.
"But guess what? She said we can stay with her while I get better, and that she has a daughter our age named Ella! Can you believe it? We're going to have a home! It's temporary, but we're going to have a home! I'm so excited!" That's Nudge for you, grim and sad one second, and a live wire the next.
Dr. Martinez leaves the lab. "So I take it Nudge told you about my offer? So, will you stay with me while she gets better?" I nod. What else can I do? Our options are limited! Dr. Martinez smiles, and Nudge practically explodes with joy. She doesn't stop talking once as we ride home with Dr. Martinez. Well, she never stops talking anyways, so it's not a big change.
We get to her house and lucky for us, Dr. Martinez has two guest rooms. Nudge and I share one while Fang takes the other. I change into some clothes Dr. Martinez said I could use and lay down. I lay awake for about ten minutes, thinking. But then sleep claims me. It's a dreamless sleep, thank goodness.
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