FOUR MONTHS LATER

"You failed them Max! You failed everyone!" Fang screamed at me from far away. I was tied to a table with surgical equipment on a table nearby. I saw Fang walking toward me.

"Fang! Fang, no please don't. Please," I pleaded knowing it was pointless.

"You are only getting what you deserve, Max. You know it's all you're fault. The Flock is dead because of you," Fang whispered.

"Fang I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I said hysterically.

"Max, you know I love you, right. I'm trying to help you." Fang had a twisted smile on his face. He picked up a surgical knife and started to skin me alive.

I awoke screaming. I've had that same dream every night for the past four months, ever since that fateful day when Jeb shot down the Flock. I heard footsteps outside the door. Oh no, oh no! I must've woken him up. The door opened and in walked Fang.

"Hello, Max. I heard you screaming and decided to check up on you," he said with the same smile he had had in my dream. He walked forward and pushed back a curl of hair from my face. As he did, I felt metal graze the side of my face. I quickly looked up and saw brass knuckles on his hand. Oh crap! I thought. He wasn't lying about them.

Fang noticed me looking at the knuckles and asked, "Like 'em? I got them yesterday. They oughta show you real pain." And with that began punching me in the gut with them. You see, my dream wasn't that far off from how things had been ever since the night when Fang punched me and knocked me out. I had woken up in some old house chained to the wall. Then Fang had come in and started screaming at me for letting down the Flock. He had punched me in between words. After a half hour of pain he had suddenly stopped and walked away. He came in a few minutes later with old bread and lukewarm water. Seeing as I had grown up on the run and wasn't picky, I downed the food in about four seconds. And that was how it had been for the past few months. Fang would beat me and scream at me for failing the Flock and then he would feed me. I had many chances to escape, but I never took them. I deserved this. Fang was right about me. I had failed everybody. Back to the present, where Fang was beating me. I felt the brass knuckles connect with my chin, stomach, arms, everywhere. I had been beaten before, but never like this. I felt my life slowly start to leave me. Just as I was about to die, something crashed downstairs. Fang hesitated, glared at me like it was my fault, then stalked downstairs. I heard several crashes. Then I heard the fight slowly start to move upstairs. When Fang had gone downstairs, he had left the door open, so I saw who the attacker was. I felt my heart stop then speed up. The face was strained, beaten, and bloody, but there was no doubt who it was. It was the person who had saved me and then betrayed me. It was the person who had given me hope, then destroyed it. It was my father. It was Jeb. I felt time seem to slow down, as he rushed toward me leaving Fang on the ground, panting.

"Hello, Maximum," he said calmly, and then began to unchain me. I was so shocked that it took me a moment to react. I simply stared and stared. Then Jeb was suddenly punched in the back. Fang had recovered and was beating Jeb mercilessly. But Jeb barely even seemed to notice the attacks. It was a pretty even fight between Fang and Jeb. I would have jumped into the fray, but after being beaten for weeks, I was too tired. But then I noticed something. On the steps was a big gun. It looked like an Ak-47, not that I really knew what it was. I ran over to the steps, completely ignored by the two men who had ruined my life, and picked up the gun. I wasn't sure how to use it, but I had to try. I pulled the trigger, aiming the gun at one of the men. Nothing happened. I examined the gun, and then noticed a button that said safety. The gun was locked. I pressed the button and heard a click. I pointed the gun again, took aim, and fired. I saw the bullets fly through the air as though in slow motion. I saw the bullets hit their target, and heard a thump as the body hit the ground, already died. After the noise died away, I looked up and saw Fang lying dead, blood pooling around him in a small pond.