Fang's POV
I leaned up against a tree and closed my eyes. My legs slid out underneath me and I found myself on the ground. Max came and sat down next to me. I couldn't see her, but her body radiated enough heat that I could tell. "Hey," she whispered. "This sucks like Hell." It was more of a question than a statement, but I wasn't sure if she meant it to be. "Yeah," I said quietly, swallowing the tears that threatened. Max nodded and just sat there. My head ached with a question that had been bothering me the whole time. It throbbed against my skull until I ouldn't take it anymore. "Why?" I said quietly. I could tell she hadn't heard me, she leaned in closer, looking confused. "I said, WHY?" I practically shouted, getting to my feet. The rest of the flock looked up. "Why do you guys," I waved my arms in the direction of the flock, "Why do we always make it out okay? We always seem to make it, don't we?" Max's face went from confusion to anger. "What?" she said softly while exhaling. "What is wrong with that?" I clenched my hands in fists at my side. "Why are you so capable of leading a flock? Huh? Why not me? How come I couldn't take care of mine? You lead us inot so much danger, but then you miraculously get us out! God knows how!" The hurt on her face made me want to lean down and apologize, but I kept going for some damned reason. "I let my flock have some peace, and they all get killed! For no reason at all! Just because! And then, we are okay!" I screamed. I don't know why my frustration chose now to let itself out, but there was no way on earth it was stopping. "You're just too perfect! everything good happens to you and people around you! It isn't fair!" I cried, glaring at her. now it was her turn to stand up, and boy, was she angry.
"Do you think I wanted to be like this?" she yelled back. "Do you think I am happy with this?" She shoved my shoulders. "You know what, I can't take this shit from you right now." I knew what was coming next. "Leave," she said, calm as I ever saw her. "JJUST LEAVE!" she screamed. I turned and ran off.
Dylan's POV
Perfect, I thought, perfect perfect perfect. I practically danced in the air. Now, I could see, Max was vunerable, being upset and not having Fang around. No Fang. Ha ha. I could just go down there right now, scoop her up, and we'd fly off together, no protests or broken bones...or broken hearts. But no, I had made my mind up. I had promised the boys a fight and couldn't just tell them to go home. They were itching for a good fight. It was just going to be easier than I planned. I fly back to the city, a huge grin on my face.
"We leave now, and we'll arrive at about sunset," I declared from my place on the parking garage. The boys, ranging from ten to fifty-two. I had asked. They all carried weapons. Chains, bricks, knives, fire, anything they could get their hands on. I found them the day I found Mace, dead.
I woke up from my usual place on the garage floor, next to the big metal-cutter, and saw him sitting stilly in his chair. This, I knew, wasn't at all like him. He was up before dawn, cooking/burning sausage or something for breakfast. I slowly got up and walked to him. His eyes were shut and he didn't move. I waved a hand in front of his face, then held it over his mouth, his nose. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just to confirm it for myself, I called his name. He always responded to his name. It was the only thing he believed was truly his. I said it again, barely a whisper. I pretended he was sleeping in today. I had to wake him up. God knows I couldn't make a fire. I called his name, louder, louder, and louder yet. I shook his shoulders and screamed his name. "Mace! Wake up Mace! C'mon, man! You gotta wake up!" I was nearly sobbing by now. I thought I saw his eyelids flutter. Leaning in closer and holding my breath, I willed it to happen again. Then I realized the illusion came from the light of a flashlight.
"Aw, man. The little bro's all torn up, man," a man said to the guy next to him. I, for some reason, found myself sobbing in his shoulder. I stopped the moment I realized it. "Who-who are you?" I asked. "Name's Dejion, bro. This brotha here is Anto. What chu cryin' about, man?" he asked, gripping my shoulders. "Mace died," I said. This seemed to surprise both Dejion and Anto. I later found out Dejion was Mace's son, Anto was Dejion's best friend. We all sat in stunned silence. It was broken by a sob from Dejion. "We...we got to tell all the guys, man. They gots to know. C'mon, man." Dejion got up and Anto, stone-faced, followed. "C'mon, little bro. You can come with us, man." I nodded and followed, going back to take Mace's fancy-handled knife from his pocket. "Thanks, man," I whispered to him, swallowing and catching up with Dejion and Anto.
Dejion took me to this large sort of gathering. The remaining members of the city, about forty, mostly African American, had their own little city inside an old gym. They called themselves "The Brothers", though some were women. He asked me to tell them what had happened. I opened my mouth, then all my anger rushed out. I combined the story of Max and Mace and everyone else, blending it all together, leaving out the bird-kid part again. Apparently, it seemed to them, in my jumbled story, that Max and the flock had been responsible for Mace's death. I realized I had just hit gold when they all banded together, the angry mob of men, and asked me to take them to the Flock. Mace was well liked. Everyone, it seemed, was angry about his death. That is how I can upon my army.
Now I stood before them, explaining what was going to happen. I didn't want them to hurt the rest off the Flock, just keep them away and distracted while I did my part. But, as I made clear, it was perfectly okay if they accidently injured one of the kids. They nodded and grunted in agreement. Dejion and Anto, now my right-hand men, gathered them all up and we began to walk to the Flock. Which would soon be down one member.
Fang's POV
I had messed up so bad. So, so bad. And I knew it. I knew I could never go back and face her again. God, I had just been so angry! I didn't really mean it. Well, maybe just a little, but I didn't want to mean it. Max was right, she didn't need my shit. I was running farther and farther away, not bothering to fly because I wanted to wear myself out so I would die sooner.
I stopped and turned around only when I heard a scream. Max.
Dylan's POV
I had her! I had her! It had been that easy, with the anger of the crowd coming down on the Flock like that. All of them were so bust fighting, even if they had noticed, couldn't do anything about it. I grinned at a kicking Max, who I made sure Dejion beat up pretty badly. I couldn't let her escape now. I flew off into the sun, smiling like an idiot. I'd let the mob finish the Flock. What did I care anyway.
Max's POV
This sucked so bad. My whole life did, it seemed, at the moment. We had been resting, and in my case, crying my ass off, when suddenly, there they were. Just like the Erasers. I thought it was for a second, then realzed it was too many. Way, way, way to freaking many. "GO!" I had screamed, not sure if I meant "Go fight!" or "Go! Run the hell out of here!" Whatever I meant, we ended up fighting. Or sort of. We had been surrounded, nowhere to go. They could have smashed us like bugs if they wanted too, all these angry, angry faces. But they didn't. The rest of the Flock was just circled around by like, five-ish guys each. I was watching, wondering why the same thing hadn't happened to me. Then a guy jumped onto my back, tumbling us both to wht ground, choking me with a chain. I tried to pry him off, but I had been on my stomach, his knees between my shoulder blades and a chain around my neck. He punched me and beat me, everytime he came in contact with me, he screamed, "Fo' you, Mace! Fo' you!" I was in so much pain, I didn't care to think about who he was talking about. Hm, I wonder just who this man who is choking me and beating the crap out of me is speaking of? Maybe his beloved cat? No, that would have been rediculous. A moment later, I had blacked out.
Now, I found myself in Dylan's arms, a terrible tasting cloth tied in my mouth. I stuggled the best I could, but I was too weak and too tied up. I saw him grin, the blacked out again. Good for me, I thought.
Fang's POV
I ran into the clearing too late. She was gone. But that certainly did not mean I was alone.
A guy charged at me, but I aimed a kick to his head. My foot found its target, and he crumpled to the ground. The rest of the ground, paused, stunned. "Anto!" a guy cried. He ran up to "Anto" and kneeled down next to him. "C'mon, man," he whispered. "I'm alright, bro," Anto muttered. The other guy glared up at me. He looked like he was going to say something, but then just spit at me. I stepped on it.
It was all out war after that. I knocked guy after guy after guy. Each one had something they were going to use on me. one even threw a brick. It hit my left foot, but I picked it up and threw it right back at him, the red on the brick turning scarlet with his blood. I grunted and moved onto the next guy.
The battle seemed to go on forever. the rest of the Flock was fighting too. We were all pretty tired out, but we kept fight for Max. At least I did. I said to evry guy I knocked down. "You suck. Where's Max?" They, of course, never answered, but it made me feel better. I had just kicked a guys knee, and after hearing a satisfying pop, I looked up. There I saw Gazzy, throwing bricks from the air. The guy next to me looked up too. "Oh shit! That kid has wings, man!" Everyone else looked up. Most were stunned in silence, but some screamed. Gazzy, oblivious to this, kept on dropping the bricks and was oon joined by Iggy and Nudge. I wasn't sure where Angel was. The mob began to run when they saw Iggy and Nudge fly into the air. They ran like we were ghosts or something.