Voila'. I present to you, chapter four!! Yes, it's been a while. I've been busy. I've also been busy updating my other fanfic. It's called "Total, you sly dog". You should go check it out. I know your probably thinking, "Why is she talking about her other fanfic?! We don't care about Total! We want chapter 4!" Well, I'll shut up, so here you go!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, dammit.

Fang's POV

Shit. Max going down, Max going down. My body already reacted and I was reaching out for her. Catch her dammit!! I mentally thought to myself. Everything in the world around me just tuned out. I think there might have been screaming in the background, but I'm not sure. I barely caught her before she touched the ground. Damn, she's burning up. Her arm was bleeding again!! She needs real medical care, I just not good enough. Dr. Martinez better be able to do something about it or I'll…

I picked her up and ran towards the house. Ella was in hysterics. The rest of the flock followed looking scared. "Quick! Take her upstairs in a bed!" Shouted Dr. M. I flew up the stairs, (not literally) with Max in my arms. I brought her to a room and laid her gently on the bed. Crap. Max can't be dying. She just can't. She was only grazed with a bullet. She survived this before right? Did the bullet go through her heart? No, it couldn't have…

Dr. Martinez and the rest filed into the room. Dr. Martinez went straight to Max and placed her hand on Max's head. "Burning up." She murmured. She pulled out a stethoscope from her back pocket. She put it on and placed it over Max's heart. She turned to me quickly. "Fang, how fast it your heartbeat normally?" I listened to Max's heart. My stomach dropped. That was fast, even for us.

"Slower, and more even. Our heartbeats are fast, but not that fast." I said. A cold chill was creeping up into my stomach.

"Somebody, get me a cold washcloth, now." She barked. Ella flew out of the room and came back in with a cold washcloth. Dr. Martinez placed it on Max's forehead. Max was breathing heavily, and she was sweating.

Max's blood was spilling over the pillows. "Bandages. I need bandages. Ella, get my medical kit!" And Ella came back with the medical kit too.

"Guys, I'm gonna need more space. Could you guys either step out of the room or get against the wall? Thanks." Everybody all stepped to the wall, but I remained next to Max. I'm sure Dr. M didn't mean to sound harsh, but this was an emergency, there was no time to turn around and say, "Excuse me guys, I'm a little busy right now, and it's a little stuffy in here. Could you guys go down stairs and I'll bake you some cookies in a minute."

I looked over at Max. You better get well soon Max. We all need you.

Max's POV

Fire. Pain. Blood. Hell. Was I in hell? What did I do to deserve this? I felt like I was on fire, everywhere. Like somebody just dumped a whole crapload of oil on me and threw a match on. (Kind of like Twilight, huh? I didn't mean for it to sound like, though. She's not turning into a vampire.)

I was falling somewhere. I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit of fire. I could feel myself sweating. My wings couldn't move, and I wasn't even sure if they were there. Was I back in Itex? Oh God no, please no…

I was falling and falling and falling. I was afraid of some unknown organism and I didn't have the faintest idea what it was. I saw a giant dark shadow hovering over me. By falling stopped, so I was right next to it. I looked into its eyes. They were a bloodshot red, a big contrast to its black body. I could barely even make the shape.

It glared back at me. Was this the monster of death? Or was it supposedly an angel of death? Well it didn't look very welcoming, either way. Please take me quickly. I thought. The black monster raised its claws around me, and clamped down on me. Then I was spiraling down it a black bottomless pit now. The pain was ebbing away, and I felt myself slowly shut down…and the darkness swallowed me whole.

The storm will pass. A voice echoed around in the darkness. And even though I was unconscious, my mind went dark.

Angel's POV

I gasped. I could read Max's mind for a while now, and it was nothing but pain and fire. I saw the whole monster thing, and it terrified me. I could see myself in Max's point of view, and she was even more afraid than I was. I looked into the monster eyes.

I saw Max be swallowed into a black pit. I felt her slowing shutting down, and I even thought I heard something say, "The storm will pass". And then suddenly, Max's mind went dark. Just blank.

I freaked out. "Fang!" I screamed. He whirled around to look at me. "Max!" I sobbed. "I can't read her mind anymore!" Fang's face turned white. He turned back to her and grabbed her hand. I could barely see anything through my tears, but I heard the others break down sobbing too. I heard anguish in Fang's head.

I heard Dr. Martinez yell. "AUGH! Her heart stopped beating! It's still not too late, not too late, never too late…." She murmured. (AN: Three Day's Grace song: Never too late. Lol I was thinking of this.)

Past all the sobbing, we didn't need a stethoscope to hear it. Nothing. We didn't hear anything coming from Max. That familiar hearbeat…gone. She can't be gone though. We still need her. I still need her. I've known her all my life, and that still isn't long enough.

Fang's POV

No, no, no…Max isn't dead yet. She isn't. She can't. How can she save the world if she isn't even breathing? Are we all going to die because Max died? Max's life was important to the world, and Itex decides to kill her. Itex, you better watch out because I'm going to get you…

Oddly enough, Max was still burning up. I looked over to Dr. Martinez. She didn't seem to accept that Max's heart and breathing stopped. She was still working. Good. I will be too.

Max's POV

In this black pit I was, I regained consciousness. Of the black pit, I mean. I looked around me, and I saw a light. At the end of the tunnel, sort of thing. I looked at it, uncertainly. I hesistated. The pain was gone. Should I go to the light? There was nothing in here, but darkness. I saw a figure by the light. It was a woman, and she was faintly transparent.

"Um, are you an angel?" I asked from across the darkness. She nodded, then pointed to the light. "Am I dead? Am I supposed to go there?" I asked again. She nodded again.

My stomach knotted up. The flock. Where were they? I was supposed to be the leader, the one who takes care of the injured, not be injured. Then a voice inside my head (AN: No, it's not the Voice. It's her conscience.) said, "You've already gone this far. Going back just means someday you're going to have to suffer through this again, and then die. You're already here, the pain is gone, just go. Death never felt this good."

Another voice in my head argued back. "No, Max. The flock still needs you. Without you, they are in a state of utter confusion. Besides, who's gong to save the world? You were designed specifically for the world. You are meant to save it. Without you, everybody will die, including the flock."

"Forget the flock. They've always dragged you down. When was the last time you thought of yourself? Huh? Never? This is an opportunity of the end of your life. You've gone this far. Is it so hard just to walk a few steps towards the light?"

"Max, no. Think of the flock. Think of how they need you, and then you die. Has the great Maximum Ride been defeated?"

Ugh, so many voices in my head. I wasn't sure what to do. They both had good points. Who's going to save then world when I was gone? When WAS the last time I've thought about myself? I looked over to the angel. Her face was strong and reassuring. She came over to me and smiled. Then she hugged me and whispered in my ear, "It's your decision." I looked up, tears were forming in my eyes. "Ok." I whispered back. I knew what I had to do. I was going back. Away from the light. The angel, still hugging me, kissed me on the cheek. Then with her hands over my shoulder, she ripped my wings from my back. I screamed a cry of pain, then I realized she didn't rip them off. I couldn't feel my wings earlier, but hear they are. I shook them. Yup, those were my wings alright.

The angel opened up her wings too. They were white. Just like Angel's. My stomach knotted. I'm going back. I thought. The light tunnel thing, closed up and vanished. The angel looked at me and smiled reassuringly. Then she pointed to the bottom of the darkness. "Fly down there, and you'll be back to the human world. Good luck." I smiled back at her, and fly down. I looked back up to her and saw her waving to me, then she vanished. Hm. Well, back to the human world for me.

I was flying down the dark pit , when it suddenly turned into blue sky. Huh? How'd I get up here? I looked towards my arm. Transparent. Oh. My spirit. I continued to fly down, until I saw my mom's house. I went through the roof like a ghost, then I saw everyone in one room, crowded around me. Then, I laid back down in my body.

Whoa, different there, huh? Nice longish chapter though, right? I kept skipping around in POV's, because I wanted you to see in everybody's mind. Well most of them anyways. This was almost 2000 words!! New record!! A nice long chapter like this deserves reviews. So, please hit that button below this. Thank you!!