Chapter 4

Max

"Max," Angel whispered, shaking my shoulder to wake me. I opened my eyes slowly.

"Yeah?" Angel's face was a mask of something I hadn't seen in a while. Fear. I sat up immediately, scanning the room.

"Someone's outside," she whispered as softly as she could into my ear.

"Can you hear them?" I whispered back. She would know what I meant. Angel shook her head, frightened more than ever.

"I can only get small snatches of what they're thinking, but not coherent sentences." I pulled her close.

"Where're Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, and Fang?" I whispered, scared suddenly. Angel looked wide-eyed at me. She closed her eyes and I felt her send out a thought to the four others.

"Gazzy, Iggy, and Nudge are in the next room," she whispered. "They heard the noises too. They're barricaded in the room. Gazzy has bombs ready."

"And Fang?" I asked, my stomach lurching dangerously. She shook her head sadly.

"I'm not sure. I can't hear him."

What can we do? I asked her silently.

I don't know Max, I can't hear what they're thinking. I don't even know if they're outside still, Angel projected to me.

I'll go look.

NO!

Angel, I have to protect us, and I can't do that by sitting here, scared out of my mind.

Angel nodded and moved slowly aside, allowing me room to move from the bed. I slipped silently through the room, making my way to the door. I leaned against it, willing it not to creak. It didn't. I pressed my ear to the wood, hoping to hear something from outside.

I almost jumped back, I was so surprised. I could hear breathing, very loud breathing. It sounded ragged, like whoever it was had been running for a long time. The panting continued, but I didn't open the door. When it stopped, I sent Angel a thought to get the others in here. Moments later, Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy joined me. The four of them stood at my back, ready to fight.

I opened the door slowly. I heard all the noises from outside suddenly go quiet. Flinging the door open, I leapt back, prepared to knock whatever it was senseless. My heart stopped at what I saw.

"Fang!" I cried, rushing to his side. He lay on the ground, covered in blood and unconscious. (A/N I was going to stop the chapter here and leave a really mean ciffie :D but I decided I wasn't in the mood to stop writing). "Angel, why couldn't you hear him?" I asked desperately. She stood motionless behind me, her mouth agape in horror.

"What's wrong with him?" Gazzy asked nervously. I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes.

"I don't know! We have to get him help. Angel, I can't do this on my own!" I stared at her, desperate for an answer.

"We'll bring him to the hospital," she whispered shakily. I nodded and wiped the tears away, determined. None of us like hospitals, but Fang needed help. More help than we could possibly give him.

We managed to get Fang into a car in the back of the lot. It was an old, broken looking thing, so I imagined the owner wouldn't be too disappointed. Plus, it was an SUV, which helped our case considerably. We grabbed our stuff and loaded it quickly into the trunk. I started the car and drove quickly away from the motel. Angel somehow directed me to the nearest hospital, which was a few miles down the road. I had to keep wiping the tears away from my eyes; it wasn't helping my driving any when my vision was blurred.

I skid to a stop in the hospital parking lot. Slamming the doors open, Iggy and I eased Fang out of the car. We carried him as quickly as we could through the Emergency doors, the others right behind us. A few nurses look startled when we burst into the room, but they sprang into action a split second later.

"Grab a gurney!" one shouted to another. The gurney was found and Fang was strapped to it. I ran alongside them, holding Fang's hand while they wheeled him into an ER. I was tossed a pair of scrubs and the doors were closed behind us. There were a few doctors in their already, sitting and chatting. They jumped up when we entered the room and got to work immediately.

I wish Carlisle was here. He would know how to fix this.

"What happened?" a doctor asked me calmly as he cut Fang's shirt from his body. I shrugged, unable to say a word. The doctors frowned. "Nevermind. Stand in that corner."

I obeyed quietly. I sank to the floor, my back against the wall. Thank God these doctors were all in colored scrubs, or I'd have started hyperventilating five minutes ago. I watched silently as they scrubbed the blood from Fang's battered skin. When a doctor picked up one of those small medical incision knives, I put my head in my hands.

"Miss?" a voice said a few minutes later. I looked up. A female doctor was standing over me, a weird look on her face. I assumed they'd found his wings, but when I walked to the table, Fang was still on his back.

My mouth dropped when I saw what was on his skin. We're coming Max was engraved on Fang's chest. I cried out, unable to stand this. We just left Forks yesterday! How can this be happening?

"Can you explain this Miss?" the female doctor asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head, my eyes wide. No need to tell her I understood perfectly the message etched on Fang's body. "Step back please," she said firmly. I went quietly to my corner, putting my head in my hands again.

It seemed like hours later that a doctor came to my side and shook my shoulder gently. I lifted my head up, cringing already at what I knew would evidently come. I was surprised when the first words out of the doctor's mouth was 'he'll be fine'.

"What was wrong with him," I croaked, my throat dry.

"He had many lacerations all over his body. He has a few broken ribs and his right leg is broken. His body is covered in bruises, but otherwise, there is no internal damage." I closed my eyes, grateful that nothing was permanently damaged.

"So you have no idea what could have happened to him?" the doctor asked when we left the ER. Fang had already been wheeled to another room. I shook my head.

"No. I was in the motel room. I walked outside to get some ice, and I found him on the ground just outside the door," I said quietly. I had already planned my answer. I had to do something while they were cutting Fang open.

We entered the room where Fang was lying, pale and battered. The doctor pulled up a chair for me beside the bed. I sat gratefully, taking Fang's hand in mine. It seemed to be the only part of him not covered in bandages. That means he didn't fight back…

"I'm hoping you can explain something," the doctor said, sounding nervous and unsure. Here it comes. The wings. "The young man has… something that… interest us." I looked up at him. "He has… wings."

"Yes," I said, sounding tired to my own ears. The doctor blinked in surprise.

"Well then… I'll be going." He walked quickly out the door. A few seconds later, Angel came slowly into the room.

"I wiped his memory," she said, coming to stand beside me. I nodded, exhausted. "I'll get you a bed," she said suddenly, getting up and leaving the room. I wasn't surprised when she came back a few minutes later, a nurse in tow pushing a bed like the one Fang lay on. The nurse wheeled it right next to Fang's and left the room, a dazed look on her face.

"Thanks," I mumbled, climbing onto the bed. I could have done without it, but this hospital probably had plenty to spare, and I seriously needed some rest. "Night." I held my fist out to her. She stacked hers on top and tapped the side of mine. I tapped hers and then she was gone.

"Gazzy, slow down. You're gonna give yourself indigestion," Iggy said firmly. We were all seated around a small table in the hospital cafeteria. Angel had 'convinced' the night guards to let us sleep in Fang's room last night. Now, we were eating as much as we could in a hospital in Alaska.

"I'm gonna go check on him," I muttered, pushing away my uneaten food. I had slept at Fang's side last night, hoping he would wake up, but it was not to be. He stayed motionless the entire night, in the exact same position as he'd been in when I drifted off to sleep.

Walking to his room, I thought about the dreams I'd had recently. The first, in the motel room, had been about a vampire named Tanya. For some reason, she wanted me in Denali. That might explain the Voice's directions, but only if we got there and she was actually there. Last night, I'd had another dream, but this one was different…

Tall, dark trees surrounded me as I walked silently through the forest. I wasn't sure where I was, but since I was dreaming, it looked familiar. I turned around, hearing footsteps behind me.

Fang stepped out of the trees, looking healthy as ever. I smiled and walked towards him. As I approached, he started to change. Blood formed on his skin and suddenly he was shirtless. Clear as it had been in the ER, I saw the words carved into his chest. We're coming Max. I stumbled towards him, afraid he'd fall.

"Max," Fang whispered. I stopped. That wasn't Fang's voice... I blinked, and suddenly, it was Ari standing before me. His eyes were wide, like they'd been in Germany when he died. I watched helplessly as my brother died for a third time. He dropped to the ground, his image shifting quickly between Fang and Ari. The forest faded and suddenly, I was in the hospital again.

I looked at the figure on the bed and screamed. It was Angel, my baby, bloody and bandaged on the hospital bed. The heart monitor beside her started to flat line. Nurses rushed in, surrounding my baby as she died. They pounded on her little chest, and at every pound, the form shifted into another flock member. Iggy… Nudge… Gazzy… Fang…even Ari… and finally, Angel once more. The monitor began its long, slow beep that told me she… they, were dead.

I shook my head. I had woken up screaming, something that hadn't happened in a long time. I realized that I had been standing outside the door to Fang's room for a few minutes because the nurses within were staring at me as if I were insane. It's a possibility.

"How's he doing," I asked the nurse closest to me. She looked at me and sighed.

"He's getting better, but he still has a ways to go before he'll be fully recovered," she said. She probably thought this was lost on me, as depressed as I looked. "He's recovering remarkably fast though, I must say," she murmured, catching my attention. I nodded like it was nothing, although it was very good to know that these serious injuries wouldn't stop us from healing quickly like we always had.

The nurses finished their inspections and moderations, and left. I was alone with Fang again. I might as well have been alone with myself for all the good it did me. I don't know why I insist on coming in here every twenty minutes. Nothing was changing and the nurses were getting aggravated with me.

I pulled a chair up to sit beside Fang's head. I reached out a hand tentatively, touching Fang's head softly. I stroked his face, the tears welling up in my eyes. I left my hand on his face, but buried my own face in the crook of his raised arm. His…raised…arm…?

"It's O.K. Max," he rasped. My head snapped up to look at him. Fang's eyes were open and he was looking at me.

"Fang!" I whispered, relieved he was finally awake. He reached his hand down to smooth back my hair and wipe away my tears. "What happened to you?"

Fang's lips drew into a thin grim line. "Those Erasers found me when I was out looking for food. That one that looks like Ari came out of nowhere. They attacked me." I held his hand in mine.

"You didn't fight back?" I whispered, confused. He shook his head.

"I couldn't see them. I was knocked out for a while. I could feel someone beating me, but I couldn't wake up." The tears were pouring out of my eyes now. I had no control over them.

"He cut you. On your stomach..." Fang grimaced and lifted the blankets. The nurses had put a salve on the cuts, but they hadn't wrapped them.

"What does it say?" Fang whispered, horrified.

"'We're coming Max'. They left me a message on your body," I said angrily. Fang gripped my hand tight.

"They won't get to you," he said, furiously determined. I shook my head sadly.

"They already have." He looked at me, fear in his eyes. "Through you. Fang, I can't lose you!"

"I'll be fine Max, you just worry about yourself. I can take care of myself." I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you can really take care of yourself Fang," I said, sarcasm heavy in my voice. Fang frowned.

"I was outnumbered," he pointed out.

"We're always outnumbered," I countered. He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he realized I was right.

"You still don't need to worry about me," he grumbled. A nurse walked in then, and seeing Fang awake, pushed me aside and started her inspections.

"I'll be back... later," I said quietly. Fang managed a nod, but then he winced at something the nurse did and I left.

"How is he?" Nudge asked when I rejoined them in the cafeteria. I shrugged.

"He's awake, but he hurts all over."

"We'll get through this Max," Iggy soothed. "We always do."

"I know Ig. But it's different this time."

"Why? Because you weren't there to watch Fang get his butt kicked?"

"No," I snapped. "Because I wasn't there to help him. I was sleeping while he was being cut up. And because there's nothing I can do to fix this."

"Max, you've done everything you could. How could you have known that Fang was in trouble? Don't stress yourself over this. He's gonna be fine."

"Thanks Ig."

"Sure, sure.," he said absently, looking at his food. He refused to meet my eyes.

"Ig?" What was that about?

"Maximum," a voice said behind me. I froze, my back going completely rigid.

"Jeb," I said through clenched teeth as I turned around. He stood calmly behind me, his face impassive.

"Come. Walk with me. We have much to talk about." I stood cautiously.

"I'll say we have a lot to talk about," I growled in a low voice. "You said they were headed to Mexico! This is definitely not Mexico." He looked a little sheepish.

"They must have heard that I warned you, because we suddenly got word that they'd turned around before they even left California. They went straight through California, Oregon, and they stopped in Washington." I froze. No...

"What did they do in Washington?" I whispered. Jeb shook his head.

"They went nowhere near Forks. They stopped only to re-supply. The planes were out of gas."

"Planes? Where did they get planes?"

"From the School. They have more supplies at the School now then they did a few years ago. Now they're able to track you and the others a lot easier. That's probably how they found Fang."

"They found us before that," I said. His face lost all of its' color. How could he not know that?

"They found you? When? Where?"

"Yesterday. In Vancouver. Jeb, what's going on?" i asked, desperate for some answers.

"How did you escape?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"They left." Suddenly, I remembered something. "Jeb, there was this Eraser... he looked exactly like Ari."

"Damnit," he growled. "Zane is too reckless for this."

"Jeb, who was that?"

"Zane. He's the newest model of Erasers. He looks like Ari because the other scientists thought it would be a funny joke to play on me." He looked furious, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. "I thought my boy had come back to me. But instead, that monster who looks like him is assigned to the flock."

"What do they want from us?"

"They want to take you back to the School. They somehow found out that you'd acquired some new skills, and they want to study you extensively."

"So we're back to that," I said acidly. "Back to being lab rats."

"I'm sorry Max, I really am. There was nothing I could do to stop them. Zane has his orders, and he'll fill them out to the letter."

"What were his orders?"

"I'm not sure, but they're probably along the lines of bring the flock back to the labs." He looked so apologetic that I softened my gaze a little. This really wasn't Jeb's fault after all. He had been the one to warn us.

"Where should we go now?" I asked, tired.

"Where were you headed?" Jeb asked in return. I shrugged.

"Something told me to go to Denali, Alaska," I said warily. Jeb raised his brows.

"Denali? Why there?" He seemed to have something else to say, but knowing Jeb, he wouldn't give me the rest of the answer until I answered him.

"The Voice in my head told me to go to Denali," I said, knowing how insane I sounded every time I mentioned the Voice. "And I had a dream yesterday. It told me that I had to go to Denali. I was expected."

"Expected by who?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully. I knew who was expecting me, but I only knew them by name. I didn't know them, so technically, I wasn't lying too much.

"Well, Denali has a branch of the School." I looked at him in horror. I'd been leading the flock towards another Hell-hole this entire time? "Most of the labs are situated there. They have practically no defense systems," Jeb said, seeing my facial expression.

"That's good to hear at least. So will it be easy to break into the labs?"

"Nothing is ever easy Maximum," he said with a chuckle. "You should know that by now." I grunted.

"Yeah, but a girl can hope." He smiled.

"Yes, I suppose she can. Just don't get your hopes up. It's the worst feeling in the world to have your hopes and dreams crushed," he said. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really here. I had a feeling that we weren't just talking about my hopes and dreams now.