We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 3
By MyNameIsCAL
"It's Christmas Eve."
Fang and I had been walking through the city slowly, trying not to look over our shoulders too many times. We had purchased warmer clothes, including jackets that would cover our wings. In the city, we blended in with the crowds of people, but somehow I still felt out of place. The style had changed, and so had the trends. Fang was probably more behind than I was, but I didn't think it bothered him.
"Is it really?" I managed to say.
"Yeah." He let out a sigh. "Let's take a detour."
I had been to the city a lot, coming from New Jersey. Fang seemed to know the city well, and it made me wonder why.
Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the City's famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree. He looked up at it, sadly.
"I spent most of my time in California with my father," Fang spoke in a low tone. "Winter break and summer with my mom here in the city. She always took me and my sister to see the tree. Well, my little stepsisters. They used to think I was the greatest thing, and I couldn't understand why because half the time I was here I didn't even spend time with them."
"I used to come here every year too," I said.
He let out a breath, visible now in the cold. He looked up, but not at the tree.
"It's snowing." The corners of his mouth seemed to turn upward. Then he turned to face me, his dark eyes meeting mine. "Look, I know it's late and you're tired. And well, look, I never checked to see if my mom is still in the city."
"You want to look for her?" I realized what he was really trying to ask.
"Well…yeah." His gaze fell to the ground.
"Then let's go," I said, trying to smile.
Maybe it was my imagination, but his hand brushed up against mine.
"Sorry," he murmured. "C'mon, we'll take the subway."
We spent about an hour going through the crowds, changing from line to line, but we finally made it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. A younger version of him stood with two little girls, who were holding his hand. Fang was smiling, an older woman beside him who I assumed was his mom. They looked like they were standing on the stoop of the front of their home.
We walked to the middle of the block and he went up the stairs, knocking on the door. It opened, a man appearing.
"Yes? What in the hell do you want at this time of day?"
Fang cleared his throat, asking for a name that I couldn't make out through the wind.
"Look, I don't know why you're looking for her, but she moved away a long time ago. And I don't know where she went, alright? I'm sorry I can't help you, but it's late and you should be heading home."
The man slammed the door in Fang's face.
"Fang…"
He took a seat on the bottom step, the snow now falling heavily.
"Fang, I'm really sorry," I said, taking a seat next to him.
"Seven years. It's been too long." He was rubbing his arm, eyes closed. "I'm sorry I made you come all this way."
I lifted my hand, resting it on his shoulder, wishing I had a way to comfort him better.
"C'mon, let's go." He stood.
It was past midnight when we reached one of Fang's places to stay. It was in some old abandoned apartment building that had never been finished, but there was still running water and a couch and a bed. We stopped to buy some food and cleaned ourselves up, not speaking at all. I felt bad for Fang, but he seemed like he just wanted to forget about what happened already.
"How's your arm?"
Fang glanced up over the newspaper he was reading. "It's alright."
I frowned.
"It's still sore."
I went back to eating my cereal without milk.
He put down the newspaper and leaned across the table.
"Can I ask you something, Max?"
Max? He never used my name before. I replied, "Of course."
He pushed something across the table. A white piece of paper.
"I…I don't know what your plans are, but before we left, I grabbed this paper. It's a list of all the other people they have there currently." Fang leaned against the table. "I want to ask for your help. I want to go back and get them out of there, or find some way to save them."
"You haven't actually asked me a real question," I said.
He didn't seem to know what to say.
"You helped me get out of there," I finally told him. "The least I can do is help you."
"But you realize that helping me also means we can end up back in there."
"You're not very convincing," I smirked.
Fang took in a breath. "I…"
"Nah, I'm just kidding, alright. Yes, I know." I picked up the list of names, scanning them.
"A lot of them, when we get there, won't even be there anymore." Fang shook his head. "A scientist once told me that for every ten experiments they do, only one of the people will survive. And one time, when I was trying to resist their tests, they brought me to see the others. You think we suffered, well they've suffered more."
He started to take the list from me, but then one of the names caught my eye.
Ari.
"Wait," I tugged the list back. "My brother's name is on here."
Fang's look of surprise only lasted a second. "If it makes you feel better, he's probably one of the few on that list that are alive. If he was taken the same time as you, then he's been there as long as you."
It hardly sounded comforting, but at least I had hope now.