Chapter 25
There was thirty minutes left until I entered a room I may never exit. Jack had said that he would pick one of my lives and test me in it that's why I trained for all of them. I stand in the old abandoned warehouse where our old gang meetings use to be with the only family I've ever really had. Iggy and Gazzy we're home with Eva and Martha, none of them knew anything.
We had come to the decision that if anything happend to me that Sonya would take them in. She's my best friend and if anyone would take better care of them then me it was her. I truly trusted the five people that stood by my side in what may be my last moments. I feel tears threaten to spill, but I won't give Jack the satisfaction at seeing he's hurt me.
"Remember pain is just a message" Gustavo says to me not being able to do anything but give me advice.
"Got it." I say to G with a small smile hoping to give him faith that I'll walk back out that door.
"And remember a round house kick to his chest is more efficent then a punch to his face" Sonya reminds me in the same voice Gustavo used.
"I've got this you guys. Don't you guys remember who I am? I'm Maximum freakin' Ride! I make it thru everything." I say to them hoping to at least give them hope even if I've lost my own.
"We love you China never forget it" Dylan says to me with a sad smile.
Just like me he has given up hope.
"How could I? You'll be able to remind me when I walk out that door in ten minutes!" I say sacraticly.
Like I always say 'when in doubt, joke it out'.
"Seriously Ride" Sam says.
"How could I ever forget the group of people that never gave up on me even when I had given up all hope in myself, I love you guys so much." I say in a serious tone.
Cassandra starts to ball out as the clock indicates I've got five minutes. I hug her closely and everyone falls in after that. We all hold each other until the buzzer goes off and the door opens. I let everyone go and walk in with my head held high. If I was going down I was going down with a fight.
I'm alone in the wearhouse basement with only Jack. He stands at the other side of the room with an expression that could be translated into a look of anoyence as if he's just wasting his time.
"Let's just get this over with" I spit in Jack direction.
"Always the impacient one huh Max?" Jack says to me.
"Cut the bull shit and tell me what life you picked?" I say my voice like steel.
"Street Fighting." He says and we go at each other.
He sends a side ways kick to the left side of my body in an attemp to get me to the ground. I throw him a few feet away from me with a round house kick to his chest. I advance on him and try and send another kick to him but he catches my foot, and throws me to the floor.
I push my self up ignoring the pain. Pain was nothing but a message and right now I wasn't taking any. I throw powerful blows onto his rib cage til I feel bone crack under my fist. Jack sends a sad excuse for a kick to my chest but loses his balence and barley hits my shoulder. I throw a side kick to his left but he pushes me against the wall before I can react.
"Egar to end our little dispute I see" He comments trancing a scar on my cheek.
I try to push his weight off me but I'm not strong enough. He keeps me in that postions until I slide past him. I throw a punch with my right hand to his face and feel another crack but this time it's my own. Shit! Now I'd have to punch with my left.
"Dumb little Ride still making childish mistakes. Remember I had a cheek implant when one of your boys busted it. Guess that came in handy now" Jack said as he spit the blood out of his mouth.
I wasn't in the mood for any of his bull shit. I didn't want to talk I wanted to fight.
"Don't wanna talk?" He asks as he whips the hot red blood from his lips.
I continue to try and throw kicks and punches at him but his talking annoys me and puts me off.
"You know you'll never make it out of here alive don't you?" He says.
My grip tightens and I continue to throw punches his way. No one tells Maximum Ride what will or won't happen because not even Jessica Valdez knows herself.
"Whys that" I say my voice scratchy but tough like the old me.
"I pretty much already won" I say spiting blood on his face.
"'cause you play fair" He says pulling out a Glock.
"Where'd you get that?" I ask.
I remember that gun. It was the type of Guns The Wolves would use. We stashed them in our warehouse...Shit we we are in the wearhouse.
"Now do you know why you've lost?" He says as he points the gun at me finger on the triger.
My fight or flight instinc starts to kick in and right now it's screaming flight. My eyes franticly search the room for any exits. There are two but there too far away. I guess it all ends right here.
I think about closing my eyes but decided I'd rather die tough so I hold my head high and exept my fait.
"Any last words?" Jack asks like the dumbass he is.
I open my mouth in hope of buying sometime but someone beats me to it.
"Just one; Freeze" A man dressed in a black uniform says as a huge crowed of the men barge into the room guns pointed.
They concisist of the swat team and old friends of mine. Sonya, Dylan, Gustavo, Sam, Casandra, Fang, and many more friends stand with a pure look of courage with guns in their hands. Jack looks at me with that old Loco look I know too well and I know he's gonna shoot.
He points the gun to my chest. An officer pushes him aginst the wall but it's too late. Jack had already taken his finger off the trigure. I feel a percing firery pain in my left shoulder as I fall to the ground not being able to do anything, but clutch my shoulder and hope it ends soon.
I watch as ten men jump onto Jack and more gun shots go off. Fang runs to my side and holding me in his lap. He's mouth is moving, but I can't hear him anymore. I watch his hands going over where the bullet riped thru my flesh with a look in his eyes I never wish to see again in my life. My vision starts to blur and the last thing I see is my street families worried faces surrounding me and I pray with everything in me that I won't ever forget them.