Chapter 13

13 is supposed to be an unlucky number, let's see how lucky it is for the story. *Devious laugh* Don't worry, no one is going to get hurt, at least, no one in the flock. Mwahahaha! Also, my thanks to tomgirl1313, stargirl909, MississippiMud, Ira Night, and BlackVenom. Don't you all just LOVE cliffys?

Max

My head hits solid rock and the wind is knocked out of me. Cearbh's hot breath huffed against my face. "Maximum, sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"Leaving here," I spat.

"Why? Did you enjoy your stay?" I struggled against his weight. He didn't budge.

"No, not really, the entertainment wasn't my idea of fun." Isn't that right?

"Oh, but you have to stay, Maximum." I ducked out of his arms and tumbled away. I stood to face him.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm flattered you offered, though." I smile at him with fake perkiness, then threw myself into his chest, alternating punches and kicks. I was weak still but I was healing fast.

I dodged a blow to my head, "I'll miss you, Maximum." I ducked away and propelled my weight against him until he was the one against the wall. Pinning him to the wall like he did to me, I slid my hands across his broad shoulders, "You just missed me, Cearbh dah-ling." I ran his head into the wall as hard as I could and he crumples to the floor.

Stepping carefully around him, I found a ring of keys. I turn to Angel holding them up. She beamed and clapped as I quickly unlocked her door. I gave her a quick hug and we both ran down the hallway. Cearbh still lay still on the floor. I groaned inwardly. I don't need more blood on my hands. "Can you tell me where they are?"

Angel nods and points to my right, "Iggy and Gazzy."

I follow the turn and find Iggy and Gazzy, scarred and shivering in a corner. They seemed not the mind the obsidian. "Iggy! Gazzy! It's us!" I try to get their attention while I unlock the door. I go to them and try to get them up. "Iggy, Gazzy, we're getting you out of here so you have to listen to me. We'll find Fang and Nudge and then we'll leave."

Iggy nods imperceptibly and struggles to stand on his own. Floundering a little, he finally stands, holding a hand out for Gazzy to take. Gazzy stands as well. "Can you two walk?"

They bob their heads simultaneously. They shuffle along with Angel and me to help. I hoped that Nudge and Fang were together but something tells me that isn't too possible. Angel points to a cell at our left. "Nudge," she whispers.

Nudge is crying in her cell. Her cheeks are raw and I wonder how long she's been like this. "Nudge, sweetie," I open her cell quickly. Iggy had healed enough to help me lift her up. "Nudge, it's okay, we're getting out of here."

All she could do was sob. Whether it was in happiness or pain, I couldn't tell.

Fang

"Fang? Are you there?" I recognize that voice, I realized, swimming out of sleep. Max? Is that you?

"Fang," I float back into consciousness and turn visible again.

"Max," I croak. She breathes a sigh of relief and jangles with a set of keys. Max is getting us out! She comes to me and then she stops, her gaze flitting to something by my side. Lissa is sitting there, her green eyes are curious. Max's face is a swarm of emotions and then in a second, she's calm, too calm. Is she jealous? Why?

"Can you walk by yourself?" she asks with her voice cold as ice.

I swallow to soothe my throat. "I think so," I stand and wobble a little. Lissa stands by my side too. Max narrows her eyes at Lissa. Something passes between them and Lissa presses herself up to my side a bit more and looks up at me, her green eyes pleading. I rub her back to calm her. Max looks away.

"Let's go then, if we're all good." Max walks away from me, and I feel this emptiness and hollowness inside me.

Max

I stop in mid-step when I see her. She sits right next to him, his head practically on her lap! Calm down, Maximum, the Voice said, You have better things to do than fight her.

I put on a mask of indifference, "Can you walk by yourself?" I wince at how icy my voice came out.

He says yes and she has the nerve to stand by his side, pressed up against him like he's belongs to her. I glare at her and look away. Just keep walking, Maximum, there's a set of stairs that leads downwards at the end of the hallway, the Voice instructed.

"Let's go then, if we're all good," I say, beginning to walk. The Flock trails softly behind, sensing something's wrong. Iggy supports Fang on one side, and that she-demon on his other. Nudge is quiet for once, and holds Angel and Gazzy's hand.

"Uh, Max?" Gazzy asks.

"What?" I look back at him.

"Do you know where we're going?"

I give him an ironic smile, doesn't he know better than to doubt me? "There's a set of stairs at the end of the hallway. We can take them and get out."

The Flock gives me weird stares but goes along with it. Angel is the only one that looks like she understands. Then, Iggy snaps his head up. "Max? I heard something."

"Like, what?" I take up a crouching stance.

"Just ahead of us, to the left." He points in the general direction. I frown. Voice? The voice doesn't respond. Of course not, it can budge into my thoughts when it's not wanted but when I need its help, it disappears.

"Well, what does it sound like? An army of demons ready to capture us, or another angel like us?"

"I don't know, it's not moving much though."

I start off towards the source of the sound, picking up my pace. The Flock does the same behind me. I stop in front of the cell Iggy pointed at. I see a flash of gold. "What is it?"

The person inside lifts up his/her head. It's Dylan. "Hello there," he smiles weakly.

Hi everybody, this wasn't my best chapter but on my defense, I had no time to plan this and it kind of just... happened. Anyways, I promise a better chapter tomorrow. But for now, review if you love it or hate it. Go raibh maith agat (Irish)