Author's Note: Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the wait you guys; it's just been really busy lately. Plus I've been lazy. X3

But I must thank TheBurningQuiet101 for sending me that message to remind me to get my ass moving (although that's not how they worded it). XD At least I know that there are still people who read and wait for my chapters. So thanks!

Oh, and comments would be great. Thankee and keep reading!

Chapter 32: What Lies Within

My fingers drummed against the kitchen countertop in a very fast paced but catchy rhythm, only freezing in mid drum for me to glance at the windows and the small shadows that grew larger as time sprinted away.

"They're late," I stated sourly, my fingers beginning to pound on the poor countertop again after a quick glance which confirmed that it was late afternoon.

Really late afternoon.

Everyone was ready to go; our bags were already packed with the small amount of things that we could stuff in them and already downstairs stacked precariously on top of each other in a small corner; everyone was just lazing around the house…everyone except three people who would be in very big trouble when they got back.

"Relax," said Gazzy as he poked his head from behind the wall in the game room. "Come play a few games of Gears of War with me. I need some competition and this may be the last chance for me to beat you." Nudge also poked her head out and looked at me wearily.

"Yeah, please play him. I'm getting tired of getting curb-stomped," she said.

"Let me play! C'mon, it's my turn!" I heard Total yell from further in the room.

Fang stayed quiet as he ate the remaining cherries out of the bag that Iggy had left out. He looked as if he was brooding over something.

Not that it was any of my business.

I blew out a strand of loose hair out of my eyes, allowing a millimeter of my pent up worry and frustration to escape from my body. How can I relax when I've been feeling as if something bad was going to happen since the moment that I opened my eyes this morning?

Maybe it was the weather that was making me jittery. The uncharacteristic clear blue sky with only a few wandering clouds and the unnaturally bright sunlight made me question if someone wasn't planning something.

Everyone thought I was paranoid. All except Fang, who stayed in his own little world and completely ignored what was going on.

Not that I was depending on his opinion to fortify my sanity.

"Hey, what's that mysterious ticking noise?" asked Total, plopping his furry butt right in the middle of the game room doorway. Nudge walked toward him and stretched, followed by Gazzy who looked bored. Apparently, their game of Gears of War had finally come to an end.

"Hahaha. That was hilarious," said Nudge, her mouth breaking out into a large smile. We had watched The Potter Puppet Pals a few days ago, and I must admit, it was pretty funny.

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape," began Gazzy, his face lighting up with delight as he began to swing from side to side.

"No guys, I'm being serious," Total urged with his head tilted and his ears perked up.

It was not very often that Total was serious, so we all shut up and tuned in to what Total was listening to. Even Fang - who was in the middle of putting another cherry into his mouth - put down the uneaten cherry, snapped out of his reverie, and listened intently.

There was indeed a ticking sound coming from the direction of the stairs that led to the second floor. It was low and indistinct, but in the dead silence, it sounded like Big Ben alerting everyone the hour with its loud chimes.

"Guys…is it me or does that not sound like The Potter Puppet Pals…" Nudge spoke slowly, and her voice was the trigger to get our minds restarted again.

"Shit…" I mumbled through clenched teeth.

"Everyone take cover!" yelled Total, ducking behind the wall in the game room again. Nudge and Gazzy followed without a second thought.

BEEEEEP!

I was the closest to the beeping noise. There was no time for me to find cover.

This is going to hurt, I thought before I closed my eyes and made an X with my arms as a pathetic excuse for protection. Someone yanked me back by the collar just as the bomb went off and I fell to the floor, slamming my back against the wall in the process. I didn't open my eyes to see if I was dead, dying, or wounded to a minor state, but the fact that I could still inhale the smoke into my lungs and feel some wood chips hit my skin confirmed that I still had use of my nose and some of my senses. I tried opening my eyes to see, but the cloud of dust flew right into my eyes, making them water.

This just proved my point. Never trust a day in London when there is wonderful weather.

"Guys?" I called out; inhaling too much smoke at once and instantly beginning to cough uncontrollably.

"That definitely was not The Potter Puppet Pals!" I heard Nudge say amidst a lot of coughs.

"It is if you consider us the ones that are being blown up," added Gazzy.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Total.

"What's wrong?" asked Nudge.

"My fur! It was totally clean and now it has debris in it," he responded, sounding downcast.

"Fang?" I called out, trying once again to open my eyes and failing miserably.

"Right here," he answered, sounding dangerously close to me. I gave one final cough before moving my hand to clear the room on our side so that we could at least breathe without choking and see what was going on. After I had rubbed my eyes free of the dust that found it fun to block me from seeing, I opened my eyes to find black fabric right in front of me. I glanced up to see Fang staring back down at me from a few inches away with his hands placed on both sides of me on the wall so that he wouldn't topple all over me. His almost midnight eyes bore into mine and I shifted my gaze away from his to look at his clothes…

"Fang!" I called out again, this time out of shock. The shirt that he was wearing, which was nice, clean, and in perfect condition just minutes ago, was now decimated with holes, rips, and tears from the flying wood chunks from the blast. Along with that, little bits of flames had caught on to his shirt, slowly burning through the dark fabric to his skin.

"Are you okay?" Fang asked me, sounding concerned at my sudden outburst of his name.

"I should be asking you that, stupid!" I exclaimed as I quickly patted out the small embers on his shirt. He is such an idiot! Who asked him to protect me and risk getting hurt? Hell, he could have been killed! Fang just shrugged, as if he could hear the angry protests in my mind.

"As long as you're okay, I'm fine," he stated calmly, as if he was just talking about the weather.

"…Idiot…" I mumbled. Continuing to extinguish the small flames without looking back up at him. Don't say those kinds of things when someone is throwing bombs at us.

By the time that I had put out the small fires, everyone was already up from their hiding spots and grabbing their bags. Fang and I were just about to get up from that awkward position to do the same when something shiny sprinted through the smoke on the other side to our smoke free territory. The object stuck into the wall right beside my ear, but not before it made a small cut on Fang's shoulder and my cheek. I watched a small trail of blood begin to make its way down his arm just as I felt the liquid slide down my cheek. It was then that I slowly began turning my head toward the unexpected object and my eyes widened as I took a good look at it.

Beside my head, not more than 6 centimeters away, was a slim silver harpoon that was lodged deep into the wall. It glistened in the dimming sunlight.

"Do you think they're still in there?" spoke a voice from the other side of the now clearing smoke.

"Yeah. They wouldn't leave without the rest of their group. I just hope that I didn't hit the girl. You know how he gets if things don't go his way," said another.

We all turned out eyes toward the smoke including Fang, who finally stood up from his protective stance over me. It wasn't hard to spot the two Erasers walking closer and closer toward us through the clearing smoke.

"Oh no! What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?!" Nudge whispered intensely while hopping from one foot to the next, looking as if she was doing the potty dance.

"Give me a second," I mumbled, focusing all of my attention toward the gaping hole while standing up from the ground. The bomb didn't create a fire, but it gave me enough wood to work with; a small flame made by me was enough to engulf the hole and make a strong barricade between us and them.

"Ok, so not that you've done that, how are we getting out?" asked Total.

Oh.

I didn't think that far ahead.

"Windows?" I proposed.

"The ones down here are too small and I don't think we want to try the ones upstairs," said Nudge, instantly squashing my idea like a small bug.

"Then we'll just have to use the front door like regular people," said Total. Fang went around the kitchen counter to peak in-between the slits of the blinds at the window.

"We're surrounded," he noted simply before moving away to avoid being seen.

"Really? I thought there was just a few of them that came for some tea and scones!" retorted Total sarcastically.

"So, is there anything that we can use to help us out?" asked Nudge, ignoring Total's remark.

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed Gazzy before he began bustling around the kitchen, yanking drawers open and pulling out utensils. After his burst of energy, what lay on the counter was a large carving knife, a fork, my switchblade, a smaller but still sharp dinner knife, and a hammer.

"You mind telling me why a hammer is in the kitchen drawers?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Iggy and I just so happened to stumble on it while upstairs-" began Gazzy, who shifted his eyes away from my hard stare in an attempt to avoid the question.

"We don't have time for this!" interrupted Total, who had somehow ended up on the kitchen counter. "Grab a weapon and let's get out of here!"

Everyone's hands were like a blur over the makeshift weapons; Fang of course made sure to be the first one to get his hands on the carving knife, Gazzy had managed to grab the switchblade, Nudge got the dinner knife, and Total, aiming for the knife in Fang's hand, had only managed to get the fork, which he placed in his mouth unwillingly.

Which left me with the large hammer.

"Let's go," said Fang as I picked up the hammer skeptically. Total jumped into Fang's bag, making sure to keep his head out in case he had to be of assistance.

Nudge giggled and I did smirk a little. The sight of Total sticking his head out of the bag with a fork in his mouth looking ready to kill was a pretty funny sight.

We all lined up at the door like little ducks with Fang in front, followed by Nudge, Gazzy, and me flanking the back. The three tense seconds that Fang stood there by the door felt like eternity and I could hear the sound of a gunshot in my head as he yanked open the door and took a running start toward the hordes of both Flyboys and regular Erasers.

It seemed like the night of the living dead.

I heard Nudge gasp as she witnessed Fang ruthlessly hack off the hand of a charging Eraser before his sleep crow-like wings shot out from his back and push him up toward the dimly lit sky.

"You're up," I said to Nudge, and I could see the hesitation in her movements before she sprinted out through the door to join Fang, taking down some more Erasers along the way. Gazzy was about to bolt out, but the sound of something thumping came from behind us. We both turned around to see what had made the sound. Out of the dying flames from the huge bonfire in front of the destroyed wall, along with a rank smell, were the abominations known as Flyboys. The small flames did not harm them in any way, but they did burn off the small tatters of fur off of their metal bodies and scorched them until they were nothing but ashes. Their crimson glass eyes looked on us as we stared back at them.

"Gazzy…Gazzy go!" I urged, practically pushing him out the door. He stumbled out before gaining his balance again and sprinted down the dirt road. As Gazzy released his wings and took off from the ground, I rushed out as well, ready to ditch this chicken coop to find Iggy, Angel, and my sister, ready to crush some faces in when I found out who did this, although I had a good idea…Oof!

I was yanked out of my murderous thoughts by my face making contact with the wonderful ground. I immediately rubbed the rising dust out of my eyes and looked behind me to see what had dragged me down. Out of the shadows from inside of the house, staring at me with its cold red eyes like something out of a creepy horror film, was another one of those Flyboys. The number of red pairs immediately increased, as did the amount of clawed hands that were now on my leg. They began to drag me back into the house.

What is up with these things?! Was the single thought that came to mind as my legs thrashed this way and that in an attempt to shake the cold metal off. My fingernails on my left hand filled with dirt as I was dragged along, and I tried in vain to use my sole weapon as a pickaxe as I continued to dig it into the soft earth.

Oh this is ridiculous! I glanced behind me once again, and the tip of my sneaker was already behind the point of no return behind the doorway.

"Ember!" yelled a voice from above, and I looked up to see Fang staring down at me amidst the rest of the Flock fighting against enemies. His expression grew dark as he realized what was keeping me from joining them and he began to charge back down, only to become surrounded by more enemies. I growled and held the hammer with more conviction than I had before.

Hope I have good aim. My body half turned as I was dragged further along the dirt, my whole leg now disappearing into the house.

"Let…go…of…me…you…MORONS!" I yelled, the hammer swinging wildly, making contact with their metal faces more than half of the time. One of them tried to yank the hammer out of my clutches, but I wouldn't allow them to; my feet thrashed around so violently, like a spoiled brat throwing a very bad tantrum.

Within minutes, the weight on my leg slackened, and I took the opportunity to snatch my leg back and into the sun again while scrambling up from the ground panting hard. I braced myself for the metal men to come charging at me again, but there was no type of movement or sound coming from the doorway

Maybe they gave up…yeah, don't count on that one, I began to think as I turned my back away from the ominous door to get a running start.

I didn't even take two steps before I saw more Flyboys emerging from the trees around our makeshift home like some hidden army in the jungle, encompassing me into a tight circle. I didn't have enough space to spread out my wings unless I wanted to take the risk of them clipping it off altogether.

I ground my teeth together and the grip on my weapon became even tighter. Why did it always seem like they were gunning for just me? The only thing that I've ever done to them was destroy maybe 100 of them in my lifetime.

Ok, 125 tops.

But that doesn't mean anything, right? They don't feel anything. I mean, they probably mass produce these things at the school on a daily basis! And it's their faults, not mine. If they wanted to live, they shouldn't come looking for me.

One of them from behind me made the first move, charging at me in a football tackling position. I spun around quickly and smashed the head of the hammer into his metal skull, sending him face planting into the dirt at my feet.

This was infuriating. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want this to happen. Why couldn't we just live in peace? What right did they have to steal and hurt my friends, and then try to kill me? Why did they take my sister?

My sister…I want to see her. I want to see her now.

With my eyes starting to see nothing but red, my body tensed. "You wanted trouble…now you've found it." I spoke softly, with death in my voice, a voice that for just a split second did not belong to me.

But I was given no time to dwell on this fact; my body launched me into my first target with such speed; I didn't realize what was going on until smashed into the enemies crimson eye. The body crumpled in front of me, the one eye that was still intact staring back at me through no longer lit lenses.

I was not satisfied.

I stood there, looking down at it expectantly for something. I did not know what I was waiting for, but when my eyes did not see it, I wanted to strike the man-made metal repeatedly, again and again, until nothing but metal dust was left…

I was unable to fulfill this strange desire, for now the rest of the Flyboy army was beginning to attack me. My body lurched toward them and swung my hammer as if it were a battle axe.

This feeling was alien to me. New and strange, exhilarating yet terrifying. I could feel laughter bubbling up from my chest into my throat, waiting for me to let it out as my fallen enemies crashed back to earth. What was this feeling; this entity that made my spine tingle and my heart thump?

Madness.

That was the only word that came to mind, and as I ran it through my head again, it seemed to fit perfectly.

There is something lurking inside you. Won't you let it out? I thought to myself. It was in a cheery tone, a voice that sounded identical to mine.

But these were not my usual thoughts. This voice was not my own.

It took me a few moments to realize that I had stopped moving. I was panting like a dog in heat, and my palms were incredibly sweaty. I looked around stupidly, as if I was just waking up after several hours f sleepwalking, and took in a loud gasp.

The ground was completely littered with metal parts. The bottom half of jaws, arms without bodies, eye parts; there was even a head! It was also then that I took a count of how many there were; about 25 to 30 of them lay on the dirt ground…well, unless I accidentally counted a body twice or something. My eyes grew wide with fright and I almost dropped my hammer.

I…did all of this?

"Ember, let's go!" yelled Total. I turned around and looked toward the sky, just in time to see Fang kick the last Flyboy out of the sky. None of them seemed to have seen what I had just done; they had been busy with their own problems. I took in a huge breath and nodded, feeling nothing less than grateful that they didn't witness it. My wings were finally able to fully spread out, and as I got ready to jump into the air with the rest of my not kidnapped friends, one of the Flyboys stood up in front of me again.

He looked like some kind of resurrected zombie, with the way he limped toward me with his tattered face. One of his crimson eyes drooped out of his socket, being held only by several colored wires. It was quite the spectacle. He reached out a hand toward me, as if it still believed that it could hurt me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"You're a waste of time," I said, and instead of using the head of the hammer, I held it like a pickaxe in one hand and shoved the sharp end into the side of his head. He fell ever so gracefully by my feet, knocking up a cloud of dust as he did. "I'll take that," I said as I yanked the hammer back out of his head.

Probably should have done that from the beginning, I thought as I finally took off from the ground. As I ascended, I looked back down at the area and saw that there were still some Flyboys that were alive. A few of them had made it to the roof and were about to take off.

What the hell! They're just like cockroaches! I chucked my hammer at one of them on the roof and it hit them square in the face. I looked toward the group again, picking up speed to get to them, and on my left side, I saw what was undoubtedly a bomb dropping down just as fast as I was going up.

"Gazzy?!" I called out in frightened shock, but my voice was tuned out by the loud BOOM from underneath me. Even from way up here, I could still feel the heat coming from the explosion.

"YES!" cried out Gazzy, pumping his little fists in the air. "Oh, Iggy would have loved to hear that one!" he exclaimed when I finally caught up with them. "Bang, bang, bang, bang. Vamanos, vamanos." Gazzy began to sing the six words from the commercial 'Left 4 Dead' under his breath as we skedaddled out of there as fast as we could.

"You ok?" Fang asked next to me. His voice knocked me out of my daze and my body tensed, but I kept my eyes straight ahead.

No, I am not okay. I think something is wrong with me. I went on a killing spree back there! Instead of saying my thought out loud, I lied and nodded.

I couldn't say anything. No, it's more like I didn't want to. Whatever I felt back there, I could feel that it was still there, hiding, biding its time. I was afraid of the voice that would come out when I spoke.

There is something lurking inside you. Won't you let it out?

There it was again. That sickly sweet tone, filled with nothing but venom.

No. No I won't. And I never will. So go away.

This was something that I would never allow to see the light of day again.