The Phoenix Experiment (Maximum Ride) (Discontinued)

Chapter 5

Storm and Fang did a little more talking, but I decided to take a little nap. Of course considering that day’s events, I ended up sleeping for about twelve hours. I was awakened by some erasers that decided it would be fun to come over and shake my cage. 

“EEK!” I screamed like the little girl that I was as my wing caught in between two of the bars of my cage. The erasers laughed evilly, ignoring the threats coming from my friends.

“Put her down!” Storm reached both arms out of his cage and grabbed one erasers leg. He pulled trying to trip him, but the eraser was too heavy. I folded in my wings and curled up in a ball as I bounced around the cage. Already I could tell that my body would be covered with bruises.

“Somebody help!” I screamed. Then the door from which the erasers had come from suddenly burst open. All heads turned and my cage was dropped. I sat, still curled up, and whimpered. Tears filled my eyes as the pain completely set in. There wasn’t one spot on my body that didn’t hurt.

“Max!” someone yelled. I looked up to see a small girl, younger then both Gazzy and River, with blue eyes and curly blond hair that rested like a halo on her head. Then I saw the ever-famed Maximum Ride. Standing in front of the open door with light flooding in behind her, she truly did look like the hero that everyone had said she was. She ran over and began to attack the erasers. There were two of them, but she made easy work of them, punching and kicking. At one point she clapped her hands over one’s ears. Note to self: use that later. 

She then began to undo the latches on our cages, and soon I was free. I was about to get up when pain shot through my ankle. I looked down to see my foot caught between the bars of the cage.

“Crap!” I murmured. I looked around to see if any of my new friends hadn’t escaped yet. Then I spotted Storm. He was just about to make a run for the door. “Storm!” I yelled. He turned and ran over to me. “My foot’s stuck!” 

Storm bent over my foot, casting weary glances at the erasers that twitched on the floor. He gave a huge yank that hurt so bad that I could barely stifle my scream of agony. Despite the pain, my foot had been set free. I tried to stand on it, but pain like lightning caused me to collapse and of course I fell on one of my forming bruises. Before I knew what was happening Storm slid one hand under my legs and his other hand behind my back and lifted me up, holding me wedding style. I bounced in his arms as he bolted for the open door. I whimpered pathetically as the lightning pain in my ankle finally begin to die down. 

Storm ran through the halls with me in his arms, not even breaking a sweat after racing through three long hallways. And I mean LONG hallways. They seemed to go on forever before we came to the next turn. A few times I had to suppress the urge to apologize as we barged into scientists pushing carts. I didn't though because when I saw what was on the carts it filled me with hatred and disgust. They held trays containing syringes of all shapes and sizes and needles and stethoscopes and all sorts of other doctory tools of torture. I glared at the scientists as we passed them, their stunned faces amused me. 

Eventually we came to a door with a huge, bright red EXIT sign above it where everyone was waiting. On it it said, "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY! ALARM WILL SOUND!" Max shrugged and pushed the bar to open it. Immediately a deafening alarm rang all around us. I wished i had headphones to block out the ear piercing sound... headphones... loud sounds... Screech!!! My mind went into panic mode as i realized that the orange haired avian wasn't with us.