I Am Learning, Ph1LzA

Time's Running Out

The rush of air was all Ph1LzA heard before he and Trixtin fell with a thump into the bed of grass. The air was knocked out of him, and a great pain lanced up both his arms. Then he heard the roar of the engine as Nikki hit the gas and sped away from the hospital. A last cry from Halo could faintly be heard, but Ph1LzA did not heed it. His eyes were shut against the dazzling sunlight, but even more against the impulse to give voice to the agony of his arms.

"Phil!" Trixtin sat up beside him, and he felt her hand on his chest. "We made it! Are you okay?"

This time he could not answer. Ph1LzA's hands trembled; he could not clench them because of how badly his muscles hurt. As if the fire had found him again, gnawing, burning pain laid hold of his limbs. It was all Ph1LzA could do to keep silent.

"Nikki!" Trixtin crawled around him and to the head of the truck. What she said Ph1LzA could not hear.

Cautiously he opened his eyes. The bandages on his arms were spotted with blood. Ph1LzA groaned inwardly. A surgery wasted, he guessed, and now what would happen to him? But better this than in EGG's hands. Ph1LzA reminded himself. He still had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out with every jostle of the truck.

Nikki drove quickly, winding through alleys and around stop-lights until she exited the city. Ph1LzA recognized the area they were entering: it was where his home was located. The warehouse loomed into view. For a second Ph1LzA was struck to the heart with fear, for he saw several cars parked by the building, but in a moment he realized none of these were EGG cars. None of them had the insignia, nor were they uniform in shape or color.

Nikki pulled over next to them and got out. It was the first time Ph1LzA had seen her in person. He had not anticipated vivid pink hair, falling in jagged locks about her shoulders. Ph1LzA sat up, slowly, careful to move his arms as little as possible. It was very little use; they hurt no matter what he did.

"Hey, Crowfather!" Called Nikki. She had a pleasant, strong voice. "Trix said you guys managed the landing alright! You stay right there, we're gonna get something for you, so don't move!" She darted away before Ph1LzA could reply.

Trixtin, just crawling back through the grass from where she had presumably been giving directions to Nikki, came and sat down in front of him. "Phil?" She tilted her head to look in his face. "Phil, does it hurt that bad?" She reached up, tenderly wiping something wet from Ph1LzA's cheek.

He hadn't noticed he'd been crying. Ph1LzA bit his lip and then stopped, because he didn't want that to start bleeding too. "I'm..." His voice shook badly and he trailed off.

Now several clamouring people came running to the truck, each calling out to Ph1LzA. He needed no further confirmation: now he was certain they were all Crows. First came a blond young man in a red shirt, with bandaids on his arms and face. "Phil!" He was yelling. "Phil!" It seemed that was the only word he wanted to use at the moment. Beside him stood two others: a brown-headed youth and a tall man with green, short-cropped hair, both of whom were also calling Ph1LzA's name, only they were also asking if he was alright.

Quackity and Puffy were easy to recognize, for the former was cursing profusely at the loudest Crows, telling them to leave Ph1LzA alone, and the latter was calmly rounding people up, getting them in an orderly group around the truck. There was Nikki again, wheeling something towards the truck and pushing through the crowd and telling everybody to give her room. There was even a young boy, who had made his way to stand beside Tubbo_, and who was looking nervously around at everybody else.

Glad as he was to see his Crows with his own eyes, Ph1LzA could not help wishing their noise had been confined to the Chatroom. He closed his eyes and waited for them to quieten. At his side, Trixtin made some motion, for he felt her move, and in a few moments the shouting and calls had ceased, replaced by a general mumble.