Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 11

After several hours on the road, the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, coloring the sky with vibrant splashes of orange and pink. Then the brighter colors faded into dark purples and finally black. Before long a sliver of moon glowed and stars speckled the vast expanse of darkness. The entire experience was captivating to Pierce. It's been so long....

One-by-one, the rest of the van's passengers drifted off to sleep. Grey lasted the longest, but even he couldn't stay awake as the night progressed. With the quiet, doubts that had been lingering at the edge of Pierce's mind swam into focus. She could've left these people she barely knew, the responsibility, and fended for herself. It would've been a lot easier. But at the same time Pierce didn't think she could've returned to the loneliness she'd experienced over the past years. She just hoped she wouldn't get everyone, including herself, killed.

Even with her sleep during the two helicopter rides, it was difficult for Pierce to remain vigilant as the same dark road passed beneath her for miles and miles. Her bullet wound throbbed, but even the pain wasn't enough to keep her alert, and she felt her eyes start to droop. Shaking herself awake with grim determination, Pierce readjusted her seat into the most uncomfortable position possible and fixed her eyes straight ahead. She could sleep later. Pierce continued driving in silence, too stubborn to wake someone else to take her place.

As the minutes dragged on, Pierce noticed a blue light pulsing gently in her peripheral vision, and she turned her attention from the road to get a quick glance. Madigan had the hood of her jacket pulled over her face and arms tucked inside so that her sleeves were hanging empty. The tiger-girl had been sleeping soundly for the past few hours, or at least that's what Pierce had thought. From inside her jacket came the glow of what Pierce assumed was a phone. She was surprised at Madigan's carelessness; any trackable technology was too risky to carry while Project Starfall pursued them. "Where did you get a phone?" Pierce asked, keeping her voice quiet so she wouldn't wake the others. When there was no response, she felt a chill go down her spine. Pierce's wings fluffed up beneath her trench coat. "Madigan!" Pierce whispered.

"Whaa?" Madigan murmured groggily, slipping her arms into her sleeves and pulling back her hood. Her eyes glowed in a very cat-like manner as she looked at Pierce. "What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly on edge. If she had been a real tiger, Pierce imagined her fur would be standing on end.

"Your arm," Pierce said, looking at where the light had moved from Madigan's chest to her left wrist, and was pulsing beneath her skin. Even in the dark, Pierce swore she could see the color drain from Madigan's face.

"No," Madigan breathed, eyes transfixed on the light. "No, no, no, no." Pierce could hear the beating of Madigan's heart quicken until she was worried it would burst out of the girl's chest.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Pierce demanded, barely keeping control of the van. But the girl acted as if she couldn't hear Pierce. "Madigan! Stop!" She was yelling now, and the rest of the van's passengers began to wake. Pierce watched with horror as Madigan extended her claws and scraped at her wrist. With her hands on the wheel, Pierce was powerless to stop her, and couldn't brake without being hit by the cars trailing behind. Blood began to well beneath Madigan's claws, and Pierce was afraid she would slice one of the two major arteries in her wrist.

"Whoa, easy," Grey's calm voice sounded. He leaned up between the two front seats and pulled Madigan's hand away from her wrist. The tiger-hybrid didn't struggle. It was as if she didn't have the strength to resist.

Now everyone was awake and staring at Madigan with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Knox," Grey said. "Please hand up that first aid kit." They had stashed their supplies in the back, and Knox picked through them until he found the small box marked with its red plus sign. "Thank you," Grey said as Knox passed it to him. Gingerly, he used a disinfectant wipe to clean away as much blood as he could. "It doesn't look like you damaged any major arteries," he murmured. His voice was soft and soothing like one would talk to a wounded animal. After wiping away what blood he could, Grey wrapped her wrist with gauze. When he was finished the blue light was no longer visible. "There," he offered Madigan a gentle smile. Once she appeared under control, Grey sat back in his seat again.