Critical Condition

Chapter 2

Authors note: Idk if I should continue with this story or leave yall on a cliffhanger. And if I do update it then it might take a while. I'm planning something big for the next 3 chapters

Max POV

I jumped awake as a huge crash of thunder vibrated the walls of the drainage pipe. The kids were asleep around me and Angel seemed to be doing better. Her breathing was steadier, her fever had finally broken. I breathed out a long sigh and turned to look out the open end of the pipe to my right. Fang sat on the edge with his legs hanging out over the side. He sat there quietly, watching the dry lightning crack across the sky. He turned his head to glance back at me, hearing my startled arousal.

"You ok?" he asked calmly. His black wings were folded neatly along his spine, his feathers reflected the lightning's flash of light. Everything was pitch black, but my raptor vision could still pick out his sturdy form.

"Yeah, just checking on the kids." I shivered in the frigid air. Fang was shivering too in the wind of the storm.

"Angel sounds better." His dark eyes watched her carefully, a softness to them. He glanced back up at me.

"I think she's fighting through her illness."

"She's always been a fighter." Fang sighed and turned back to the dark sky above us. I could see the faint, dark outlines of cacti and brush against the darker sky. I made out the rocks and crevasses of the wash when the lightning lit up the sky in sparking tendrils.

"Now if only this storm will pass." I groaned and sat down next to him as he nodded. We sat in silence for a few moments, before Iggys body shot up out of a dead sleep. Fang and I glanced back at him, surprised.

"Someone's coming." Iggy whispered, large sightless blue eyes wide with fear. I was on my feet in a millisecond and had everyone else up within a minute. We stood huddled in the center of the drainage pipe as Iggy listened carefully, his head cocked to one side. No one even dared to breathe.

"Hey, what are you kids doing down here?" A males voice suddenly asked and it echoed throughout the pipe. I glared in the direction of the voice. Standing at the far end of the pipe in the wash was a young man, maybe 20 or so. He had brown hair in the same cut as Fang but slightly shorter. Green eyes looked anxiously in at us.

"None of your business." I snapped, standing in front of Angel with my arm holding her back. Fang stood strong next to me, his jaw clenched.

"There's a house just down the road here. You can stay the night there if you want, to get out of the rain." The man offered politely, his voice sounding sincere. I narrowed my eyes.

"You'll leave if you know what's good for you." Fang hissed.

"My name is Ben, I own this property until Barter Street," He pointed ahead as if we knew what he was talking about. "This is very much my business, and if you don't want my offer, I can always call the police for trespassing." Fang and I exchanged glances.

"Fine. Where is this house?" I barked, looking back at 'Ben'. His face lit up and he pointed a thumb behind him, again assuming we knew what was around here.

"Just up the way here. Please hurry, it's cold out tonight." Ben quickly walked out of the wash as we slowly fallowed him. Iggy squeezed Nudges hand reassuringly, I walked with Angel in front of me, and Fang covered our backs at the end with Gazzy gripping his jacket sleeve nervously. We walked up the wash, carefully avoiding any cacti or "bundles of death", as Nudge referenced them. Ben's house was indeed just up the road a little ways, but the storm had blocked our view of it. It was a small house, with a little driveway with a red truck sitting in it. The house was a rectangle with a flat roof, a wooden leantoo like structure jutted out of one side over a porch with a swing. The front yard was littered with more cacti and shrubs. And a large dog, a Pit Bull, barked at the door.