Maximum Ride: Awakened

CHAPTER 10

I'm probably overreacting. Maybe they were old friends with her and just wanted to talk? Or they just so happened to be going in the same direction. I went deeper into the alleyway. It was almost a maze at that point, and I couldn't see the crowd anymore. Dusk had hit, so it was a lot more difficult for me to see the dimly lit area. But, past a few dumpsters and trash cans, I saw them. Or maybe I should be a freaking psychic?

One of the guys was trying to put a gag on the girl, while the other two thugs held her still. She was crying and struggling to break away from them. My blood was scolding.

"Hey!" I yelled.

The thugs turned around and noticed me. One of the guys holding the girl let go and rushed me with a knife. He tried to shank me, but I simply grabbed his arm and twisted it.

That's when I noticed something. I was still slower than usual, but compared to those guys, I was a bodybuilder. It didn't feel like fighting Ari or the Flock. It was like playing with a paper doll. The last human I ever fought was Jeb, and that was two years ago. I never noticed how strong I got.

I felt an overwhelming, maleficent sense of joy from that fact. I squeezed his arm as hard as I could until I heard a snap. The guy dropped the knife and screamed. He looked up at me with coldblooded fear, and I felt like a god. I picked him up, one-handed, and threw him at the dumpster. He yelped before hitting the ground. He was shaking, and it made me feel so good.

Did that deter the other thugs? Nope. One of them pushed the girl down, and the two of them ran for me. I punched the first in the face, and before he fell, I grabbed his arm. I spun him around and launched him into the second guy. They tumbled over each other and laid on the ground. I walked over and stomped on one of the guy's legs. I heard that familiar crack and scream that comes with a broken bone. I picked up the other guy and used him as a personal punching bag, hitting him in the face until there was blood on my fist.

When I felt satisfied, I dropped him. That's when I snapped out of my delusion and realized my mistake. The guy on the ground with the broken leg pulled a gun out on me. I tried to dodge it, but I was still too slow.

I saw a flash accompanied by an earsplitting bang, and my right shoulder suddenly felt hot. I couldn't feel my arm. I got dizzy and stumbled back, but I somehow kept standing. I could hear the thugs yelling at each other to get out of there, and I could see them limping away. I tried to chase after them, but I hit the ground instead.

My shirt started to feel wet, then my face, until I saw a stream of blood trailing off into the street. No! I'm not about to die again! I attempted to move but only managed to flip myself over. I felt tired, and I could feel myself blacking out again. That's when someone stood over me. It was that girl.

She was still crying, but she looked more worried than afraid. She put me on my side and lifted my shirt. Then I heard the sound of a phone beeping three times before ringing.

"No," I said.

The girl either didn't hear or just ignored me. The phone kept ringing.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hi. I-I'm with a girl, and she got shot," the girl said.

I could feel myself fading. But the only thing worse than that was the thought of going to a hospital and being discovered. That's when the girl lifted my undershirt. The person on the phone asked for our location, but the girl went silent. The last thing I heard before seeing nothing but darkness was the sound of her phone beep one more time.