17Maximum ride- Breaking free
Chapter 1- The breakout
Tess's POV
I was tossed unceremoniously back into the cage, my ears ringing from the severe cuff one of the erasers had dealt me. I hit the metal floor with a thud and closed my eyes. Darkness was good. When my eyes were closed and the world was dark I could pretend that I wasn't here, that I was somewhere else far away with no erasers, or whitecoats, or experiments. In that mystery place I could be myself, and actually be allowed to talk. I wanted that more than anything.
The little girl on my left snored gently, and I envied her for being allowed to make noise. Her little dragonfly wings uncurled slightly from her back and she rolled over onto her stomach. She snorted before falling silent, only her breath indicating life. She was so innocent, yet somehow dealt the bad hand and sent here.
There was a grunt and the bull/human hybrid in the cage to my right shifted his weight. I glanced in his direction and saw, after my brain mapped it out, that the new way he was sitting would cut off circulation in his leg and give him pins and needles. I would tell him, but for the talking rule. My own health was more important than a numb leg.
I should have spoken up.
The bull boy grunted again. Repeatedly. The look on his face projected urgency, so I listened carefully. After about a minute the math had calculated itself and I was fluent in bullspeak. It was just a substitution of sounds, different pitched grunts equaling different English noises. Clock he spoke. Clock- time? He wanted the time. I was the only cage with view of the clock. I glanced at it. 8:43 pm. I turned to the bull boy, holding up eight fingers, then four, then three. He grunted again. Wait two. Out. Tonight. All hybrids, 'scape. Two.
My pulse quickened as I figured out what he meant. He was planning an escape. This was my chance.
My chance to break out.
If we were caught we would be punished, maybe even terminated, but that was probably better than staying here until we die. That would either be from sensory overload, blood loss, or a fight to the death where one would emerge and the other would be a body for the whitecoats to study.
I would rather take my chances.
I nodded at bull boy, and he asked again. Clock? I checked again. 8:44. I signaled to him. He replied 8 4 5 say when. I stared at the clock hard. It stared back at me and the little green numbers winked tauntingly in front of my vision. Just as they started swimming before my eyes they changed.
8:45.
Sylvia's POV
I released the wire and spit on my arms. The cuts closed up and left only faint lines where they had been open wounds before. I hated this life, hated it. I desperately needed eyeliner and lipstick and hair dye. Black clothes and combat boots would be good too. Not that it could ever happen or anything. That was just false hope.
I looked at the clock. Idle minds tend to wander to the most trivial things, and mine was the time. 8:44. I sighed. This place was hell. I extended my wings as far as the cage would allow, stroking the tiny feathers fondly. The fact that I was part bat and bird gave me unique wings, the color of dried blood in the shape and structure of a bat, and extremely small feathers that looked like scaly skin. My hair was way too light to fit the whole gothic picture though. I hated being blond. I really need some hair dye. Black. A much better, more sensible color.
Then the clock became 8:45 and all hell broke loose.
Missi's POV
The crash shook my cage and rattled my bones, jerking me from my sleep. I sat up at lightning speed and looked around wildly. Literally lightning speed. Adrenaline gave me super speed power. Not bad for a 7 year old.
The hybrid 2 cages down was ramming his head against the cage door. I could tell by his horns that he was part bull, and the metal was actually bending under the force. The girl right next to me seemed terrified, and was quivering. I notice though, that even in her confusion her eyes darted around the scene with unnatural speed. But then again, was anything here natural?
The girl counted under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear. She must have noticed I was awake. "Five, four, three, two . . ."
The boy's cage collapsed and he pranced around, free. Envy threatened to turn me green. It was like he read my mind. He went to the girl next door and busted her crate open. She jumped free with a happy sigh, before immediately covering her mouth and looking around in fear. It was scary to see a big kid like that. The bull boy was going to start on my cage when the girl leaned down and whispered something into his ear. He snorted in response, repositioning himself slightly, and rammed into my cage's lock. It shattered in one hit and I was freed.
I scrambled out of the cage as the bull boy grunted something. The girl actually seemed to understand and quickly unlatched the door. They ran out and I followed. Whitecoats would be here soon, and we certainly didn't want to be around.
But despite the danger my mind was rejoicing. I was out of the cage and it hadn't been to do tests. The whitecoats weren't watching me every move, and I could wiggle as much as I wanted.
I was free, and it was wonderful.
Just a short piece, a teaser really. I apologize for the wait, life has been busy. The first couple chapters should be up within the next two weeks. Reviews with ideas for plot bits help, hint hint.
I thank all of you for your support and contributions.
-M