Thirteen

Max POV

"Ig, set that board here. Then grab this one." I instructed as I heaved another board into place. We were trying to block off three sides of the church tower balcony with wooden boards, sheet metal, anything that would provide cover from wind and snow. With the current weather, I knew that Jeb would be cranking down the heat rapidly. We needed a safe place that was warm enough for us to survive the temperature shifts.

"Hold on, give me a second." Iggy panted, leaning against the one finished wall. Gazzy and Nudge stopped too, taking a breather. Our breath came out in clouds that were quickly blown away by the frigid breeze. Working in such cold temperatures on little energy to begin with really wears you down. Not to mention Iggy's still healing collar bone.

"Gazzy, you ok? Nudge?" I looked over them both. They nodded, though also out of breath. "We'll finish this side and then try to find some food, alright?" The plan seemed to lift their spirits and Gazzy picked up another board.

"I can lower the sheet metal into place if you want to position it." Iggy offered and I smiled.

"Sure." I handed him the rope that was wrapped around a piece of sheet metal and he took off into the icy air. I carefully lowered the sheet metal until he was carrying its full weight. His gray wings beat hard and fast to hover above the top edge of the church balcony. The sheet metal hung in front of me and I carefully moved it to where I wanted it. Nudge leaned out with me to help secure it into place. I glanced up at Iggy to make sure he was ok. He was breathing hard and fast, his wings beating rhythmically to compensate for the weight. Once the sheet was in place I called up to him and he dropped the rope.

"That's it for this wall then." Gazzy said excitedly. I looked over our work so far. We had two of the three sides covered with wooden boards and sheet metal on the outside of them. It had been hard work but we were far from done. I wanted to patch the holes in the tower of the church so we had a secure area to shelter in. We still had a third wall to cover and figure out an entrance that we could lock. Iggy landed inside carefully, out of breath again, and his body shivering from the cold. He tucked his wings in and groaned as he leaned against the wall.

"You up for a hunting party?" I asked and he nodded.

"About time." He said as Gazzy high fived him. I'll never understand his accuracy.

We moved out, one after the other. Gazzy had told me about the frozen over creek he and Iggy had discovered when they first woke up here. We moved towards it quickly, wanting to be out of sight of any other creatures, and out of the cold. With the artificial sun getting lower, the temperature was dropping fast.

"Ig, Gazzy, break open the ice and figure out a way to get those fish. Nudge, keep watch in that tree. I'll cover this side." I ordered and everyone fell into line, carrying out their duties. Gazzy cracked the ice open with a large rock, water splashing everywhere. Iggy cupped some of the clear water and gulped it down with a sigh.

"Nothing like fresh spring water." He chuckled and pulled another layer of ice out of the way. Nudge stood in the tree behind us, shivering nervously as she scanned the clearing. I had my eyes peeled for any movement. After a few minutes, I heard Gazzy cheer as he flipped a fish onto the frozen bank of the creek. I glanced back to see Iggy smash its head as Gazzy reached back into the icy water.

"We got company guys." Nudge's alarm made all of us freeze. "Two creatures approaching, both can fly." Her voice sounded scared but she gave the accurate description. Gazzy flipped a second fish out of the water at that moment.

"Ig, grab the fish, we're getting out of here." I ordered and Nudge scrambled down from the tree to stand by me. Now I could see the figures standing in the tree line about 500 feet away. They looked curious but nervous at the same time. It didn't take them long to see our cargo, and they began sprinting towards us.

"Up and away!" Nudge said before I had the chance, and she leapt into the air. The creatures went airborne as well, rocketing towards us. They were the bat creatures I had heard of before. I jumped into the air and caught up with her, looking down to see the boys following closely. The creatures were far too close for my taste and I made a split second decision.

"Ig, give Nudge the load. We'll take care of these freaks now." I yelled and Iggy instantly dropped the fish, now several feet over my head. Nudge caught them without effort and she immediately bolted towards the church tower. The bat flyboys tried to follow her but Iggy crashed into them, knocking them off balance. They screeched and flipped around to attack. Three against two was a fair fight, but I quickly realized that they had small claws on each hand.

"Iggy, duck!" I yelled as both careened towards him. But they weren't aiming for Iggy, and they both twisted in the air, avoiding him, and smashed into Gazzy. Claws gripped into his clothes and wings and the tangled mess began falling. Gazzy was yelling and fighting with all his strength but the combined weight made it impossible to righten himself. With flapping wings and screams, they crashed into the semi frozen river below.

Iggy and I switched into auto pilot, diving down towards the mess. Gazzy and one of the flyboys were underwater in a fight to get to the surface. One of the flyboys hadn't survived the impact and lay crumpled in the shallower end of the river. With the sun now almost completely set, I knew that it would be critical to get Gazzy out of the frigid water. Both finally surfaced, but the flyboy was still trying to slice Gazzy to ribbons.

"Iggy, you still have that rope?" I yelled but he was already unraveling it. I opened my wings out wide to slow down, crashing my fist against the side of the flyboys head as I went. It spun around in surprise just as Iggy flew down with a loop in one end of the rope. It hooked around the waist of the creature and ripped him from the water as Iggy kept going. It screamed as it fell from the air, cracking against the ice further down the river. Iggy dropped onto it, crashing it through into the water, effectively breaking its wing.

"It's imobile, we gotta get Gazzy now." I said as we flew back down towards Gazzy. He was shivering in the hole of ice, completely soaked. Blood stained the ice around him and I wasn't sure if it belonged to him or the flyboys.

"Gaz, you still with us?" I called out to him but he was quiet, holding onto the edge of the ice with his arms and elbows. One wing lay draped across the ice while the other was semi folded in the water. "Ig, you stay up here, I'm going down."

"Be careful." He said but I was already gone. I landed on the bank and eased out onto the ice. It was thick ice, and it could hold my weight. I slowly made my way towards Gazzy. When I reached him, his eyes were clouded over and his breathing was fast and shallow. I reached out and grabbed his cold shoulder, shaking him lightly.

"Gazzy, come on." I said strongly, his eyes flicking to meet mine. He tried to pull himself out of the water, his wing flapping against the ice as he tried to gain traction. Ice was forming in his hair and in his feathers.

"I can't, it's no use!" His voice was high and panicking as he tried again to free himself.

"Calm down, it's alright. We're here." I said, putting both hands on his shoulders. His frame was shaking violently and his breaths were now sharp and hard. I looked up to see Iggy hovering above us, lowering the loop down to me. He had the other end of the rope tied around his chest like an X. I grabbed the loop and quickly tied it around Gazzy's chest.

"He won't be able to pull me out." Gazzy's scared voice shook as he struggled still. Iggy gave a few hard beats of his wings, rising higher. The rope went taught as he struggled against Gazzy's sopping wet weight. I hooked my arms under Gazzy's arms and pulled as hard as I could. I could feel the wind off Iggy's wing as he beat them as hard and fast as he could. Gazzy's other wing came above the water and he flapped as I pulled him up. With one last final heave of both Iggy and I, Gazzy now rested on the ice's surface.

"Come on, we gotta get you dry." I said, also now soaked. Iggy landed on the bank, his frame shaking.

"We can carry him." He said and I nodded, lifting Gazzy up awkwardly.

10 minutes of awkward flying later, we landed in a heap inside the church tower. Nudge had already built a fire but was frantic.

"What happened? Where are the flyboys and why are you guys wet?" She demanded as I moved closer towards the fire, pulling Gazzy. He was now unconscious and his pulse weak.

"Nudge, chill out for a minute, I gotta get Gazzy dry." I said quickly. "Ig, get his wet clothes off."

"Here, take my jacket." Nudge handed me her dry coat as I pulled Gazzy's shirt off. I wrapped him in the coat and breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes fluttered open. Iggy stood shaking by the fire, his shirt off as well. The rope had left burns in his sides. I looked down at Gazzy and saw burns as well. He also had cuts on his arms from the ice, but otherwise looked fine.

"What a day." Iggy said after a while. I looked up at him as he stood with his wings open to the fire to dry. I could see his ribs in the flickering light and I inwardly sighed. I wished I could get my hands on a decent amount of food, give us a break. The two fish were nearly done roasting on the fire and they smelled amazing. I could hear Iggy's stomach growling occasionally. We had burned some serious energy today, energy that we wouldn't afford. He had done the most out of all of us, between hauling sheet metal and then draggin Gazzy from the river. He was probably starving.

"You ok?" I asked him as he slowly sat down by the fire. He leaned against the balcony wall, his eyes looking distant.

"Fine, just a little light headed." He admitted, closing his eyes for a moment. I nodded, feeling similar honestly. Gazzy was sitting on his own by the fire now, still wrapped in Nudge's jacket. He looked like he was feeling a lot better now, but was still quiet. Everyone was exhausted and starving, no one felt like talking much.

"You get this half, I'll take this one." I handed Iggy half of one of the two fish. With the fish divided equally, we ate in silence. The fish was warm and tasted amazing, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. It took the sharp edge off our hunger, but we'd need more very soon.

"We'll finish this wall in the morning, then go out again. Maybe we can catch a deer or set a few traps." I said, trying to lift everyone's spirits. But they only nodded and tried to get comfortable for the night.

Iggy POV

My heart pounded in my chest and my breath came in huge rushes as I worked to steady the final piece of sheet metal Max and Nudge were securing. I hated feeling so weak, but I knew why I did. Gazzy had told me that this morning everything was covered in snow. The air felt like frozen needles and each breath I took stung like daggers. No wonder we all felt like crap. We had only eaten some fish in the past few days and we were constantly working or fighting. I couldn't even stand steadily last night without feeling like I was going to pass out. I swear my stomach had eaten itself and was moving onto my ribs next. If we didn't find a steady source of food soon, we would be in serious trouble.

"You're good, Ig!" I heard Max shout and I sighed a breath of relief, landing inside the balcony.

Angel POV

I woke up from Fang gently touching my shoulder. I looked up at him, still entangled in blankets. He had taken a shower, his hair still damp and stringy from the water, and he wore clean clothes.

"Get up sleepy head." He said quietly. "Hunter made breakfast. Go shower, we'll eat, and then get out of here." I quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. I heard Hunter begin talking to Fang, but I closed the door and turned on the hot water.

I had forgotten the amazing feeling of being clean, it had been far too long. I stood in front of the mirror as I combed my blonde hair, listening to Fang's steady voice as he talked to Hunter and Amy. They seemed concerned still, but made no objections to us wanting to leave. Both Hunter and Amy's minds were clear and true, and Fang's was calculating and attentive, but a fourth was there. It was faint and quiet, but undeniably there. My ears picked up a small noise from the farthest corner of the house, a sound like a door opening. Fang stopped talking, his mind now on high alert, clearly hearing the sound as well.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked, her voice concerned. I opened the door and mentally scanned the house. Three other minds were now here, and they were moving towards us.

"We need to go. Now." Fang said quickly, moving me towards the door. But suddenly yanked me back again as the door burst inwards, wood splintering everywhere. Hunter and Amy ducked but shards of wood flew everywhere, some scratching them on their way by. Two large men stood there, holding a huge battering ram. They dropped it and held up guns at us. Panicking, I looked behind us to see another exit route, but men had swarmed in from the back door as well.

"No one move!" The largest man growled. To my horror, he shot Amy in the chest and she hit the ground instantly. Hunter screamed and was by her side in tears, holding her hand. Fang held his arm in front of me, pushing me slightly behind him.

"She didn't need to die." Fang hissed. The man just smiled, putting away his gun.

"A necessary evil to accomplish our goal. Now, unless you want the man to die as well, I suggest coming with us." He crooned and Fang set his jaw.

"And is we refuse? I demanded. I watched one of the men behind us light the curtains on fire. Wide eyed, I spun back to the man in charge. "Stop, we haven't done anything!" I couldn't penetrate his mind either, couldn't manipulate anything.

"Precisely. Let's go." He said and looked back at Fang. The fire spread up the curtain and was now eating away at the ceiling paint, slowly filling the room with smoke.

"Who are you people?" Hunter pleaded, tears in his eyes. I looked back at him, feeling the pricking of tears in my own eyes. All he had done was help us, and now his wife was dead. Her blood was splattered across his clothes and on his hands. "Answer me!" But a gunshot echoed across the room a second later, and he fell forward.

"Now, no more stalling. It will be you next, though not fatally. Just enough to cause a little pain." The man sneered. Fang clenched his jaw, but nodded. We were trapped. There was no fighting out of this one. Although it gave us our route to the school, we had now lost the element of surprise. I still had no idea how they had found us either...