Wings – Chapter 5

She hurried towards him and without hesitation took the bricks off of him. His head was blooded. His arms and legs too. But he wasn’t dead. She noticed he was still breathing. Barely breathing, but he was alive.

He needed help. The paramedics needed to save him! She had seen many ambulances in front of the building but they were not going to come in. He was going to die if he didn’t receive any help quickly. He was going to die!

‘No, no he isn’t!’ she thought. ‘I must help him.’

She lifted the man up with minimal effort. But how was she going to take him out of the building? There was fire everywhere and bricks falling down. He would die by the time they get out.

She needed a shield.

She knew what she had to do.

‘I don’t want to do this. I will expose myself and they might find me! But I can’t let this man die!’ she said to herself.

She sighed and still holding the man, decided to transform.

Her body grew, one, twice, nine times her normal size. Her face expanded and her head grew horns. Her body became muscled and her feet changed into hooves. Her back grew wings that expanded five meters to each side. She covered the wounded fireman with her wings and ran.

The wings protected the man from any falling rocks and any fire they encountered.

She ran until she hit a thick wall. It was the side wall of the building. She broke through it and spread her wings before they could fall.

In all that chaos, they did not see her. She put the wounded man close to an ambulance and retreated but she kept watching. His life became her responsibility somehow.

The paramedics quickly spotted the fireman. They did not wonder how he had ended up there. They quickly came to his rescue and the fireman was soon taken by the ambulance to the nearest hospital. But he was not alone. The girl was following them from within the darkness. She flew from one building to the other her eyes on the ambulance. She did not care about being seen, she just wanted to see the fireman saved and well.

They reached the hospital. She saw them take the fireman inside but she could no longer follow what happened next. Unless she went inside, there was no way of knowing if the fireman was going to be well or not. But going inside would be a high risk she was not willing to take.

It was three o’clock in the morning. The girl, sad and worried, was roaming the streets. They never looked for her in this part of the city. There were only poor houses and sad people in this area. But the poor people in this area were more polite to her than the people in the richer areas. Poor people always greeted her or smiled sometimes while rich people would call her names or even push her out of their way because they were always so very busy with their own small lives. It had nothing to do with money, she thought, it was just the way people were raised. But why were most of them raised that way?

A man passed her by. He was wearing a coat that reminded her of the fireman. Had he survived?

Or perhaps he was dead already? That thought made her shiver. Why was she so worried about him? Was it his face? She hadn’t seen it clearly, he was still wearing his mask. Was it because it was the first time she ever saved a human being? Perhaps that was it. She felt responsible for him. Of course during her captivity the doctors forced her into all kinds of tests including rescuing animals to see her level of affection but this was different. This was real.

The hospital was restless. There had been a few deaths and many severely wounded due to the office building that had caught fire.

The hospital building was buzzing with doctors, nurses, family and friends of the victims, police trying to find out the reason behind the fire. And so, no one paid attention to the shadow flying around the hospital, going around in circles trying to find the man she had rescued.

She looked through every window, searched and examined each patient she spotted.  Some of them she didn’t want to see as they seemed about to die. It was cruel to see so much pain and so much suffering. Though, one of the patients, an old woman, was just sitting in her bed peacefully. She was reading a book and she was smiling though her leg was lifted up and put in a cast.

People in hospitals were so much different than the people she saw on the streets. People here were every emotional. They either cried or laughed a lot but it all seemed very genuine. On the other hand, what did she know about human emotions? The things they taught her in captivity were not real. Not as real as the world outside.

She stopped.

He was there in one of the rooms. He was sleeping or so it appeared. Or was he in pain? His face was bruised and he was connected to all kinds of machines. She was sure it was him. There was a fireman mask on a chair, half burned and broken. She hoped his face was all right. She was going to stay there, climbed over his balcony and watch over him until he wakes up. No way was she going to leave before making sure he was all right.

‘Nevertheless, I am not leaving your side until I know you are all right,’ she whispered.

She wondered what will happen to him when he wakes up. Will he know about her? Will the police come and ask him questions? They might ask him about how he was able to walk from the building to the hospital. What if they realize it was her? That was impossible. Humans didn’t know she existed. Only the bad humans knew. They wanted to catch her and hurt her.

 

Wings – Chapter 4

She heard a woman’s cry. And so she walked towards the voice.

‘I can’t jump! Help!’

There were several offices along the hallway and the girl realized this was an office of some kind. The voice was coming from one of the offices.

The girl found a desperate woman standing before a small window. The woman held a dog in her arms and she was too busy shouting at the firemen coming to her rescue to notice the girl watching her. The smoke and fire made it impossible to see as well, but the girl…the girl saw everything. She even wanted to help the woman but then two firemen reached the window. One of them took hold of the dog and disappeared down the ladder. The other fireman helped the woman who was now hysterically crying. They then climbed down the ladder leaving the fire and the girl behind. But the girl was mesmerized by their bravery. They were taking risks, putting their lives in danger for others. They should have had her abilities. More people should have had that. Why did she have to be special?

Sirens and screams were heard outside. The girl looked down the window. There were police cars, ambulances and fire trucks everywhere. There were wounded people everywhere. She spotted the woman and her dog sitting in an ambulance as the paramedics were helping her. Firemen were running in all directions. Chaos everywhere!

‘All this because of a fire.’ she thought.

She walked through the building watching the destructive fire consume it all. Parts of the building started falling down. She had to avoid a rock here and there. Though she did not feel temperature nor did it harm her, giant rocks could, if she remained in her vulnerable human form. She could have transformed but what if someone saw her?

She found another window and looked down to see what was happening now. There were people jumping on a fluffy pillow. A bold man in his underwear just jumped. People came to his aid as soon as he reached the ground.

The building shook and glass broke. There was an explosion.

Three firemen exited the building. They were covered in ashes and they barely made it outside.

Another explosion took place.

People distanced themselves from the building.

Perhaps she should leave this building as well, she thought. But that part of her that wanted risks told her to stay calm, stay there, enjoy the view. Standing in the middle of a burning building, the girl decided to dance and run her way out. She hurried through the collapsing corridor, jumped from one side to the other avoiding rocks and then reached a floor with a giant crack in it, the rest of it had crashed on the level below.

She jumped over the crack to continue her path. But then, she stopped.

A man was on the level below, crushed under a pile of bricks. He wore a fireman suit.

Wings – Chapter 3

Chapter 1. Saved by the shadows

 

She noticed they were following her for some time now. They were too obvious in those big suits and broad shoulders.

As soon as she saw the subway sign, she hurried down the stairs. She hoped she could lose them in the crowd.

‘She’s heading the subway,’ said one of the agents surprised of the girl’s sudden move.

‘You think she’s on to us?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe? For sure! Now she’s running through the crowd, come on!’

She thought of taking the subway for a moment but then she realized it might be better to go through the passage, exit the subway, find an abandoned street and get rid of them there.

The two agents pushed their way through the crowd. If they lost track of the girl who knew what their boss will do to them.

The girl did as she planned and went through the passage, up the stairs and kept running until she reached an alley with a dead end.

It was around eight o’clock in the evening. The freezing November wind blew in her face as she stood still staring at the sky. She didn’t feel the cold temperature. They said it was because she was special. But, she didn’t want to be special. She didn’t want to be special anymore and live forever in fear.

She heard their footsteps. They were coming closer.

She kept staring at the dark, clear sky. It was such a beautiful night and such bright stars. She slowly stretched her arms as if she wanted to reach for the stars. Her eyes closed feeling the power within her. Her feet slowly rose from the ground. She felt as though the sky and the stars were getting closer, as though she was becoming one of the stars.

She flew. The wind was powerfully hitting her face, swimming through her hair. She was part of the sky, that’s where her home was, why couldn’t they understand that? Why couldn’t they let her free?

She landed on one of the high buildings close by. One of the reasons why she liked this city was because of the high constructions. They felt safe, away, distant and safe.

She watched the alley where she had stood no more than 1 minute ago. The two men were there, looking for her, their weapons drawn.

‘Where did she go?’ asked one of the agents.

‘Where do you think, stupid?’ said the other looking up. He didn’t expect her to fly just like that, in the middle of the city, of the crowded center and yet she did. ‘She could be anywhere now!’

‘Really?’ answered the other agent sarcastically. ‘I didn’t know you were that smart! Come on! We have to tell Dan. He’s going to kill us!’

She saw the agents leave. She grew scared. What if they will send a helicopter again? They knew her location and it was only a matter of time until they would find her just like they did all those other times.

No more flying tonight, she decided. She had to hide somewhere and stay there for the night. Yes, hiding was the best thing to do. No more flying tonight but…she needed to get off the high building.

Without hesitation the girl threw herself off the building. She flew once more but this time at even higher speed. She was going down so fast that she almost lost her balance. Instead of reaching for the bridge, she ended up on the roof of some old building.

‘I should stop flying recklessly!’ she said to herself though sometimes, especially when she was angry, she loved to take risks. She didn’t have much time to think about her behavior. Something was wrong with the building she had landed on. Smoke was rising up in the air.

The girl opened the roof door. Fire welcomed her. She entered anyway. Fire could not harm her. She could not feel the heat nor would her skin burn from it.

She walked inside the building surrounded by heavy smoke and merciless fire.

‘Help! Hurry! Help!’

Wings – Chapter 2

The baby’s loud cries startled everyone within the castle, including the king. ‘Where are the cries coming from? Whose baby is it?’ he asked his servants. No one knew.

The king ordered his men to search the castle. He wanted to know at once where the cries were coming from. And so his men searched the castle, all rooms, the kitchen, the servant rooms, the cellars, catacombs, the stables. The baby’s cries were not coming from there. The crying was coming from high above, up in the castle. The king realized his men had searched the entire castle, all rooms, all but one! His daughter’s locked chamber.

The king furiously reached his daughter’s room. The baby’s cries were louder here. The baby was inside the chamber!

‘Break down the doors!’ shouted the king. And his men did as ordered. They broke the lock, broke the door and when they entered…

The princess was on the balcony. The baby was in her arms, crying. The princess was…giving away her baby to a giant monster!

‘Attack!’ screamed the king. His men quickly drew their swords and those equipped with bows shot arrows. But it was too late. As soon as the monster held the baby in its arms, it flew away from the balcony avoiding all the arrows.

The princess remained in the chamber, alone, crying.

‘What have you done, daughter?’ shouted the king. The princess only cried though it was not out of regret. She kept looking at the balcony.

‘You have betrayed me!’ roared the king. ‘You have betrayed me and thus shall be punished!’

The princess continued to cry but she did not seem bothered by the king’s threats. She was crying for her baby. She was crying for the monster.

The monster was now far away from the castle flying with all its power and might holding the baby in its arms. They reached a forest and the monster flew towards a cave hidden deep into the wilderness.

The baby had stopped crying. Though a monster was holding him, he was not afraid. He just looked at the monster and smiled happily as though it was…The monster suddenly transformed from the hideous beast into a handsome man with dark blue skin. The baby looked normal but now and then his skin also changed color resembling the handsome man.

‘What have you done?’ a voice was heard. An old woman made her appearance at the cave entrance. ‘Who is that?’ she asked the man as she stared at the baby.

‘He is my son, mother!’ Answered the man.

‘It’s impossible!’ gasped the old woman. ‘It is human!’ She gaped at the man in disbelief.

‘Only half human,’ he responded. ‘His mother is in danger!’ The man gave the baby to the old woman. ‘Please take care of him!’ he said.

‘Where are you going?’ asked the woman as the man changed into the hideous monster once more.

‘I must rescue her!’ he said with a deep, twisted voice yet emotion was clearly sensed in his words.

‘They will kill you!’ said the old woman.

‘I belong with her!’ he said. ‘I belong with my love!’

Before she could say another word, the monster flew away without looking back.

The woman knew he would not come back. She looked at the baby in her arms, he was her grandchild. The baby smiled at her and giggled.

‘What am I to do with you?’ she asked him. ‘You’re neither us nor them!’ she complained. ‘Neither flying nor walking.’ But the baby was doing something strange. Something, the old woman did not expect. His skin color changed resembling his father’s and on his little back a small little wing appeared. The old woman smiled. ‘Or perhaps you are both, both races, stronger, better! You are the first of your kind, a new race. I shall call your race Wings. And you my son, are the first Wing!’

Wings – Chapter 1

Ancient books and scrolls revealed stories of monsters that haunted castles and frightened villagers pure for their own enjoyment. The monsters were never seen during the daylight but the damage they caused during darkness was severe…

 

785 BC. Shadow monsters terrorized the kingdom of Nouvre. The locals gathered every Thursday night to discuss new plans of keeping their people and the king’s castle safe. The king organized these gatherings together with his wife, sons and daughters. Everyone was present from blacksmith to baker, from priest to soothsayer, everyone…except for the king’s youngest daughter.

She never attended the gatherings and never showed her face beyond the walls of her chamber. Some said it was her own choice but others believed the king himself locked her away due to her unstable personality. She was indeed different than the rest. A “cursed girl” people called her.

She never agreed with anyone especially when it came to those monsters that haunted the kingdom at night. She was always defending them, trying to convince others that the monsters were harmless…Nobody sympathized with her, not even the king.

‘I try to convince my people that we need to take measures then my own daughter starts with her unbelievably insane ideas!’ he often used to say. Until one day she no longer left her chamber. It was for the best, according to the king.

The king’s daughter had an extraordinary large balcony decorated with colorful flowers and blooming roses. She cared for the flowers herself as no one ever entered her chamber. She received her food through a small slot in the locked door. No one ever talked to her, no one actually knew how she looked now as she had been isolated for years now. But, everyone knew she was still alive as she always took the food served and there was always a shadow roaming the chamber.

What nobody knew was that the king’s daughter had a secret. This secret manifested itself when no one was around. This always happened on Thursday night, exactly when everyone was present at the weekly gatherings.

Every Thursday night, when the castle was deserted, the king’s daughter stood on her balcony, looked up at the sky and stood there for hours, her long hair shining under the moonlight, the wind gently touched her red cheeks. Sometimes she would stretch her arm as if reaching for the stars. In some evenings she would wait and wait before anything happened. But it always happened. A shadow appeared in the balcony. A giant shadow in the shaped of a bull with enormous bat wings. It stood in the balcony. The girl was not afraid. She simply entered her room and the shadow followed.

Sometimes you could spot the shadow leaving her chamber. For a moment it wouldn’t look like a giant bull but as a human.

It was after a year when it all took a terrible turn.

It was a stormy night and the castle was suddenly shaken by the cries of…a baby.