When the Wind Blows - James Patterson [53]
Ohgodohgod what was this? What could she do? She had to escape!
They had her in some kind of strong animal net. They had caught her! The creeps!
Max scootched back on the ground until she was up hard against the bark of a quaking aspen. The leaves clicked and clattered together as she tried to raise herself to her feet. She was crying and shrieking, beating her wings furiously, hurting herself, trying to hurt them somehow. She wasn’t, though. They were too crafty—too human.
The woman doctor was talking to her, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t listen to what she was saying.
She would not be put to sleep! She wouldn’t give up now! She wasn’taloser!
The man reached out to her and she batted his hand away. She struck out hard at him, remembering how Uncle Thomas would grab her to get control, to get his way.
The man’s hand reached toward her again. Feinting one way—then clutching. Sneaky, crafty man!
He was trying to grab her and win. She bit his hand, really hurting him, and heard him say a swear word.
She kicked out hard with her strong legs. Missed him. “Take it easy,” he was saying. “Just take it easy. Jesus, she’s strong, Frannie.”
His hand came again, reaching near her face, reaching for her wings.
Uncle Thomas was in her mind. She could see his despicable face. Ugh! Ugh!
Max covered her head, bent over, made herself into a little ball, but she couldn’t escape the terrifying net. It dripped over her in folds and there was no end to it.
Oh, I made a horrible mistake. I shouldn’t have been watching them.I shouldn’t have rested.
The doctor was talking to her. Trying to, anyway. Typical doctor crap. Always so soft, the whispers, the lies coming so gently, so easily. Just like with Uncle Thomas and the other creeps.
“Everything’s going to be all right. Please trust us. Please, darling. We won’t hurt you.”
Liars! You are hurting me. YOU ARE HURTING ME NOW!
Max screamed again, even louder this time. But no words—just screams!
Her voice came right back at her in the mountain air, the echo mocking her.
This was so unfair. So bad!
The doctor tried to get closer and closer. Max saw something clutched in her hand. It wasn’t a gun but it was just as bad.
No, it was much worse.
She knew what it was.
It was a needle!
Max would not be put to sleep.
NO! NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! I’LL BITE YOU! I’LL KILL YOU!
She glared at the woman doctor with all the hatred and fierceness she could muster. Then she swung her gaze back to the man, who was coming around behind her, sneaking around. She didn’t know who to look at anymore, which of them was more dangerous to her.
She looked back at the doctor! Then at the man again. It was getting harder and harder to keep up with their movements.
The doctor started yelling, “Bring her down, Kit. Do it now! ”
Max wanted to call for help, but she knew that no one would come. There was no one anywhere who would help her. Except maybe Matthew. Oh God, where was her brave little brother?
She sucked in more air and opened her mouth to scream again. The scream never got past her throat.
Chapter 53
WE HAD THE GIRL in a “mist net,” actually a couple of them. The nets were used to trap large wild birds for banding.
The netting was light enough so that it wouldn’t damage wings or crimp feathers much. It doesn’t so much bind as tangle, preventing her from doing anything but thrash. And she was thrashing!
I felt as if I were about to have my third—or maybe it was my fourth—heart attack in the last couple of days.
I was close enough to the girl to touch her. Swiftly, I did it—I touched her. All right, she was for real. She existed. She was flesh and blood and my fingers had just touched her miraculous wing. Below the wings and attached somehow were her arms. She was double-limbed and it looked and worked just fine.
She wasn’t tiring, but I sure was. She was still furiously fighting the net. Her beautiful white and silver-blue feathers were floating around us, and I was terrified that