I look up at the Guardians and their radiant wings flying against the still air.
“So, if Angel feathers are what they need to get more drugs, then you guys—” Rio finishes my thought.
“We are a major payday for them.”
“Exactly why we need to find Lakom before—” Marcus never gets to finish his sentence.
A few yards away from us, a Tic grunts out a series of loud noises. The entire town of Terra never realized we were there until then. At once every single Tic registered our presence by turning towards us.
“Why didn’t they see us before?” I ask.
“It’s like they are sleepwalking when they’re under the influence. But sooner or later, one of them comes back to reality, if only for a short time,” Miku says.
“That’s when they realize there are Angels among them,” Jay says.
“I’m guessing that’s bad,” I say almost to myself.
“Very bad,” Rio confirms.
Suddenly, every Tic in Terra is headed our way. It only takes seconds for the mob of zombie Angels to surround us. It looks like a scene out of a bad Halloween flick. The teens are eaten by a mob of flesh-eating monsters. But in the movies, you can fast forward the parts that scare you. We will not have that luxury.
The Tics force us into the center of the mob. There are hundreds of them. They grunt and howl like animals.
“We can take them,” Marcus says.
“Yes, but should we?” Miku asked.
“Should we? Hell yeah we should!” Jay whispers to us.
“I’m just saying they are Angels just like us. They have souls,” Miku explains.
“I don’t care if they have my grandmother’s eyes and my mama’s meatloaf recipe. We take ’em down,” Jay insists.
“The soul argument is a little weak Pretty; they barely have any soul left,” Ameana replies.
“That’s not the point.”
“Well, when is an Angel not really an Angel anymore?” Rio asks.
“That sounds like a great topic. Maybe we could get it to trend on Twitter later. But right now, can we just find a way out?” I ask.
“We can’t hurt them Marcus. I won’t,” Miku insists.
The Tics study the Guardian’s wings as if they’re too good to be true. Marcus takes my hand and places me behind him. I could point out that since I don’t have wings, I’m no danger but then again, they ripped their own body parts off...
“Can you use your shield?” Marcus asks Rio.
“They’re too close,” Rio replies.
“They weak man, we got this,” Jay says.
“What they lack in strength they make up for in desperation. The last time I underestimated an addict, she killed me,” Marcus warned.
He then signals to Ameana. Before I can get a handle on what’s happening, a rust-infested car cuts through the air and heads straight into the crowd. The Tics try to get out of the way but many don’t make it in time.
The team tries to take to the air but nothing happens. Rio says it’s a no-fly zone and we have to make a run for it. We turn back and find that Tics, no matter how drugged out, don’t care to be attacked. We have now pissed off the entire town of Terra.
They run after us with renewed dedication. They take off in speeds I didn’t think they were capable of. We bolt down the street.
“We need to take them out, Marcus,” Jay says.
“No, we aren’t killing our own,” Miku protests.
“Look at them Miku; they have no issues taking us out.”
“I’m not singing to them,” Miku vows.
“They’re trying to kill us. C’mon yo!” Jay says, frustrated.
“Then Glide away, whatever,” Miku retorts
“I’m not gonna Glide and leave my team.”
“How can they run this fast?” I ask.
“They know if they catch us, it will buy them an unlimited supply of drugs,” Rio says.
Seconds later, a Tic gets close enough to Jay. He lunges into the air and drags Jay down to the floor. Within seconds, half a dozen Tics invade Jay’s body. The team fights to pull them off. They aren’t strong, but the sheer number of the mob makes it difficult for the team to get a good handle on the situation.
The Tics are like bees. One of them is easy to take care of, but when they number in the hundreds, they are deadly. The Tics leap on top of the Guardians, a dozen to each member. They pull, claw, and bite their way towards the Guardian’s wings.
The Guardians fling Tics to the left and right but the more they fend off, the more come back. Then a voice speaks with a heavy British accent:
“Perhaps I could be of service, madame?”
“Lakom!” I turn and find my favorite “not a Genie” standing a few yards away.