Night Phoenix

Chapter 3

        The car started and there was a brief pause before Chandler pulled out of the parking lot of the bar and started to drive.

        "I'll drop you and Echo off and then I'll walk home." He said softly. "I shouldn't even be driving right now anyways, I've been drinking. We all have."

        Xylon shook his head gently. It was almost 2am, why would Chandler even want to walk home after dropping off his friends?

        "No, man, you can stay with Echo and I tonight." He turned his head towards Chandler and blinked slowly, clearly very tired.

        "Yeah, we don't mind. Not like anyone else lives with us. And your two cats can go a night without seeing you." Echo teased from the backseat.

        Chandler sighed but after a moment he gave a small laugh.

        "Fine, fine, I'll stay with you guys tonight. But if my cats starve to death it'll be your fault." He smiled gently as he put his blinker on and took a right turn.

        Xylon forced a little laugh to show that he heard before he turned his head to look out the window. It was a peaceful night. The moon was very high in the sky, full and round.

        He looked away from the sky as Chandler drove by the small lake that wasn't far from their neighborhood. The water was still and it reflected the trees and the moon. Xylon and Echo always loved to sit on one of the cliffs and have picnics as they watched the water below. The memories of him and his sister on the small cliff made him smile.

Suddenly, the car jolted forward, the tires screeching as Chandler slammed on the breaks.

"God!" Xylon screamed as the seatbelt locked, preventing him from flying forward any further. Echo shrieked as well, her nose hitting against the back of Chandler's seat.

"What was that for?!" She yelled, seeming more confused and scared than angry.

"Look!" Chandler motioned with his hand to the sight in the middle of the road. Xylon and Echo both shifted their appalled gazes to the path in front of them.

Blood was smeared against the road, and there lay a woman. Her back was to everyone else and she was clearly messed up fairly bad. Then there was another girl that was kneeling in front of her, shaking her with tears rolling down her distraught face.

The kneeling girl suddenly looked up at the car, her face twisted with tears. She held the stare with the car for a moment longer before she looked down at the other girl again, continuing to shake her.

"Oh shit!" Xylon gasped, covering his mouth with one of his hands. The other one gripped the handle on his door.

Chandler put the car in park and suddenly opened his door, slamming it and running over to the two of them.

Xylon turned his head to Echo, his voice sharp.

"Stay here." He ordered to her before he opened his door as well, and got out of the car.

"Hey! But I want to-" Echo's retort was cut off when Xylon shut the door. He half expected her to get out anyway, but her door never opened. He jogged over to the two girls, opening his mouth to speak, but Chandler spoke first.

"What happened to you guys?! How bad are you hurt?" He asked quickly, his eyes wide. Xylon wasn't surprised at his urgency. Chandler had been in medical school for five years before he dropped out.

The conscious girl looked up at him and sobbed.

"My sister! We were attacked! Please help my sister!" She begged, clasping her hands together in a plea.