Chapter 21: Feather of Spirit (Conclusion)

It was night as I flew across the ocean. Although the evening air was unbelievably cold, I was sweating like hell. Partly because I was flying toward civilization. Partly because I was all worked out with all the flapping and fighting with the air currents. Sometimes the turbulence made by upper drafts and lower drafts were so powerful, that I had almost lost control of my wings. My forehead was matted with perspiration; my body the same as well. While I was passing over the unlimited chaotic waves, I was imagining what they would say when they saw me. I suspected that they would exclaim first, then flee for their lives. I laughed to myself as I gazed around the infinite blackness. They would do that all right. They always thought about themselves instead of me. I was nothing but an obstruction to their lives. Well... This time, I would make sure they remembered me, forever.

I frowned as I dodged a few lingering seagulls that were shouting with tiredness. Dumb birds, I thought while I readjusted my course, why couldn't they just find a place to rest? Why would they even bother coming out into the land that consisted of nothing but uneven mirror surface which reflected the white moon floating in the sky? If only the waves would calm down... Then I would be able to see myself. Actually... to be frank, I didn't want to see myself anymore. I didn't want to see how I had become a monster. With my current state, I couldn't even be considered as a human anymore. I, Tobieaz Redil, had officially become a mutant, with wings.

I steered myself away from the cargo ships as they blew their horns and drifted away below me. What would they do if they had seen me? Two possible solutions: they could scream for help or they could sound the alerts by informing the authorities back on land that a freak was coming to destroy them all. A small bird smashed into my left shoulder, leaving a bloody red mark. A few feathers floated down from the collision point. I couldn't see what kind of bird it was for the light of the moon had cast an impenetrable shadow on the small, flying creature. It wheeled downward and disappeared.

Turning my head around, I shouted: "Stupid bird!"

I could feel my blood dripping down from the open gash. The beak must have sliced my flesh open. Well, it didn't matter now. I didn't even know if I would survive or not. Most likely, when they saw me, they would just whip out their guns and blast me to death. I sighed as I continued to fly on. I wasn't afraid of death anymore. In fact, there really was no point of me to live on. What could I do by myself, rejected by the callous world? Eat worms, insects? God, I was still a human deep inside! Why couldn't any of them see that? Why must people judge others by appearances? What could they accomplish by showing prejudice toward each other just because they were different from one another?

My back and shoulder muscles were yelling with protest while I forced myself to keep up the speed. My wings arced upward and downward with each flap. I needed to reach the land by early morning. It was my goal to see them once more at the twilight. It was my dream to visit my old home once more. It was my dream to finally confront them all without fear, nervousness, and anger. I just wanted to say hi to them. I just wanted to see them, that was all. I knew, somehow, deep in my heart, that they would understand. After all, it was several years since the last time that I had seen them. I knew that even though they despite me, they would still talk to me. They would, right? Yes, they would. I reassured myself with those thoughts, even though my mind was going crazy. I didn't know whether if it was apprehension that I was feeling or confusion that I was feeling right now. Either way, I was only several hours away from my destination. With my sharp eyesight, I could see the distant land looming in closer and closer within a sea of fine mist.

By the crack of dawn, I was flying over the harbor. I was so weak that I didn't know if I could stay in the air any longer. The smell of the iron crates. The stench of the sewage lines. The repulsive feeling of all the human bodies below me. All of them were so familiar and not so familiar to me at the same time. It was extremely unusual to see the tall buildings once again. It was strange to see all those unique faces, all those interesting conversations, and all those colorful objects such as cars. I glided well above them in the sky slowly. I wanted to see everything and experience them once again. My heart was pounding faster and faster as I continued to get deeper into the urban areas.

Flashes of memories came thundering back to me as jets roared in the clouds. The rage of being locked up in my little cubby. The puzzlement of meeting John. The runaway, the capture, the testing in the laboratory, the fleeing... I squinted my eyes while I shook my head. It was pounding like crazy. All those recollections. All those pain, suffering. None would ever understand what I had gone through for the most of my teenage years. I didn't even know how old I was now. Heck, I didn't know what day it was now. I opened my eyes in shock as I shot through a thick column of whitish smoke coming out from a factory chimney.

The nauseous gas had made me cough uncontrollably. Without warning, I was heading straight into an apartment building. With a cry, I used all of my strength to pull up. My bare, sun-tanned chest skimmed along the flat surface of the glassy windows. Just when I thought I had accomplished the impossible, one of the claws of my right talon crashed through the glass. The crisp, ringing sound echoed through the air. I gritted my teeth as I tried to fly away from the tall structure as fast as I could.

"What the hell is going on?" A man's voice sounded as he ran toward the broken window.

I disappeared over the top of the tower. Then, she saw me. The security guard that was doing a routine check on the pad locks on top of the roof had seen me with my wings. Her bluish eyes were wide with shock as her mouth gaped at the sight of me. I blinked a few times as I floated in the air. Finally, she pulled out her automatic pistol and aimed at me. Seeing that the situation was incredibly dangerous, I turned around immediately.

"Freeze! Freeze, dude! Er... Bird! Uh... Whatever! Stop where you are, right now!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs while cocking the gun. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

I looked back and shook my head. "Not this time, you don't!" I dived down with full speed just when shots were fired and bullets flew passed me.

As I charged downward, the man who had his precious window broken by me poked his head out. When he saw me dropping down at the speed of seventy kilometers, he screamed and ducked back inside. I blasted pass his level and barked: "Yeah! Just stay there and don't move! Moron!"

I spun around in a sharp ninety-degree angle and soared toward my house. I grunted when a stabbing pain occurred near the left side of my waist. Still, I persisted; I continued to fly. Hundreds of houses were all puffing out white smokes in the chilly morning air. Soft, orange-pink rays of sunlight gradually bathed the caliginous streets. There were vehicles starting to appear from the garages. I smiled weakly as I gasped for breath. Still, I drove myself onward. It was half an hour later when I heard a faint helicopter sound. I coughed slightly when I saw my house. I grinned foolishly as I remembered the old stains from the mosses. The uneven lawn. The half-disintegrated paint on the walls and the doors around the house. The old swing in the backyard...

A sudden gleam happened in my eyes. I cried out as I fell down and slammed onto the porch of the old, battered home. Wooden splinters thrusted into my arms, shoulders and my back while I slid to a stop before the main doorway. My wings were limp behind me. Panting, I glanced obliquely at the doorbell. I blinked with intricacy when the wooden panels turned into a wide array of shapes and sizes. I groaned while I tried to force myself up. My wings were covered with blood. I stared down and saw a hole on my waist.

"Looks like I didn't dodge the shots completely," I scoffed. Forcing myself against the door frame, I breathed rapidly. At last, I pressed the doorbell.

A few minutes later, the portal opened and my Mom stood there, transfixed onto the spot, as she stared at me with astonishment. Her hair was gray now. Her face, once smooth and young, was old and wrinkled. She looked feeble and fragile. Wearing a simple dress, light green in color, she looked pathetic. I watched her closely with my half-closed eyes. My body was now covering in red. I knew... I knew that it was the end for me. Then, for the first time, I laughed weakly. She didn't say anything. All she did is holding her hands together. Her lips were trembling with wild emotions. Then, she saw my wounds. Her gaze trailed down and saw my talons and my claws. She gasped.

But she didn't move in closer to me. She, instead, stood further away from me. My laughter died out. I glared at her when I saw her hesitating. A second after, Dad came out. He was nearly bold now, but still as strong as before. He wore a pair of worn-out jeans with a white T-shirt. From the look of his dirty hands, I knew that he was working in the yard. His eyes were droopy, but his gaze was as intense as before and it was never weakened.

"What the..." Dad started first but he stopped mid-way.

A flood of animosity surged through me. I spat on the floorboard before their feet and flared. My saliva was red... "Is that all you guys can say?" I growled as I attempted to stand up straighter. My legs were shaking with infirmity from the massive loss of blood. "Is that all you can say, when I've traveled miles back to see you guys?"

Dad held out a huge hand and replied: "Now hold on there. What is the-"

"Don't- Don't start with... with..." I shrieked as I pointed my finger at his face. "You don't even want to say my name. You guys don't even care if I died or not! What? Years of torments from you both aren't enough? What more do you guys want? What more do you want from me until you are satisfied?" My eyes were bloodshot as I screamed. "You want me to suicide? You want me to kill other people and become a convict or something? What? You want me to stomach the worst out of life? I... Why... Why are you guys acting like this toward me? Why? Why? WHY?"

Mom took a small step forward and said: "Tobieaz, we are just too-"

"Shut up, god damn it!" I slammed my fists against the frames beside my face. Pieces of them dropped onto the floor. My claws dug into the wood easily. I pointed at my blood and my injuries. "Isn't this enough for you? Isn't this sight enough to appease you bloodthirsty animals?" I whispered through my cracked and pale lips. I leaned against the door while I shuffled forward. The two of them moved back into the house. "Oh? Now you are afraid of me or something? I've gotten shot, rejected, angered, hurted, and basically every single damn thing in the world... And you both wouldn't even say a word of hello to your son..." I took in a deep breath and yelled: "If you don't want me as your son, then why the hell would you take Mom to bed, Dad? If you guys are so disgusted by my presence, then why haven't you guys tossed me out into the street since the moment that I was born?"

"Tobieaz," Dad roared finally. "How dare you speak to us like this! Why you ungrateful little... We have fed you since the moment you-"

"Michael! NO!" Mom cried as she grabbed his beefy arms from behind.

I was taken aback when I saw such reaction. I hacked furiously and reddish liquid flowed out from my mouth. I had to grab onto the railing that was implanted along the patio now to keep my balance. The agony was severe. I must endure it... somehow. I must... I squinted as I coughed even more. Wheezing, I stared at them with hatred through the slits of my eyelids. In the distance, I could hear police sirens coming closer. When I wheeled around slightly, I saw neighbors were outside of their houses and were looking at us.

Mom watched me with tearful eyes for a few minutes. Sobbing, she said quietly: "Tobieaz... You were never our son."

My heart stopped pounding when I heard such statement. My breath was caught in my throat. I couldn't breath. "What... What did you say? This isn't funny at all, if this is a joke for you..." I hissed. "What do you mean by... No... It can't be..."

"Tobieaz. You are an orphan that some research center has nurtured. When you were born, a man call John has directed a team of scientists to discover the coding of human DNA. They have taken blood samples from you and... and started to do tests with them. Soon, they have discovered far more than they have ever hoped to accomplish. In fact, they have found the genes that somewhat resemble the genes of the bird species. According to them, human embryos and other creatures' embryos are extremely similar... Because... Because of that, they thought that it would be great if... they can make a human that can sail the wind with a pair of wings... It's all a fantasy though. They were just experimenting for fun. When they saw nothing happened to you after a few months, they posted an ad on the Internet. We both couldn't have a child of our own, so we adopted you. We thought that you would be normal like every other kid... but you have somehow sprawled these wings. Ever since then..." Mom fell onto the floor and cried. Dad kneeled down and placed his hands on her skinny shoulders. His face was sad with grief.

I was speechless when I heard the truth. Was it actually the truth though? Was it? No... It couldn't be. I didn't believe it. Not one bit. They were lying again, as usual. "Stop lying to me..." I snarled. "Haven't you had enough with me? I am so sick of your lies, so compelled to accept your false facts that I don't want to hear them anymore." I gripped the wound on my waist with pressure. I could feel the blood gushing out between my fingers.

Dad looked up sorrowfully. "Tobieaz, it's true. We are not lying to you anymore. John had sent us a letter saying that he was sorry for doing this to you. He... died a year ago due to his illness."

I gulped down as tears flooded out from my eyes. Sobbing, I dropped onto my knees. My wings were lifeless. Several feathers were drifting onto the ground gently. "No..." I sniffled. "No... John would never keep anything from me... No matter how bad it was... It's a lie... It's all a lie..."

Suddenly, patrol cars screeched to a stop behind me in the street. Dozens of officers spread out to form a line. They also told the bystanders to stand clear. I could hear shotguns loading and revolvers cocking. Machine guns were also priming, ready to be fired. All was silent. Only a brief breeze whistled across the yards.

"All right! Wing Boy! Put your hands up high into the air and don't make sudden moves. Walk back toward us slowly, facing toward your parents. If you follow our orders, you won't get hurt." A bullhorn bellowed.

I stared blankly at the ground. My mind was empty. My brain was dead. I wasn't even breathing at all. Gone... My hope was gone. I was a nobody. I wasn't born to have a place to live... All of the previous life was just an illusion. All of them were made up. All of them... were not true. I was... a test subject. How could I... describe the way I felt... I lifted my head slowly and watched my parents crying. Then, the wind picked up and came with a song filled with vanity and melancholy. It was calling me... It was comforting me... I stood up shakily. The cops behind me all brought up their weapons. Mom... Dad... they were still parents to me even though they detested me. My life was nothing... but a dream.

I felt...

"Tobieaz Redil! This is your final warning! Comply or we will be forced to take you down. Our superiors have notified that you are extremely dangerous." The bullhorn continued to talk. I couldn't hear it. None of it...

I felt... I...

"Put your hands up! Now!"

I... Couldn't... Understand...

"Tobieaz! We won't repeat it again! Seriously a final warning. Put, your hands, UP!"

I felt alone.

Turning around, I screamed with frustration and ire, sadness and confusion, depression and hostility. I wanted to end everything. I wanted to-

Gunshots boomed and exploded one after another as I felt stainless bullets ripping me apart. Each of them was without emotions. They were cold... freezing... They were death. I arced backward and my eyes gazed up into the sky. Feathers were raining down on me while I was being filled with holes. Each shot tore a piece of my soul away from me. Each shot brought me closer to death. I continued to see feathers floating down. They were white. They were beautiful. They glittered with brightness as the sun shone upon me. All was white and I felt peaceful within it. I felt happy when I was smothered by the light...

At least this time, I would be able to fly without all those afflicted feelings. I would be able to fly with freedom, to a world where I could claim as my own.

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Epilogue

The sound of the sea was filled with woe as Druni stared into the horizon. The cloud was scarce and the sky was light peach-colored. Wind blew across the water. Her long, black hair hovered within the air currents. She could feel it. Her heart ached with such sorrow, such distress, that she thought she couldn't bare it anymore. Tears dripped onto the platform where she and Tobieaz had once kissed. The pale brown of the rock was blotched with wetness. Her green eyes gazed onward with no definite target. She just wanted to recall that wonderful feeling when she was with Tobieaz, flying through the sky. But... It would never happen again. He was gone. Forever.

Druni forced herself to stop as she got up and walked back into the cave. All she wanted to do right now was to remember her love, to remember the time that she had spent with Tobieaz, the boy with wings.

The sun started to set on the horizon, casting a golden glow to everything within its reach. A feather, pure and elegant, soared into the sky with grace. It sparkled with life and vanished within the malleable clouds in the heaven...

~End Story~