"Flames," Anaia whispered into Maddox's ear. Once again, he couldn't see her, but he felt her presence near to him. "The warehouse is up in flames."

"Claire," Maddox felt a stabbing pain in his chest as her name escaped from his lips. He wanted to cry, but his tear ducts felt empty as if they were incapable of producing the salty water. 

"She's still alive, Maddox. Find her."

For the first time in a while, Maddox heard a deep concern in Anaia's voice. If the devil cared about one thing, it was her daughter.

In the distance, Maddox caught a glimpse of smoke. His wings protruded from his back, though by Anaia's will, not his own.

Not that he cared about that, though. He wanted Claire to be safe as much as Anaia did, if not more.

Maddox's wings lifted him from the ground that had begun to cool down- if only by a hair- as the Red Giant began to set in the sky. As he flew toward the burning warehouse that lit up the night sky with dancing red flames, he saw a group of people standing around it, watching intently.

His wings lowered him slowly to the ground, and in front of him only by a few yards, he saw Claire.

And unfortunately, Wesley.

Claire was standing up in front of Wesley, rubbing her wrists as the two spoke.

Can't trust him. Maddox ran toward the two, trying not to allow his exhaustion to catch up with him. He found it extremely difficult to move his legs, but that was no matter. He was close enough to hear a piece of their conversation as they faced the building while he inched closer behind them.

"We have to go, Claire. They know now that I'm mutated, too. Now there's a price on my head and yours. Also, I found this."

Maddox watched as Wesley handed Claire a few pieces of paper, a bit crisped on the edges but still legible.

The silence almost caused Maddox to be caught as he panted for breath, but Claire filled the void with a soft-spoken voice.

"So, I have the power to reverse the Red Giant?"

"That's what it says. And I know that the island doesn't exist that Chaos promised. I want my life back. I want Earth back. To be able to breathe clean air, you know? And you're the only one who can make that happen. I'm going to help you if you let me."

Maddox, once having caught his breath, stepped between the two.

"Claire, what happened?" Maddox pushed Wesley aside, but Wesley himself was too tired to fight back.

"Are you blind? It caught fire!"

"Actually," Wesley spoke, coming into view of the two of them. "It was struck by a grenade. Two or three, most likely. It's a pretty big place for one grenade to take down."

Maddox looked at the bulky man in disgust but allowed him to speak.

He'd taken Claire from him, and Maddox wouldn't let that happen again.

Maddox focused his attention back on Claire who, to his surprise, wasn't harmed at all.

"Are you alright? How'd you escape?"

Claire rolled her eyes at Maddox. She found it sweet that he cared about her, but the fact that he could've saved her earlier impeded her thoughts like a herd of buffalo.

"I'm fine, and I didn't escape." A smile came across her face as she nodded toward Wesley, who stood beside her. "He saved me."

Wesley simply stood still with his hands behind his back, tapping his foot. "We need to leave," he whispered with a tremor in his voice. "Now. They're trying to find us," he pointed to Claire.

Nodding his head, Maddox's wings protruded like those of a mighty eagle from his back, and he grabbed hold of Claire. "Follow me."

Wesley nodded as he watched in awe as Maddox took flight, following closely behind him.

Claire lay at ease in Maddox's arms as she looked down, seeing Wesley run like the speed of lightning underneath them.

The anarchist group following behind them became like a small speck of dust in her vision as Maddox's wings and Wesley's speed helped them flee from havoc.

Maddox's wings lowered he and Claire safely to the ground as Wesley came to a stop, resting his hands on his knees.

Both panted as beads of sweat shimmered in the moonlight from their brows. Wesley collapsed onto the dirt. "I've never done so much running in my life. And I ran track in high school," he sighed. "Ugh."

Claire walked over to the man as Maddox released her from his tight grip, wanting to help but not quite knowing how to.

"You know, Claire," Wesley looked up, only to quickly lay his head back onto the ground, panting. "I don't get tired till I stop running. And I feel like I'm about ready to pass out."

Claire chuckled as she sat down on the dirt across from Wesley. Maddox stood in the same spot he had before, too tired to move, but not willing to lay across the blanket of hot sand that stretched across Sedona.

"So Maddox," Wesley heaved. "Where'd you bring us?"

Maddox let a smirk glide across his face as he shrugged his shoulders. "Far from the warehouse. I dunno where we are."

A slight, then booming laugh escaped Wesley's mouth. Everything's funnier when you're tired and delusional. "Ha! -cough- Dang it! My lungs can't -cough- take it! Do not make me -cough- laugh!"

Maddox himself had been wheezing, but he was sure it was just the cigarettes he'd been smoking. His habit wasn't nearly as bad before he met Claire and jumped into a heap of anxiety, thanks to Anaia.

She may be able to control him, but he refused to go without his fix.

"What's that noise?" Claire stood, looking around herself but couldn't find anything.

"Did you fart?" Maddox doubled over in laughter as he tried to keep a straight face, looking at Claire. She gave him a stern look in return. "What? Farts make noise," he choked between laughs.

"It wasn't a fart, Maddox! Geez, grow up! Listen, it sounds almost like... Chanting?"

All three went silent and listened on, hearing the soft murmur of a group of people in the distance. "Take the Devil, make her bright. Show her to the morning's light."

"Heck does that mean?" Maddox whispered.

"Shh," Wesley pressed a finger to his own lips and looked at Maddox, to which he nodded in response. "Claire, stay there."

Claire would've fought back, but when it came to superstition and the Devil, she gladly obliged. She nodded to Wesley and Maddox as they crept over the horizon of dirt in the evening moonlight, only to see a cascade of yellow, orange, and red.

People dressed in hooded robes of a deep scarlet red had arms around one another as they rocked side to side in a circle around a fire.

Maddox couldn't see much from where he stood, but with just the right angle to see between the people in the middle, he saw a beautiful woman- floating?

She had long brown hair and hazel eyes. She was pale like she'd been sick for quite a while. She looked over at the two, meeting Maddox's hard gaze as she shook in the air while a cult chanted around her:

"Take the Devil, make her bright. Show her to the morning's light."

"Anaia?"