The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire (11 page)

    
The smell of death here had reached a
crescendo, and the sheer number of bones and ravaged human remains made it
clear as to why. Natalie realized that the drag marks in the filth hadn't been
from bodies being taken out of the gas station, as she'd originally believed.
They were being brought in, to what she could only register as being some kind
of feeding spot.

    
Considering that the group was still
moving to clear the building, Natalie assumed there must be a reason they were
opting to stay. Recalling that BJ had quizzed her on their reasoning, she tried
to puzzle out what they were doing.

    
If
the freaks bring their food here, we should be
leaving right now.
Natalie forced down the urge to dry
heave, doing her best to not think too heavily on what “their food” actually
meant.

    But,
we're still here. That means we're either here for a reason, or they're not
worried.
Another glance
at her companions, and their concern was etched clearly on their faces.

    The...
mess, is all dried. Looks old. Even smells old.
A flash of pessimism rolled through her
head as her brain reminded her that she now knew what old dead bodies smelled
like.

    Rico
signaled a third all-clear, but Natalie was only vaguely paying attention. Her
body was following him on auto-pilot while her brain tried to rationalize why
they were still in this deathtrap.
She didn't even register that the third aisle was also filled
with gnawed bones and gore beyond comprehension.

    They
were nearly done with the building, but they had to check the final aisle and
behind the counter. They couldn't be finished fast enough for Natalie's taste,
and judging by the tension coming off of her companions, she wasn't the only
one who felt that way.

    
As Rico turned to clear the last section,
his body froze and his hand snapped to
hold position
. Then he raised one finger up, four fingers down.

    
Guess
hoping this place would be empty was too much to ask for.
Natalie looked from person to person,
waiting to see how they would handle the situation. She may have learned
something, if that hadn't been the moment their business was interrupted by
a distinct scuffing sound from outside.

    
A flair of panic erupted in Natalie's
chest. BJ and Marco quickly pressed her backwards into the slaughter of the
third aisle, attempting to take cover from whatever was making its way toward
the front door. Rico joined them, doing his best to keep an eye on the entryway
without giving away his position.

    
Natalie realized they had no way of
knowing how many hostiles were approaching, or even what kind of shape they
were in. It could be one, it could be a hundred. Considering they were in a
place where the dead seemed to gather to eat, the likelihood that they would
only have to deal with a single extra attacker was slim.

    
Natalie's mind raced with possibilities,
trying to think of something she could do. If they waited until the culprit
that caused the sound outside showed itself, they would be forced to hide where
they were and hope for the best. If there was a group outside, that would very
likely mean they would be found and killed. A vivid image of her own corpse
being added to the pile behind her made it especially hard to keep her calm.

    
BJ nodded at Rico for an update, but he
only shook his head in response. They had a little bit of time, but it was
fading fast. The men seemed to be hunkering down for a fight, but Natalie
remembered something that might be a better alternative. Or at the very least,
something just slightly less likely to get them all killed.

    
As quietly as she could, lest she alert
the crawler in the next aisle over, Natalie dug through her backpack.
A dull glint marked her quarry, and if she was particularly lucky,
her salvation. Marco watched her with a mix of confusion and annoyance, a look
that turned to a sly wink of approval when she revealed what was in her hand:
an old empty can of peaches.

    With
BJ and Rico's attention fixated on the door, Natalie took Marco's reaction
as permission. Sidling just past Rico, she whispered a low, “Get ready.” before
jerking her head in the direction of the crawler that was just on the other
side of the shelves. He noticed the can in her hand before offering a grim nod,
shifting his weight closer to the monster they were so near. With Rico in
position, Natalie tried to settle her nerves as she prepared her pitch.

    
Years ago, Natalie's dad had been
insistent on playing games of catch with his daughter whenever they had free
time. It was something of a tradition that had never gone away, no matter how
old she had gotten. It was that happy memory that now played inside her head as
she whipped the can cleanly through the broken door pane, sending it skittering
into the middle of the pump lot. A good throw, and one her dad would have been
proud of. As much as she missed him, she was glad he wasn't here for all of
this.

    
A sentiment that only escalated as a group
of four zombies rushed toward the sound Natalie had created, two more sprinting
out from behind the counter with abandon. The crawler in the next aisle moved
to do the same, speeding around the corner nearest them.

    Natalie
saw its attention shift from the noise outside to the group of humans who had
taken refuge in its den, its eyes fixating on Natalie as she tried to process
what she was seeing.

    It
looked to have once been a woman, but that humanity had long since withered
away. Now it was a beast, arms and legs wiry and muscular beneath shredded
clothing. Its torso was just as Marco had told her, an emaciated husk that
hugged so tightly you could make out bones and organs.

    Natalie
froze at its face, an oozing mask of rage and rot, and a small voice at the
back of her mind told her that inaction was going to get her killed. The voice
howled louder as the monster shifted its momentum to target the group, but it
only lasted a moment before Rico lunged forward.

    
He raised his weapon and immediately
brought it down hard in a powerful thrust. The stake at the tip of his rifle
neatly punctured the creature's forehead with a satisfying
crunch,
and with a single fluid motion he slammed
his boot into its face to separate it from his weapon.

    
Even as Rico dispatched their prey, BJ was
moving toward the backroom with Marco. Natalie didn't have enough time to
question why, maintaining her belief that the men would not lead her astray.
The horde outside had gained another handful of members, seemingly from
nowhere. She didn't have time to count them, but the number was easily above
something they would have been able to handle.

    
At least the creatures were distracted,
and Natalie breathed a small sigh of thankfulness that they'd had some luck.
That luck continued in their favor as they entered the back room, finding a
perfectly sturdy door
complete with a hefty deadbolt. Once Rico
joined them inside, they set to barricading themselves in.

    
Satisfied that they'd done everything they
could for now, the group huddled down together. Whatever this room had once
held had long since been picked clean, the only remaining items being a shelf
they now had pressed against the door and an old desk bolted down in the back.
Even the scent of death that had pervaded the rest of the building was
lessened.

    
It didn't take long for the noise from the
lot outside to die down, and soon the faint note of movement could be heard
just beyond their door. Occasionally the steady thud of footsteps would be
interrupted by a wet squelch, a sound Natalie did her best to avoid focusing
on.

    
A hand closed gently over her own, and
Natalie glanced down to find it belonged to BJ. He had a rough smile on his
face, a look that didn't seem quite natural to him but one he was clearly
trying to wear as best he could. He leaned in nearer to Natalie, and she could
smell a deep sweat on him. It wasn't unpleasant, the usual tinge of salt
muddled with a musk that made her think of rugged places and confidence.

    “
You did well. The can was a good call.” BJ
patted her hand clumsily as he spoke, but Natalie was heartened by his actions
regardless. It was obvious he wasn't used to this kind of reassurance, but it
had never been more apparent to her that it was the thought that counts.

    
Feeling just slightly better, Natalie
rested down on her back. They had no way of knowing how long they would have to
be in here, though Rico had his eyes
glued to the
crack at the bottom of the door. It wasn't perfect, granting them almost no
real view beyond the base of the counter outside, but it did at least let them
know how much of a space buffer they had between them and the enemy.

    
Marco tapped at her knee, and Natalie
raised her head to see him offering an opened can of beans. She took it in
silence, nodding her thanks. His half-cocked shrug still managed to find a way
to annoy her, but the gesture had been a kind one. Her stomach wasn't willing
to comply with her urges to fill it, and she quickly gave up on trying to eat.
Handing the can back to Marco, she caught the men establishing a silent
agreement to take turns watching the door.

    Miming
sleep, BJ ushered Natalie to try and get as much rest as she could. She didn't
really believe it would be possible, but settling down brought on a sudden
onset of fatigue that she hadn't realized she was carrying. Beside her, Marco
finished his food before padding down for a quick nap. BJ was in a similar
position across from them, Rico having agreed to take first watch.

    
The noise from outside was deeply
disturbing, and part of Natalie's brain was telling her that falling asleep to
that kind of soundtrack was probably going to mess her up. The last thing she
saw before closing her eyes in earnest was Rico, tilting his head toward
Natalie and giving her a weak thumbs-up.

    That
made three kind gestures from three kind men, and the thought was relaxing. For
everything else that had gone wrong, there were still good people doing good
things. Natalie wasn't exactly in the mood for
smiling,
but the thought at least let her drift into an uneasy sleep.

    
 
“Sir? The boys picked up another dead drop from
our mole. Brought it here as soon as I could.” Peering up from behind steepled
hands at his desk, he took in the sight of his agent. Young, too young to know
any better, and eager to please. A tight smile crossed his lips. Youths were
always the easiest to work with.

    “Thank
you. Set it here on my table.” The words were confident, spoken quietly but
with an aura of command that left no room for refusal. Whatever resistance a
person might be able to muster would quickly be doused by the steely glimmer
flashing within his cold eyes. He was a man of authority, and he made no
attempt to hide it.

    Even
knowing they were on the same side, the messenger's eagerness soon faded under
her commander's icy watch, and it was obvious she now
wanted to be done
with her errand post-haste.

    She
had been excited to deliver the drop, entering the office with a flourish like
a dog ready for praise. Now that she was here and actually face-to-face with
him, it was clear she understood why the others did what they could to be
finished with their business and away from his scrutiny as quickly as possible.

    Being
careful to avoid direct eye contact, the youthful courier did as she was
instructed. There was a gleam coming off of the polished medals that decorated
his pristine uniform, and the young woman had opted to fixate on that. With
hands far steadier than her nervous tension would have suggested, she placed
the thumb drive down and waited for his dismissal.

    Through
all of this, the man behind the desk never moved. He simply observed, noting
his subordinate's fear but pleased with her lack of hesitation. There was no
time to be wasted on pleasantries, and he was curious to see what news he had
been brought. Not bothering to speak again, a wave of his hand was more than
enough to convey that the messenger was done here.

    Noticeably
relieved, the courier snapped a salute before spinning on her heel and making
her exit. Minutes passed without action, the commander's gaze settled on the
flash drive in front of him. Murmuring aloud as he finally reached out to grasp
it, he allowed himself a heavy sigh.

    “Good
news or bad news, I wonder.” He suspected he already knew the answer, but
somehow it felt better to voice the possibility that things might be going
smoothly. The
computer hummed
to life as he plugged
in the drive
, and a moment later he was watching a video recording. A
weary woman with a deeply set frown commanded the screen.