The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire (40 page)

    “Right.
I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that little white lie you told back
there.” Natalie raised her eyebrows at the older cousin, but he simply smiled
and shook his head. BJ’s stature suggested that he was in no mood for nonsense,
though Natalie swore he had the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

    Around
them, Stephen, Lia, Jessie, and Thomas had all adopted similar looks of
confusion. As for Natalie, she was intrigued. It sounded like she was about to
receive the news she had wanted. Crossing her arms, she cocked her head at the
big man and waited for an explanation.

    “Caught
that, did you?” BJ let out a deep
hah
, and Natalie’s curiosity burned
brighter.

    “I
owe everyone an answer, it seems.” Leaning back against the wall and slowly
lowering himself to the floor, BJ sighed.

    “I
have no intention of going to the other outposts. I have a different
destination in mind.” The room remained silent as BJ paused. Natalie had no
idea where he was going with this, but she was pleased. They weren’t helping
the outpost after all.

    “When
I first agreed to assist the military, I did so thinking they were the best
chance we had at fixing things. Lately, I have started to question their
motives, and I no longer believe that they can be trusted.” There were no
audible gasps as BJ voiced his concerns over the soldiers; apparently everyone
gathered had already reached similar conclusions.

    “Instead,
I’m going to an independent town some ways outside the city. I’ve read about it
in dozens of military reports, and supposedly, there’s a settlement out there
that is run by a man named Mr. Phoenix. If the reports are to be believed, this
place is friendly, prosperous, and secure.”

    “Now,
the military claimed that the reason they refused to deal with or investigate
this town is because they had enough problems at home to address without the
risk of adding more. Whatever their reasoning, I think it’s our best option,
not because it is safe, but because I believe they can be convinced to
mobilize.”

    
Mobilize?
Natalie laughed, and both Rico and Marco were nodding their heads. BJ
wasn’t looking for another place to hide out in until this all blew over; he
wanted to find somebody with the willingness to start fighting back.

    “As
I have said, the military has already made their objective clear: sit tight,
and try to cure the virus. Personally, I believe we will make more progress if
we find and eliminate the people who are ultimately responsible for creating it
in the first place, and who are continuing to hamper our efforts from behind
the scenes.”

    Natalie
was on her feet and feeling fiery. This was exactly what she had been waiting
for; an opportunity to pay the bastards who had done all of this a visit. She
was going to make sure they paid for what they’d done, and it sounded like the
rest of the crew felt similarly.

    Even
Stephen, Lia and Jessie looked ready to go. It was no small wonder, considering
how many friends they had lost in the attack, but it warmed Natalie’s heart to
see them all in unison.

    Only
Thomas looked out of place. He was shuddering visibly, and if Natalie had to
guess at his feelings, he was probably caught somewhere between mortal terror
and inspiration. Talking brave and actually going on the offensive were two
wholly separate things, and it looked as though he couldn’t settle on which one
he really wanted.

    “If
we can get this Mr. Phoenix to join us, I believe we can become a serious
threat to the people responsible for this war, and I intend to do just that.”
The whole room save for Thomas voiced their agreement, and Natalie felt a rush
of excitement. They were going to be fighting back.

    “Then
we’re leaving, right now. Everyone pack their things. It should take us a
couple days to reach the settlement, and the sooner we get there, the better.”
Without further ceremony, BJ promptly rose to his full height and began
organizing their new supplies alongside Lia. Stephen had wasted no time in
requesting a weapon from Rico, who had joined Marco in teaching the young man
the basics of what he’d need to know for their journey together with a similar
zeal.

    Thomas
remained shaking in the corner, but when he caught Natalie’s eye, he took a
deep inhale and smiled. She nodded approvingly at him, noting that he had
stopped shuddering, and turned to assist with divvying up the new goods with BJ
and Lia.

    Things
were starting to look up. For as much as they had all been forced to endure,
for everything they had lost, they were finally going to start hitting back.
They were going to get justice. As Natalie felt her brash confidence begin to
grow, she entertained images of their triumph over the undead and their
masters.

    For
the first time in months, it felt as if the end of the outbreak and everything
that went with it was actually attainable. It might take time, and the road
wouldn’t be easy, but Natalie felt a genuine belief that everything would be
okay. She grinned at the thought.

    Soon
enough, the world was going to be back to normal, and it all began with beating
the living Hell out of the bastards who had started it all.

    
I knew it. I knew these people were different. I knew it.
Look at them. Look at how much fight they have. Haaaah, I love it.

    
Thomas was shaking again. Ever since the
apartment building, he had known they were special. He had believed in their
uniqueness with such intensity that he had even been willing to disobey his
masters in order to retrieve them, although he had paid for that arrogance
dearly.

    So
close. He had been so close. All according to plan, he had waited. Three days,
three days spent pacing and fuming and planning. When the time had come, he entered
the outpost, careful to avoid any of the soldiers who he knew to be working for
his own employers. He was a wolf among lambs.

    Shortly
thereafter, Thomas had met the young man named Stephen that he now shared a
room with. He remembered the way the mewling boy-child had studied him, had
declined to tell him where the girl he was hunting had disappeared to. That
young man was the only person to have ever sensed something was wrong, and that
made him dangerous, but he was not yet the target of Thomas’ hunger.

    The
old mother figure had been more receptive. She had told Thomas exactly where he
needed to go, and he still felt a smile whenever he looked at her. Such a
helpful bag of meat. He would reward her special, but that too would come
later.

    After
spending so much time slinking about, hunting for leads, he had found her.
Natalie.
Always, Thomas tasted the name, hissed it between his teeth. He had shivered
when he learned it. The pursuit was nearly over.

    When
he saw her briefly in the medical ward, he believed she would be his before
morning. But, Thomas had forgotten the way of things. He had forgotten the
order.

    Thomas’
masters were clever, and they were dangerous. Disobeying them was not an
option, but he ignored the warnings. When the soldiers found him snooping and
dragged him away, he thought he would be against the frail, foolish little men
who fancied themselves powerful because they could command insects.

    He
was wrong. The woman who await him in the dark was a familiar one, and Thomas
believed he was going to die. She valued his work, though. She told him as much
as she put the fire to his beautiful face. That was the price he paid.

    Thomas
had fancied himself handsome. Noble. No more. Now he was burned and ragged, and
his pride was broken. It made him feel strangely unstable, but he knew he had
earned his punishment. This was what had to be done.

    They
removed him from the city and gave him new orders, ones he would be sure to
follow this time. He was to meet with other operatives and arrange for the new
mutation to be tested and then discovered.

    A
simple task, and one that had disappointed him greatly. He was going to be put
away, forced to hide in the shadows. He would likely never be able to see his
pet Natalie again.

    Then,
mercy of all mercies, his masters had taken pity on him. They told him that he
could make contact with his new toys, all of them at once, and stay with them
until he was called away. All he had to do was promise that he would obey the
summons when it came, no matter what.

    It
had been an easy decision to make. He played the part of the wounded fool, and
still, the way they had treated him! So rough, so callous,
so uncaring!
They were perfect. And Natalie…

    Ohh,
the way she lied. The way she pretended to care for poor Thomas, only to get
information about his fellows. It was such sweet manipulation, and it became so
much harder to resist her charms. She was as close to being worthy of him as
any he had met before. She deserved to be his.

    
Natalie.
Natalie Natalie Natalie Natalie.
It was sweet on his tongue, though it
always made him want more. She was violent and fiery, a hunter, just like him.
Fledgling, but it was there. He wanted to crush her so badly, to grind her
down, but… orders. Orders were orders, and he would not disobey again. They had
proven themselves, and so they would live.

    Until
an idea came to him. All of their talk about hunting his masters was exciting,
but it was also a curious loophole. He could not permit them to continue, at
the chance that they might actually interfere with the work that was being
done.

    And
if he couldn’t allow them to interfere… then they couldn’t be allowed to live.
Natalie, sweet Natalie, looked over at him then, shaking in his corner. The big
brute had finished his silly speech, and all the pets were cheering, but Thomas
was not.

    Smiling
at his dear Natalie, Thomas was delighted at her naivety. She believed him
still. Oh, but she would learn. They would all learn.

    He
would help them find what they wanted, the link to his masters. He would lead
them down the trail, and when they got too close, he would finally get to sink
his teeth into them. The good lady wouldn’t burn his face for that, surely.
Thomas would be doing a good deed, all for the cause.

    Slowly,
Thomas’ mind began to return to him. He had felt so strange, so… barbaric, as
he had been forced to accept his position as a lackey. The idea that he
couldn’t hunt, couldn’t resume his rightful place on the throne, it had begun
to get to him.

    His
shaking had come to a stop, and his confidence returned. Looking about the
room, and picturing the wonderful violence that he was going to visit on these
people, it was enough to make him smile.

    
I
am the alpha. I am the apex predator. Soon enough, I’m going to prove it. Soon.
Soon. Soon.

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

Charles Scottie is an American author who is
vaguely uncomfortable with writing nice things about himself in the third
person. He is a natural storyteller with a love of writing and entertainment,
currently enjoying life alongside his canine companion, Leo. In his spare time,
he can be found hiking, laughing, or coming up with increasingly ridiculous
names for his dog.