Through the Eyes of the Phoenix

by Martin W Francis

  Jess asked, “What’s that?”

  “They were more concerned with building enough housing and having land for agriculture within the walls of New London. They have no factories. They were not even consider securing an airport within the walls. Luckily they did secure a few helicopters which are kept at a nearby park. As you can imagine basic necessities quickly ran out after a couple years being distributed among the community. The military of several countries became responsible for making excursions for them. With the walls being surrounded by thousands of Fallen it made expansion or acquiring many things extremely difficult. The citizens have no real concept of the outside world after all these years. The idea of uprooting them to bring them to another continent probably wouldn’t go over well either. I doubt we would have many volunteers. That being said, we will need to acquire a factory and workers to make the bombs in the quantity that will be necessary.”

  “Securing a facility will be somewhat of a hassle even here in North America. It would make sense to clear one of the factories that were originally used for large military weapons. We will likely need a large force to properly secure it. Such a facility would have the materials stockpiled for starters. They would also have the machines and technology to mass produce the dispersal bombs. It will take a large power source to get the place running prior to getting to work. Before we do that though we will have to set up strong defenses so the place is not overrun from all the noise that will be coming from the place. Hopefully someone among the communities knows how to operate all those computers and machines. Otherwise, someone with a high aptitude and intelligence will have to learn from whatever training materials they have at the factory. Then they will have to train the workers. I’ll start contacting the other communities to fill them in the plan once J23 has been tested. We should be able to acquire basic laborers and security detail from most of them with a little convincing.”

  “I will see to it that Alpine is properly compensated. If you provide me with a couple vials of J23 I can have them begin testing. The President or King should no doubt gladly compensate your community to the best of their ability. If not, you know I am good for my word. If I have to acquire whatever is requested by other means, I will.”

  Aurora walked in the room catching the last part of the conversation. She continued to listen as Jessie responded.

  “We are going to finish our vacation before getting started on this long complicated project. I will give you a couple vials of J23 to get them started on things abroad. I will also give you copies of all the records of J23 from the beginning. Might come in handy to the scientists over in New London. Unfortunately, I have neither on my person. Your men can meet us when we are finished with our camping trip. There is a hotel that we cleared recently if that will work.”

  “Actually, meet us at Fort Stockton. My forces recently secured it. That would be the base I mentioned earlier that I came directly here from. We can give you some of the weapons from the armory to hold you over for a while.”

  Aurora whispered in Jess’s ear for a moment.

  “You have enough men that you were able to secure Fort Stockton?”

  “Actually, I have about fifty soldiers total in the U.S. Stockton was one of the bases that had been completely closed down. It was tightly secured. We found a small group of Fallen inside that we had to put down, but nothing formidable. They were all nonmilitary personnel.”

  “Probably survivors that decided it would be a good place to lay low or find supplies. I’d have to guess they probably turned due to the storms that originally spread the infection. No way to know for sure.”

  “That is the consensus from the meager belongings they had brought in with them. We also found an area of the fencing that had been cut and repaired which was likely the point of entry.”

  “There is one small change in plans. Aurora here will need an escort back to Alpine. She will obtain the J23 and records for you. After that she will accompany them to Fort Stockton. She is slightly familiar with Fort Stockton and could be of use to you. She does have military training. There also might be miscellaneous supplies that your personnel have no need for that our community could use. Being our top runner she would be the one to find them.”

  “She would be more than welcome. You understand that someone will have to be assigned to stay by her side at all times on base. It isn’t that I don’t trust her or you, it is simply security protocol.”

  “That’s fine. Perhaps, Blackwell? He appeared respectful and congenial enough.”

  “Not sure he would be my first pick after being so easily taken down during your house invasion. However, I will assign him as a show of trust. Seth is a good man and a great soldier. He is an even better friend. He’s also single.” Ortiz laughed a little seeing that Aurora was blushing. I have never seen Aurora turn so red before in my life.

  “Never heard you so sentimental before Sergio. Might be time to retire.”

  “I should have retired at least ten years ago Jessie. You know me though. I’ll being giving commands even from my grave.”

  The adults went over everything again from the start. I was so bored that I asked if I could be excused. They came downstairs about an hour later. Ortiz and his men decided they were going to leave out. We all gave Aurora hugs since she was leaving out as well. Jess whispered something in her ear when she hugged her. We ended up staying at the house again since it was already so late. The next morning we packed up the Suburban with Carla at the wheel. There were several blockades of abandoned cars on the Interstate out of Lubbock. They were difficult to maneuver around, but somehow we managed. I noticed a large colorful metal wheel shaped thing with baskets attached while driving. There were other weird colorful shaped objects around it. Mom explained it was an amusement park. She said that kids used to stand in long lines to get on them. They rode on the colorful objects that used to move around with electricity. Out past the airport the land was eerily empty. The land was so flat and barren. I was starting to miss home with the mountains, forests, and lakes.

  “Why are we camping out this way? It looks like a desert.”

  “You have to be able to adapt to all environments to be a runner. This will be a good experience for you. Besides you will see once we get to where we are going.”

  -2-

  We arrived at Palo Duro Canyon State Park a couple hours later. The colors and the land were breathtaking. I couldn’t believe something like place this existed. I saw several wild horses running around playing when we first arrived. We drove to an area that people normally don’t camp. There was a picnic table and a charcoal grill though. After setting up camp we had a late lunch. We gathered some dry wood and brush from the sparse expanse to be used for a campfire later. We then went for a long hike in the hot sun. We took a break in a small cave that provided shade. I was pouring sweat when we made it back to camp. I had to beg to sit in the Suburban with the AC running for a few minutes to cool off. The sun setting was a huge relief as the temperature dropped significantly. We ate dinner around the campfire. We took turns making up scary stories. It was the best part of the entire day. I wish Aunt Aurora was here though. She tells the best horror stories. We eventually retired for the night. Jess took the first watch as she is accustomed to doing.

  I woke in the middle of the night to loud howling that seemed to pierce through the darkness itself. I crawled out of the tent I was sharing with Sandra. Carla was now on watch duty sitting by the fire. I asked her if it was a dog since I had occasionally heard Tempest howl somewhat similar to that. She told me that it was a wolf likely looking for his pack which no longer existed. I asked if she thought it was dangerous. Tempest had only been half wolf. He was only a danger to anything or anyone that tried to harm the people that he considered his pack I suppose. She said that wolves are normally very dangerous, but will keep their distance from a campfire and humans. She went on to explain that with wildlife being so scarce this wolf was likely starved making it even more dangerous. It c
ould possibly attempt to attack simply for survival. I sat near the fire with her for a while after grabbing my pistol from my pack. After about an hour I tried to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned unable to find blissful slumber again. Eventually, I went back out asking Carla if it was time to relieve her yet for watch.

  “Wake Sandra. The two of you have to be on watch together. Jess said it was mandatory for rookie lookouts. I would recommend it even if she hadn’t. Better in numbers to stay safe with that wolf around.”

  I filled a small pot of water to boil over the fire. It would help both of us to stay awake if we had coffee. When it was finished I went to wake up Sandra. She crawled out of the tent rubbing her eyes still half asleep. That was quickly remedied with the coffee. Carla told us to keep an ear out for movement. She also said that if the howling got closer to wake her or Jess up. Finally she headed off to get some more rest.

  We passed the time talking about things that had recently occurred. The topic of what we would do if the Fallen were actually wiped out was a long one. We discussed our plans of getting a house together after Sandra’s birthday in about five months. After a few hours we were pretty much talked out. We were both bored with nothing to do. We simply stared up at the star constellations hoping to see a falling star or something of interest.

  The camp was so silent without sound at this point. We both heard the sudden commotion of something running towards the camp. In seconds we had our pistols drawn aimed in the direction of the noise. In the darkness outside the light of the fire whatever it was suddenly stopped moving. It was hard to pinpoint the exact distance. It must have slowly crept for the next couple minutes as we stayed on guard. It was smart enough to know we were as much a danger as it was to us. The fishing line that we had secured around the perimeter with aluminum cans was suddenly tripped. The noise came from behind us to the west. We both spun around quickly. A pair of pale blue eyes were glowing in the darkness. It actually made a hissing noise at us or perhaps our guns before vanishing back into the shadows. We could hear it running away from the camp. The fishing line had gotten tangled around it somehow. The cans clanked together as they trailed behind its departure. We both started giggling until Jess scared the crap out of us whispering inches behind us.

  “The noise woke me. Sounded like our guest was spooked off though. The two of you appeared to handle yourselves pretty well. You both stayed calm and focused. Well, up until the laughter anyway.”

  “But mom we always laugh at danger.”

  “Funny Ember. I guess we better reset the tripwire. Probably should set up a few extra defenses in case it has learned from it mistake.”

  “You mean in the dark? That doesn’t sound very safe.”

  Better than the alternative. Would you rather let it come straight in without warning because we chose not to do what needed to be done? Besides I thought you laughed at danger.”

  “Hilarious. I get what you’re saying. Let’s just get it done as quickly as possible.”

  We gathered a few things walking out from the camp. I swept my flashlight around at the head of the group. About twenty feet out Sandra grabbed my belt pulling me to a stop. I was momentarily in shock from being jerked so abruptly to a halt.

  “The ground doesn’t look right. Why are leaves gathered together in an area without a tree nearby? The dirt also looks compacted like someone did it by hand.”

  “Good eye, Sandra. Nice to see someone is aware of their environment.”

  I was at a loss of why it was so important. “What is it?”

  Jess picked up a medium sized rock throwing it onto the area covered in leaves. A loud snap sound went off.

  “As I figured. You could have lost a foot or worse from infection if you had taken a couple more steps Ember. That is a smaller version of the bear trap. It was probably left here by a poacher years ago. It looks pretty rusty.”

  “Might have been set by a survivor that was hoping to catch a meal. Might have also been set as part of someone’s defensive perimeter from Fallen.”

  “You are absolutely right. Great intuitive thinking. You’re on a role tonight.”

  I bent down to take a closer look at this danger I was not familiar with. On closer inspection I saw that it had sharp pointy teeth. It looked like it was making an evil metal grin at me. I let them lead as we finished setting up defenses careful to only step directly behind them. The thought of one of those metal devices chomping down on a leg frightened the hell out of me.

  The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. The following day we used our tracking skills to follow the tracks for the previous night. We found the fishing line with aluminum cans a good distance from the camp. The tracks continued to a large open cave. Flashing light into the dank putrid smelling cave we found a Fallen about fifteen feet in against the back wall. The evidence from the tracks made it clear that this was the same one that had tried to invade our camp last night. It hissed at us while moving back and forth in the back of the cave. It was attempting to avoid the light from our flashlights. At the same time it was also attempting to escape.

  “You shall not pass! Any last words?” Sandra made an attempt at being humorous with line from old movies.

  It seemed that the Fallen understood. Her words apparently pissed it off. It bared its teeth making a deep growling sound. Pale blue eyes were focused directly on Sandra’s throat. I had a sudden flash that it somehow managed to avoid being put down. It jumped on Sandra knocking her to the ground. Teeth pierced through her jugular ripping it open. It continued tearing into her throat like a wild beast. The things face was covered in her blood before Jess finally ended it. The flash came and went in mere seconds.

  I dropped my gun to the ground. I drew my sword braced it with both hands taking a defensive stance. It quickly began the movements that I had seen in my vision. Jess and Carla both took shots at it, but missed the headshot. It was rushing forward dodging erratically in and out of the shadows. Sandra was unable to get a good aim on it either. Seconds before it pounced on her I knocked her out of the way with my shoulder. I plunged my sword (blade facing upwards) forward into the darkness. I felt the blade pierce through flesh before it came into the light. It would have knocked me down if I hadn’t already braced my legs for the attack. The sword had pierced through its chest. I was only able to keep it at bay because part of the hilt had caught on the ribcage. It snapped its teeth several times in my direction. I spun around while swinging in an upwards arc on the sword with all my strength. The blade cut through bone and flesh. I both felt and heard the hard crack as it hit the skull. Blood was drenched on my sword. The reddish black ooze covered my backside. Splatters of it were throughout my hair. A thud sound came from behind me as it dropped to the ground. I stuck my sword into the dirt. Turning around I reached out my hand to help Sandra up off the ground where she had fell when I hit her with my shoulder.

  “Sorry love. I had a flash. I couldn’t let what I saw happen.”

  Sandra appeared to be in shock, but she took my hand nonetheless. Jess and Carla stood around staring in disbelief. I could tell that they were both frightened at the fact that things had so quickly escalated becoming out of their control. They might have also been momentarily freaked out by the actions that transpired before them.

  “That was pretty courageous jumping in like that. Did you know that you would be unharmed if you did?”

  “I didn’t have a choice mom. What would you do if you saw someone you loved have their throat ripped open? If you only had seconds to change that from happening…” Tears started running down my face as I lost my voice in the middle of a sentence. Sandra threw her arms around me.

  “I love you. Thank you for saving me once again,” she whispered into my ear.

  Jess and Carla both came over joining in on the hugging.

  “I was so scared seeing you that close to danger. I wasn’t questioning if you did the right thing. I just don’t want to lose you. I couldn’t be more proud of you for being so
courageous.”

  The rest of the camping trip was mostly uneventful. I did finally see the wolf while driving out of the canyon. It looked really scrawny. Its dull grey and white coat were filthy. I could hardly see the resemblance to Tempest. Well, other than the blue eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. It was a long journey to Fort Stockton. Along the way, Jess informed us that Carla would be driving us back to Alpine. She planned to stay at the military base for a few days to get things started. That of course meant I got to be the one to tell Amy.

  For those who are unaware, Amy has a scary side on rare occasions. One such occasion would be when Jess had been bitten by a Fallen. As soon as I informed her where and what Jess was up to she went ballistic. There was no stopping her from leaving. I tried to talk her into letting me go with her, but she insisted I get back to school. I was barely able to get hold of Uncle Dan in time before she left. I was worried about the fact that she hadn’t been outside the walls in ages. He told me that I did the right thing. She tried to argue with him when he insisted he was going with her. Fortunately, he is as stubborn as she is. They left out within an hour of us arriving safely back in Alpine.

  -3-

  The following week seemed to crawl by. Sandra worked and I went back to school. It was kind of weird fending for ourselves for dinner. It was also much quieter in the house. We got our first look at what it was going to be like when we got our own place. We found various ways to entertain ourselves during the time we spent together. However, some of those things became monotonous and boring. We quickly figured out that staying at home was part of the problem. Long walks, visiting friends or family, and finding new things to do outside the house made everything better.

  At the end of the week we were just getting back from a walk when we noticed the vehicles in the driveway. We ran inside to greet Jess and Amy. It was a bit surprising to find General Ortiz inside telling a joke that Amy found hilarious. I gave both my mothers hugs and shook hands with Ortiz. He stayed throughout dinner before deciding it was time to leave. Seth who was apparently in town visiting with Aurora, was waiting out front in a military Hummer. Ortiz climbed in to the passenger side waving as they left.