Through the Eyes of the Phoenix

by Martin W Francis

  “Glad to see that Amy didn’t kill Ortiz at Fort Stockton. I was under the impression that she was going to at least give him a black eye or bloody nose.”

  “You are such a comedian Ember,” Amy replied.

  “What? When you left, you were hotter than a fried egg on the sidewalk on a summer’s day. You had steam pouring out your nose and ears.”

  My words which I used with a silly southern slang got immense laughter. I intentionally made the point that my prior statement was not an attempt at being funny. I was showing that I could be a comedian if that’s what she was going to call me. Yes, I got part of the feisty genetics too apparently.

  “I think the drive helped to calm her down some before she got to Fort Stockton. Perhaps Dan talked some sense into her on the way. All I know is that she had a lot of questions which she demanded Ortiz answer. He happily gave her the answers she sought. He was also extremely careful to choose his words being as respectful as possible.”

  “You knew that she was going to freak out when I told her didn’t you? You told him about Amy’s temper prior to her arrival is what you’re saying?’

  “I’ve known Amy long enough to expect certain reactions I suppose. I might have also mentioned a few things to Sergio to keep him from being punched in the face.”

  “Figures.”

  “Ortiz is actually a really nice guy. Jess and I are going to visit New London next month. I have never been outside of the states before. Very much looking forward to getting to see this city overseas. I don’t even know what I’m going to wear when we meet the President or King.”

  “What? Are you serious? How long are the two of you going to be gone?”

  “Not sure exactly how long we are staying, but we will be back in time for your graduation for certain. We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Jess replied.

  “I guess we did fine on our own for a week. If we are moving out in July then we need to get used to fending for ourselves regardless.”

  “Don’t remind me. I wish the two of you would stay here at least until I pass away,” Amy said.

  “Mom don’t talk like that! You know we will come to visit all the time. Besides you’re not allowed to kick the bucket, like ever.”

  Amy laughed, “I will try my very best not to kick any buckets.”

  Time passed as it usually does. A month later Sergio came to pick up Jess and Amy. Not exactly to my surprise Aurora had been invited by Seth for the trip abroad. Seth has been coming to Alpine to visit with Aurora on weekends. The original reason was that he was being sent to update everyone on how things were going at the base. A relationship began to develop between Aurora and Seth that everyone noticed. At the point things seemed to be becoming serious I had a talk with Seth. I wanted to make sure that he had her best interests at heart as the old saying goes. I asked him a ton of questions that he seemed to have the right answers for. I then emphasized that if he broke her heart that the Fallen would be the least of his worries. In that, I simply implied that several dangerous women would be less than pleased. He replied that he was very aware of that fact. He also promised that he had no intention of breaking her heart.

  They left out after making sure that Sandra and I had everything we needed. They all told us goodbye each in their own ways. It was implied that we were responsible for taking care of ourselves while they were away. We told them to have a safe trip. That night time seemed to slow down for the first time in a long time. The days dragged by during the weeks that followed. We went back to how things were the previous occasion we had been left alone. We adjusted learning to live as a couple on their own would. In that time we grew even closer falling more in love, if that is even possible.

  One weekend Sandra didn’t have to work which was a nice change. On Saturday Sandra woke me up with breakfast in bed. I noticed she had apparently found lilies from somewhere. They were in a vase beside the bed. Lilies had become my favorite flower ever since seeing the ones at my dad’s house. After breakfast Sandra told me to get dressed. She stated that she had plans already made for the today. I went to take a shower to wake myself up better. I was delightfully surprised when Sandra decided joined me. I uncertainly chose to wear a nice summer dress even though it was technically spring. Sandra grabbed a duffel bag as we headed out the door. We went to the bartering area of town. There was a painter that Sandra commissioned to include both of us in one of his art pieces. She gave him in trade a bunch of old art supplies which he was ecstatically happy to acquire. He wrote down details to help him work on the piece without us needing to sit around for hours or days. Next we went to Aunt April’s little bakery shop. I was thrilled to find that she had recently baked a pecan pie. We sat around eating a slice while we chatted with her. She invited us to come have dinner perhaps on Sunday evening. We happily agreed giving her hugs as we left.

  We went back by the house later in the day. Jess had given us the keys to her Chevrolet Cheyenne. It was mom’s personal vehicle that she acquired after the tornado. Sandra grabbed a small basket before we left the house. She drove us to a somewhat secluded part of town. There a blanket was laid down under the shade of several trees with the basket. Sandra had prepared a picnic as I figured. It was around three in the afternoon, but I didn’t mind the late lunch. I had been stuffed up until now anyway. It was a fantastic picnic with some of my favorites. Everything was cleared away to make room on the blanket. We laid back relaxing on the blanket holding hands. I kissed her thanking her for the wonderful day. She told me that it wasn’t over just yet. We commenced to taking a stroll to the nearby park. The two of raced to the swings as we often did in the past. We made a contest of seeing who could swing higher. The day was full of other surprises and fun.

  Later that evening we finally made it back home. I was completely exhausted from being on my feet most of the day. I simply wanted to veg out on the couch (perhaps watch a movie or something of the sort). She apparently had a similar idea. She had purchased a DVD while in town that I was unaware of. It was a total chick flick. I usually don’t like romance movies or musicals. After everything she did today I definitely didn’t mind sitting through it for her sake. Halfway through I’ll be damned if I wasn’t crying. The main character’s girlfriend died in a car crash. Things eventually got better as the story progressed. By the end of the movie I was smiling. He had found another love interest special in her own unique way.

  Sometime during the movie Sandra snuck off to prepare dinner. Apparently she had seen the movie years ago. Who would have figured that I would be glued to the screen with a bowl of popcorn? I watched the thing so intently that I had not even noticed her leave the room. Stretching afterwards I made my way to the kitchen where a wonderful aroma was coming. The table was set with our best dishes. In the center of the table was a candle burning to create a romantic effect. I didn’t really overanalyze that there might have been a reason at the time. Sandra is often romantic in various ways. It wasn’t an exquisite five-star meal, but it was good. You can’t really expect a miracle every time you eat when in the middle of an apocalypse. During the middle of dinner however, Sandra surprised me with a ring. It had been her mother’s wedding ring that her dad gave her to propose with. He even had it resized to her specifications. She got down on one knee asking me if I would marry her. I was in complete shock unable to speak. She emphasized not right away, but sometime soon in the future. I found my voice telling her of course without further hesitation. Sunday at dinner with Uncle Dan and Aunt April, I was happily showing off my engagement ring. The days that followed were wonderful no matter what we were doing.

  -4-

  The following are details of the vacation that my mothers took. They were described in immense specifics when they returned a month later. Those specifics are likely due to my nature of asking so many questions.

  Hoping on a helicopter they flew to a secured airport. At the airport they got onto what had previously been the presidential plane known as Air Force One. I will not bother wi
th describing all of the amenities or conversation on board. They traveled to a secured airport in the U.K. where they boarded a helicopter. Jess described seeing the walls around the city as unbelievably massive. She said that she has never seen anything like them before. Amy told us that she was frightened at seeing so many Fallen. She knew that places like that existed where they roamed in large numbers especially in the large cities, but seeing them firsthand amassed around a wall in the thousands was frightening than any nightmare. They landed in Green Park near a few other helicopters. A royal coach was there waiting for them along with lots of civilians that were cheering like crazy. Apparently the zealots that Sergio told them about were very real. Extra military had been flown in from other countries to escort them the short distance to Buckingham Palace.

  During their stay they met with the President, the King, the new Pope, scientists, and many other important individuals. Jess was impressed by the discussions that she had with President Riley on various topics. The President even insisted that they call her Vanessa. Both of my mothers were apparently familiar with King William from television and newspapers back when the world was a different place. The plan to eradicate the undead was discussed numerous times. Their entire stay was for the most part talking or wining and dining. They attended a ball, visited the garden at the palace, attended church, and went a few other places while under heavy guard. Excuses were eventually made so that they could leave.

  Amy returned with several new dresses. One of them was apparently a personal gift from Queen Catherine. They brought both of us back small presents which we showed our appreciation for with hugs. They were both so exhausted that they retired to rest without unpacking the first day. It wasn’t until the following day that they noticed the engagement ring on my finger. The rest of the day consisted of talking and celebration. A bottle of white wine was brought out from the things they brought back from New London. I had taken a sip or two of alcohol before not really liking the taste. This wine however was sweet and delicious. They of course asked us if we had a date yet. We told them that we have not decided for certain. Advice was given that we should start planning things even before we set a date. That began a long conversation about ideas for the wedding.

  -5-

  School eventually let out and Sandra’s birthday came around. We finally got the opportunity to move out. We had previously visited with Peter a couple months ago. He was more than willing to bend the rules so that we could move near him. Arriving at Peter’s, keys were handed over to us for our new house. He told us to go make ourselves at home. We told him that we would invite him over to dinner later this week after we settled in. On entering the house we found that it was completely furnished being previously used as a guest house. It was our choice if we wanted to keep if any of it or completely redecorate. We had complete control now that it was officially our house to do with it as we wished.

  I started training to be a runner in June under Stephanie. Both Aurora and Celeste were too preoccupied to train me. Things were a little different now that we officially had military support. The first trip out I got to ride on a helicopter for the first time. Flying was an amazing experience. Everything on the ground looked so much smaller. All the small towns a good distance from Alpine had been picked over so much over the years that they were pretty useless for supplies. I also made a request that we stop by my dad’s house for a few things (things I wanted for my new house). We first made a short stop at my technically inherited other house. We then flew to several smaller towns in the vicinity. Levelland was among those we stopped. It was big in overall mileage than some of the places we visited on that trip. At the same time everything was pretty much spread out except along the highway and one main road that went to South Plains College (according to the sign). In Levelland the helicopter touched down in a parking lot of a Walmart off the highway. This was one of the few places in town to fill prescriptions when the virus began spreading. There were around seventy cars parked in the large lot. Man basic necessities for surviving such as water probably cleared off the shelves when the epidemic first hit. However, the odds that everything was cleared out was impossible. It was evident from the large amount of vehicles outside if nothing else. The second reason is that at some point the epidemic must have spread within the building. Some of these cars had to be survivors that came hoping to find supplies, but were simply overwhelmed by Fallen that had amassed quickly or over time in a somewhat large number. The only way this place was completely picked over is if a very large group had come here at some point while heavily armed. Chances of survival would have been extremely slim otherwise. I honestly wasn’t sure what we were doing here for that matter. We were undermanned even with the heavy artillery the military had brought. The men seemed to have a reserve about being here as well. Steph insisted that there might be a few antibiotics or pain relievers that are known to be prevalent for at least twenty years. She also pointed out that there would likely be a stockpile of canned foods which according to many studies could possibly be safe to eat for a hundred years despite the expiration dates (as long as the cans are not damaged). Most small places had been ransacked during the epidemic or raided after. Only places like this might still have supplies in large quantities. One of the men pointed out that there was a reason why places this size had not been touched. He stated that it would take over twenty trained individuals to safely clear the building. Stephanie simply smiled.

  “Do they still teach the concept of using intelligence to outwit your enemies? I have a plan that should work. Worst case scenario we have to lift off.”

  The man named Hans who had previously been skeptical said, “I’m listening.”

  “First we move the cars to create a barricade starting at one of the entrances. We can make the distance however long it takes to be a safe distance away. We move the helicopter to the opposite end of course. After that someone props open the doors, we get their attention with the megaphone I have in my bag, and when they come out we mow them down with the Gatling. We should be able to handle any stragglers that choose not to take the bait afterwards.”

  “It sounds like it might work. If we are going to have the chopper running during the cleanup then I don’t see any risk. Hopefully, we can clear out the majority. If not then you will have to enter at your own jeopardy. We were ordered to protect you, but that does not mean we signed on for a suicide mission.”

  It took a lot of work without keys to move enough of the cars. Even though the batteries were likely dead on many of them we still chose the older vehicles that obviously did not have alarms. The older ones were also easier to unlock the ignitions to put them into neutral. The helicopter was repositioned. Steph gave me a couple of small wooden doorjambs from her bag to prop the main doors wide open. I had to shoot one Fallen that lunged at me the moment I opened the doors. I finished propping them open quickly before running back to the helicopter. Stephanie stood in the middle of the barricades at first while yelling into the megaphone. She seemed to back away towards the chopper every five seconds while calling out. The first of the Fallen finally came into view through the small pair of binoculars I was using. I whistled loudly to make sure that she knew. Steph pulled out a CD player from her bag laying it on the ground with the megaphone left on. She hit the play button before running to the helicopter. Music blared out loudly. The three I had seen exited the building. The numbers were too small to waste ammunition from the Gatling. I picked up my SR25 sniper rifle that I had been practicing with (Jess said that I was either a natural or it was genetic). Taking careful aim I took them down one at a time. Everyone on board seemed impressed at my accuracy. About a minute later Fallen began pouring out the doors. There were over twenty of them. Hans aimed the Gatling waiting for them to get a little closer before the loud shots began to shred them to pieces. The sound of the Gatling apparently drew more. All the noise began to bring Fallen that we had not anticipated from the surrounding area. Some came from the unobserved open garden cent
er, some from other nearby businesses, and some from residential alleys. They came from anywhere and everywhere. Spotting the first of them we hopped out the opposite side of the chopper while Hans stayed on the Gating. We spread out taking them down as new ones were noticed. After about ten minutes things began to calm down. There was only one instance of a number two Fallen during that time. It took three of us to take the creepy thing down because of its erratic movements (ducking, dodging, hiding, etc.). The death toll in the barricade was now around fifty. Steph went to turn off the CD player before coming back to converse with the group.

  “Well, pretty sure that is most of them. It’s up to guys if you want to go in or not. I think I will take my chances either way. The remaining Fallen are likely in bathrooms, offices, or unloading a truck out back”

  Her last statement made me giggle. “Funny Steph. There could just as likely be several type two lying in wait. Are you sure that you want to do this?”

  “You have never been inside a Walmart, have you Ember? They have just about anything you could possibly need or want. Might even find a few some items for your new house.”

  “Fine, but if we run across more type twos we abort mission. Agreed?”

  “Such a party pooper, but probably for the best. I hate those things. The ugly slower ones were dangerous enough. Nature just had to give slight intelligence and speed to a handful. If they were all type two the human race would have been wiped out I think. The concept of a tiger on crack comes to mind.”

  With some consideration to various factors it was eventually agreed that the soldiers would enter the premises with us. It was too large inside to make any attempt at properly securing. Being so spacious we had no other choice than to stick together. We walked the store together as a group. A couple of Fallen burst out of changing rooms in the clothing section, but were quickly taken care of. We didn’t even bother going down the toy isles. There were a few other Fallen here and there. They were nothing we couldn’t handle though. The meats, produce, and bakery items were all black rotted lumps of sludge. The smell was almost as horrid as the undead. We kept a good distance from those areas because of the toxicity they produced. We stocked up on canned goods from the half cleared shelves. Medications at the pharmacy were rifled through for those on Steph’s list. A few other supplies from the grocery isles such as toilet paper were also acquired. We both had baskets piled high that we pushed. I grabbed a few clothing items I liked. We grabbed various sizes from both men’s and women’s for others in the community. We also found a ton of stuff in the sporting goods section among other areas of the store. At the end we had a dozen baskets parked at the front. There was no way we were going to get half of this stuff onto the helicopter. Alpine being about three to four-hundred miles away was a bit of a dilemma. We stored ten baskets full of items just inside the main doors. Using a chain with a lock from sporting goods we secured the entrances. We then went to the nearby Radio Shack, GameStop (my idea), and a few other small businesses in the same lot as the Walmart. We fit what we could into the chopper. Steph, I, and a couple other runners returned a week later in a large cargo truck borrowed from Fort Stockton to get the items left behind. We also did more shopping since the area mostly secured. More trips were made with large semi-trucks over time to load stock from the boxed inventory stacked on pallets and shelves in the back of Walmart. Even the toy isle was hit up for the kids in our community and for trade with others.