Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1)

by M. R. Ferguson

  “And what do you need my help with?” she managed to say.

  “Finding him.”

  She choked on his words.

  “You’ve learned very well how to survive, fight, and protect yourself. I’ve done the same, but you seem to have a gift of sensing danger,” he added.

  “And you got all that just from stalking me? Apparently I’m not that good if I had no idea that you were following me around.”

  “I didn’t follow you around twenty-four-seven. I observed you from a distance when you would get into scuffles with other vamps or humans. And truth be told, to watch a damn hot woman kick someone’s ass, it’s a turn on like no other.”

  She cleared her throat and changed the focus back on him. “Have you never had to face a group of vamps?”

  Adam gave her a crooked smile and held up his index finger motioning for her to wait one second while he walked outside. It took him a few minutes because he had to watch out for George. When he came back inside he was holding a bottle of Jack Daniels.

  “And where did you get that?” Phoenix’s eyebrows went up.

  “I know where rich people keep their stashes.”

  “Of course you do,” she replied rolling her eyes.

  Adam popped the cap off and took a swig, then offered the bottle to Phoenix. It burned all the way down, but felt so good. She handed it back and he took another deep drink, then held up the bottle. “To new alliances.”

  Phoenix took it from him and used two of the plastic cups that were left in the cabin to pour them both a drink. “By the way my name is Phoenix,” she said handing one to him.

  “I know. People talk. I heard the rumors of the girl running around the South with the crazy hair, kicking asses and taking names.”

  “That’s not good. I’ve tried my damndest to stay out of the current world.”

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but someone as beautiful as you can’t just blend in.”

  “You don’t exactly blend in either.” She took another drink and felt the warm buzz of liquor taint her brain.

  “What’s your story?” He asked sitting on the floor with the bottle and his cup. He put his knees up and rested his arms on top of them, his cup dangling. Phoenix sat down across from him.

  “It’s pretty simple really. Bombs went off, my family died and I lived.”

  “Come on, don’t be like that.”

  Phoenix sighed. “I was at school. In the chaos I couldn’t find my little sister. We somehow both made it home, as well as my parents. The three of them got sicker and sicker as the weeks went on and I started to crave blood. My sister was my best friend.” She looked down forcing the tears back. “As the radiation sickness worsened and she began to puke blood and look like a walking skeleton she begged me to take the pain away. By that time my folks had passed on and I buried them in the back yard. Sophie knew what I had become, but never looked at me differently. She didn’t just want me to take her life; she wanted me to suck her dry. After weeks of her begging and insisting that I shouldn’t waste her blood, I gave in.”

  Adam ran his hand down his face. “Damn.”

  “Yeah, she went limp in my arms and I held her lifeless form tight for so long my arms began to stiffen up.” Phoenix slid across the floor and grabbed one of her backpacks. Pulling out a four by six photo she handed it to him. “This is all I have left of my family.”

  Standing in front of a modest house with a green lawn and a large tree out front were four people with huge smiles and arms wrapped around each other. “That was the first day we moved into our new home. My parents were so proud.”

  “Your sister looks just like you.”

  Phoenix smiled. “I think she was much prettier. She had grace; I’m just a rocker chick.”

  Adam handed the photo back and his hand skimmed hers. “Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful.”

  She slid the photo carefully back into the side pocket of the backpack. “I’m not drunk enough for this conversation.”

  Adam brought up the bottle and refilled her cup. “Well drink up.”

  A few drinks later they were laughing about their lives and old memories.

  Phoenix snorted when she told him about the time she rolled down the stairs on her first date. Her parents finally agreed that she was of dating age and when the boy came to pick her up, she caught her heel on the stairs and rolled all the way down from the second story and landed at his feet. “He just stood there at the front door not knowing what the hell to do.”

  “Nice guy,” Adam said with sarcasm.

  “Oh come on. He was a teenager; they have no class.”

  “Well that’s true. The only thing on their mind is their dick.”

  “Like that changes as they get older.”

  “Sure it does. It just gets more sophisticated. Instead of getting a woody for no reason, or just because a girl happens to look in your direction, you need to develop a little more finesse.”

  Phoenix wanted to find out exactly what he thought would be enough. She was sure it wouldn’t take more than flashing her C cups, but that wasn’t going to happen. As hot as Adam was, she had some dignity.

  He ran his hand through his hair and leaned his head back against the wall. “It’s been quite a while since I have been drunk. Other than the damn gator and the gun pointed at me this has been a good night.”

  She watched as he closed his eyes and let his head fall to the side. Pulling the cup from his grasp she placed a pillow under him and stretched his body out so that he was lying on the floor. There was no way she was giving up her sleeping spot, the only bed. It wasn’t much, and the springs poked her, but it was better than the floor.

  Her eyes stayed on his sleeping form. Phoenix didn’t drink half of what he did, but then she assumed the rock star life had conditioned him to party pretty hard.

  “Adam Danzel’s in my cabin,” she said to herself as she closed her eyes, smiling.

  BOTH ADAM AND Phoenix woke up holding their throbbing heads.

  “That’s the shit thing about drinking. You wake up feeling like you’ve been run over by a truck,” he said slowly getting to his feet.

  Phoenix poured two glasses of water and handed one to him. “Drink this and about four more and you will be fine.”

  As he guzzled down the water he paused and asked. “By the way what’s your real name?”

  “Tracey Williams. I had a good friend who tattooed me with a Phoenix and all the other artwork you see. He said I could survive anything and he started to call me Phoenix, so I just kept the name. It’s easier when people don’t know your real story anyway.” She looked down giving a loud sigh, thinking of her family and friends.

  “Well, it definitely suits you,” he said smiling.

  George growled outside and Phoenix instantly picked up her rifle and held it to her shoulder as she opened the front door. Walking through the swamp grass were two men in waders, both armed with shotguns. They were about fifty yards away walking directly for the front of the cabin.

  “We need to go,” she said turning and throwing everything in the backpacks. Adam didn’t ask questions, he began tossing all the items in the cabin inside the bags as well.

  With the bags packed and their weapons attached to them, they silently walked out the back door. Hiding behind a large tree they peered around it eyeing the men approaching. Both looked native to the area. They had on camouflage hats and shirts. Their waders would protect them against snakes, but not gators and the first thing one did was shoot George in the head. Phoenix squeezed her eyes shut.

  “We got dinner tonight, Bob,” one said, hitting the other on the shoulder.

  It took the men a few minutes to figure out that there were two small boats pulled up on shore. Their guns were at the ready again. They looked into the canoe, but Phoenix had pulled everything out. The boat with the motor Adam showed up in was another story. His bag of clothing and a stash of whiskey were still in it.

 
“Shit,” Adam said under his breath.

  Phoenix handed him the three backpacks, walked to a tree trunk and crouched. She used the large tree trunk as a gun rest. She took aim at the guy leaning over and picking up the box of whiskey and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him right in the center of his head. His buddy instantly found where the shot had come from and took aim. Phoenix and the intruder both shot at the same time and she waited for the impact. The intruder was hit in the chest. He let out a grunt then collapsed on the ground. Phoenix screeched as the shotgun blast hit her in the upper left arm. She dropped the gun and gripped her shoulder. Adam ran for her and pulled the bandana from his ankle and wrapped it around the wound. “Keep pressure on it.”

  She nodded as he hopped over the tree and was to the down man in two bounding strides. Adam pulled his 9mm out of the holster at his hip and walked up to the man on the ground and kicked him hard in the ribs with his boot to make sure he was indeed dead. The body rolled slightly to the side and back to its original position. Making his way back to Phoenix he insisted she stay put as he gathered up the backpacks and chucked them into the motorized boat.

  One more trip back to her and he hoisted Phoenix up and carried her to the motorboat. “I wasn’t shot in the leg,” She protested. He ignored her and checked that the bandana was tight around her shoulder. Without another word, he turned and pulled on the cord to bring the motor to life. Phoenix looked back at George as they pulled away from the cabin. She brushed her tears away. Yes, he was only an alligator and would have killed and eaten her if he had the chance, but he was the only company she’d had for many months. She painfully slipped her jacket from her wounded arm. As she started to remove the jacket from her other arm Adam leaned forward and said, “Keep that on. It may help keep infection away.” He stroked her face and empathy filled his eyes.

  She slid toward the back of the boat as Adam drove. He placed his free hand on her healthy shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  Adam pushed the engine to its limits until they ended up in the Gulf of Mexico. Just as they broke out of the swamp he steered toward a floating milk jug.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “That’s probably a crawdad trap. We could at least eat tonight.”

  Phoenix cringed as he stuck his hand down into the water to grab at the rope that was attached to the jug. She watched out of one eye until he brought the object up safely. The trap was made of chicken wire and indeed there was a load of crawdads in it. “See I’m good for something,” he said smiling. He cut the engine for a moment and let the boat drift. “Let me see that arm.”

  She slid her jacket off.

  Phoenix flinched as he pulled off the bandana. “This is going to need stiches.”

  “I have a kit in one of the bags,” she offered.

  “See, and you’re good for something too,” he chuckled a little bit as he dug in the bags. When he found it, he held it up. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

  “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  “Here, you may need this,” he handed her a bottle of whiskey from the box he had stolen. When she removed the cap, he took it from her and poured some into her wound.

  “I have no idea what I’m doing,” he admitted.

  “Well first you need to see if you can find the pellets and dig them out.”

  His face went a little pale. “I’m kidding. He shot me with a slug and it just grazed me.” She took her fingers and held her slit skin together. “Pour some more whiskey on it then get sewing.” Adam stood there with the curved needle looking unsure, so Phoenix took it from him and punctured her own skin and pulled the thread tight, wincing the entire time. When she did it again he took it from her and added five more stitches. Cutting the thread, he reached down and got out some of the bandages she had managed to collect and very tenderly wrapped the bandage around and around her arm. Every so often he would look up into her emerald green eyes to make sure that he wasn’t unduly hurting her.

  As he finished with her arm he cleared his throat. He had been staring at her for a few seconds. As if knocking himself out of a trance, he repacked the medical supplies and started the engine again. “That will keep it from scarring and healing funny.” “I’m sure it’s already closing in on itself.”

  “By the way this is awesome,” she said pointing to the trap of crawfish.

  “Now we just need a big ass pot to cook them in.”

  He drove the boat to a marina and asked her to stay and keep an eye on their things. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  Phoenix had no idea what he was up to, but she kept her rifle ready and stayed low. Ten minutes later he came back with a large pot and a tent.

  “I think we’re going to have to camp out tonight.” He began to gather all the items from the boat and Phoenix loaded herself up as well.

  They hiked carefully, staying on the grassy patches. They found a pretty large spot that was dry. Adam set up the tent he had stolen and Phoenix gathered firewood. It was still light, which was good. Having a fire at night was a beacon for anyone to find you. She used a jug of water to fill the pot and got the fire going. Once the water was boiling they poured the critters in.

  “How long do you need to cook them?” she asked looking down into the bubbling water.

  “They’ll float to the top. We aren’t exactly doing this right. We have no basket to put them in the boiling water and we didn’t wash them, but we need to save our water.”

  “Good point.”

  Adam looked around for something relatively flat to place the critters on. There was a split log and he pulled one of his t-shirts out and laid it across it. When the feast was ready he dumped them out, leaving a bit of water in the pot so they could wash them if they were too nasty to eat.

  “Where did you learn this stuff? I mean I know you’re not from the South,” Phoenix asked.

  “Do I actually look like I know what I’m doing?” He laughed. “I don’t have a damn clue. I just wing it. It did help to have cable TV and shows like Swamp People.” He gave a small chuckle

  “Okay, so tell me how to eat these damn things,” Phoenix said.

  “All I know is some people suck the heads, but mostly you just eat the butt.”

  “I’m not sucking the head of anything.” She paused realizing how her words sounded. “Okay, scratch that comment.”

  Adam however grinned from ear to ear. “If you’re scratching that comment then I will keep my response to myself.”

  Phoenix took a bite of crawfish and kept her head down. She was wondering how many women he had actually been with during his successful rock band era. He probably has had at least two STD’s. She also thought about how fun all his sexual experience must have been.

  She was glad when he brought up another topic. “The boat is about out of gas. We have a bunch of supplies that others may need and we could use some canned food. I think we should hit some of the outposts around here and trade.”

  “You’re probably right. I go and loot all the time, but stuff is getting harder and harder to find. We’ll spread what we have out in the tent and decide what can go and what we should keep.”

  Sliding off her water-logged boots and socks, she turned them upside down on a couple of branches to dry out.

  “You know your pants are soaked as well,” Adam said grinning.

  “I’m well aware of that, but these happen to be the only clothes I have.”

  “And that’s okay with me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “There is no way I’m going to take my pants off and sit here with you in nothing but my underwear.”

  “All right. Flirting aside.” He reached behind him and into his duffle bag. “Here put these on.” He tossed her a pair of sweats.

  Adam turned his head slightly, but Phoenix saw him watching her from the corner of his eye. Just to torment his wandering mind she wiggled as she slid her wet jeans down and adjusted her underwear around her ass. He pursed his lips and let out a breath a
nd ran his hand through his hair. When she had the sweatpants on, his head turned away from her.

  The pants were huge, but she tied the waist string tight. ‘Thanks.”

  “Not a problem.” He smiled nonchalantly.

  “Now what do we have to barter?” she said sitting beside him.

  “Well you have narcotics. Junkies will like that. I still have a few bottles of whiskey.”

  “And what do we need?”

  “More ammo for one, and canned food,” Adam answered.

  “Do you really know where we can go?”

  “Well, we’ll need a map too, but yes. We need to get out of the swamps. We’ll stay here for the night then head into Galveston.” Adam yawned as he spoke, which caused her to do the same.

  They had no sleeping bags or blankets and the ground was bumpy. “One back ache coming up,” Phoenix said as she tried to get comfortable in the tent.

  Adam looked around their canvas enclosure. “Yeah, it’s no Hilton.”

  “This isn’t even a Motel 6,” she said laughing.

  “We’re going to have to stay close for heat.”

  “You just can’t resist bringing up some kind of sexual situation into every conversation can you?” She lay down and got comfortable. “And by the way this is Louisiana. No it’s not the dead heat of summer, but it’s not like we’re in a Minnesota blizzard.”

  He shrugged. “It was worth a try.”

  When the sun rose Phoenix slowly opened her eyes and stretched her sore muscles. Her back was in a tight knot from the lump she had slept on. Her shoulder was stiff from the gunshot so she moved it up and down and around for a few minutes. Adam was snoring so she snuck out and replaced his sweat pants with her jeans. They were stiff and dirty and felt like sand paper sliding up her legs.

  Digging through the backpacks she found the small compact mirror and styled her hair. She had a little bit of toothpaste left in a tube so she used it and brushed her teeth. As she spit the foam on the ground and swished a tiny bit of water around in her mouth Adam slipped out of the tent. He must have had a back cramp too because his hands cupped his lower back and he leaned backward then forward.