“Take a gander outside. My kin have been healed by your blood. I will thank you for that, but ya’ll are not welcome here.”
“We hoped to make an alliance,” Adam said.
Ben blew a laugh out. “Why would I wanna go and do that? She wanted to kill us,” he said pointing to Phoenix.
“Sir, if I could just explain,” she pleaded.
“None necessary. That’s what y’all are. I get that.”
“Yes, I will admit are a lot of vamps that are only after blood and killing. They form gangs and work like a pack of wolves. Adam and I are not like that. I didn’t want to kill you for your blood. My reaction was to mine being taken and the eagerness I saw and felt in you as you got it. I’ve never had anyone ask for my blood. It made me want it myself. I wasn’t prepared for that,” she explained.
“How long has it been since either of ya killed?”
“Years, sir,” Phoenix answered. “We have found a better way to get the blood we need.”
“How’s that?” Ben asked disbelieving.
“Donations,” Adam offered.
“Are you telling me that folks offer themselves up to you?” Ben crinkled his nose as if disgusted.
“You’re one to talk. You wanted us to offer ourselves to you for blood,” Phoenix countered.
Ben took a second and pursed his lips nodding. “I guess ya have a point.”
“Look, you need our blood to keep your village healthy. We need yours to keep providing it,” Adam added.
“And in return?” Ben asked.
“We will trade blood for blood and medical supplies for canned food,” Phoenix said.
Ben stood picking up the rifle that was lying on the table beside him. “One person get’s hurt I’ll kill ya.”
“Understood,” Adam said.
“Let’s go,” Ben motioned for them to follow him.
He pointed to a few people as they walked. “Jimmy over there had a cracked leg. Had to set it of course, and it wasn’t pleasant. The boards will come off tomorrow maybe. He had some of the blood. Other’s had disease which is gone.” They walked up to another shanty where two women were sitting on run down wooden rocking chairs.
This here is my wife, Vera.”
She had beautiful brown eyes, and few wrinkles. Her hair was short like the others in town, but Phoenix could see the woman’s beauty never the less. She carried herself with grace and she emitted a loving kindness that reminded Phoenix of her mother.
Phoenix extended her hand to shake, but Vera just grinned and nodded.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Phoenix said anyway.
“Vera, I have struck a deal with these vamps. Give them some canned goods and smoked meat.”
She nodded, but looked wary.
“Ya’ll can have a seat,” Ben said pointing to the edge of the porch. Both of them sat and took in their surroundings.
“How long have you been here?” Adam asked.
“Came out here when the bombs started flyin. Took what we could, when we could and built up some shelter.”
“Do you know about the places where the sun shines?” Phoenix asked as a plate of food was offered to her.
Adam took his plate from Vera and they both waited for an answer. Vera disappeared back into the shanty.
Ben chuckled. “Theren’t any sun left.”
“Actually there is, I know of a few places,” Adam offered.
“You get dropped on the your head or something?” Ben said spitting on the ground.
“No. I’m telling you the way it is.”
“Adam knows a lot about the politicians and how the military is functioning today,” Phoenix said taking a bite of beef jerky.
“That right?” Ben said skeptical.
“What’s this?” a man said approaching them. It wasn’t a pleasant tone.
“I’ve welcomed them into the village and struck a deal,” Ben said standing his ground.
“Are you out of your fucking mind? You just condemned us all to death.”
“You watch your tone, Doug.” Ben said with fierce eyes.
Doug shoved past Ben making sure to knock him in the shoulder as he passed.
Ben shook it off. “Doug’s a bit of a hot head.”
“Seems to hate vamps,” Adam said.
“Most do, but he’s got special reason to. His sister turned and tried to kill ‘em.”
Phoenix tensed and Adam took note. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Totally,” she said with a smile. Her smile disguised her memory of Sophie. No she didn’t attack her sister, but she was the one to take her life.
Ben was back on the sunlight story. “You say ya saw it?”
“I can show you,” Adam said.
The old man’s eyes lit up. “Vera! Get them their stash of canned goods,” he shouted.
It took her all of ten minutes and she had a box full of canned fruit, vegies, and jerky.
“Thank you for this,” Adam said to Ben.
“Don’t make me regret it now. How far away do I have to go to see the sun?”
Adam smiled. “It’s not far. Couple hours walk from here.”
“You don’t say?”
“You can come now if you like and bring back the medical supplies,” Phoenix offered.
Ben nodded. Adam picked up the box of food and led the way out. When they reached the two guards they were sitting on dilapidated, metal folding chairs, one on each side of the entrance.
“Boys, I’ll be back by nightfall.”
They both stood, alarm flashing across their faces.
“I’ll make sure he gets back,” Adam offered, but it did no good.
One of them began to speak but Ben waved him off and kept walking.
Phoenix picked up their weapons. She stashed Adam’s on her person as well since he was lugging a box full of glass jars, though she was sure it didn’t feel the least bit heavy to him.
Ben slung his rifle onto is shoulder, but kept his hand firm on the strap for ready access.
Everyone was quiet as they walked through the fields and marshes. There was a slight breeze, which caused the dried out wheat to sway back and forth with a crackling sound.
“I don’t get how there can be sun in a certain spot. I’m not an educated man, but I know we would have seen blue sky by now. Everything might be contaminated and all, but the smoke would have cleared off by now,” Ben finally said.
“I can’t tell you how I know this information, so don’t ask me,” Adam started. “There are planes that were developed to drop chemicals. They keep the sky a constant, cloudy grey.”
“You’d think folks would hear a plane.”
“Well that’s the thing; they’re silent.”
“Boy you really are livin’ in a fantasy,” Ben said with a chuckle.
“No, it’s true,” Phoenix said though she had no proof.
“Our government always had new weapons, planes, and fleet vehicles being developed. Area 51 is a real place, but it had nothing to do with aliens,” Adam said.
“What will these chemicals do to us?” Ben asked alarmed.
“That, I don’t know.” Adam pointed ahead. “It’s not much farther, at least the easy part of the hike.”
Phoenix looked over at Ben who looked confused. “We’re going into a cave system. It’s where Adam and I have been living.”
Ben nodded.
When they entered the cave Adam invited Ben to sit down and take a rest. He was breathing quite heavily and he was up there in age. He was happy to sit in the cool cave and rest a while. “You’ve got quite the hide out here,” he said looking around when Adam lit a few lanterns.
“It’s not like we’re very popular,” Phoenix said. “I have no intention of joining with the gangs of vamps.”
Adam handed Ben a bottle of water that he filled from one of the natural springs in the cave. “It doesn’t taste very good with all the minerals and all, but it’s safe for consumption.”
“Thank ya.” The ol
d man tilted it back and took deep gulps.
“Whenever you’re ready we should get moving. The sun will be down in a few hours.”
As they made the climb Phoenix took the lead and Adam made sure to help Ben.
“This is all making a bit more sense to me now. I mean you should be able to tell when it’s day and night and the sky shouldn’t be grey all the time,” Ben said as he heaved himself up onto a large rock.
They passed the makeshift bathroom and got to the spot where the beam of light shone on the stone floor. Ben gasped.
“We must be dead quiet. There are people up there,” Phoenix whispered right into Ben’s ear.
The old man stood directly below the quarter width beam and turned his face up into it, smiling broadly. The gold light glistened on his sweaty face revealing his deep wrinkles and wise face. Phoenix surmised he was a man who had experienced a lot in life.
Phoenix’s forehead crinkled.
“What?” Adam mouthed.
She sniffed at the air and her eyes blazed and illuminated brighter. Closing her eyes to concentrate on what she was picking up, voices from ground level muffled in and out of tone. The smell of blood wafted into her nostrils, but it was more than one scent. Breathing in deeper she could smell Ben as plain as if a large gash ran across his neck. His scent was strong, but the others mixed in with it were so faint she could have missed them. Her senses had never been this keen before.
Looking at Adam the sense of confusion and awe she was feeling was also on his face. Nodding to the side she indicated to him that they should go. He tugged on Ben’s shirt, but stopped for a second. Adam’s eyes blazed and Phoenix tensed. When he took a couple deep breaths to calm himself his eyes dimmed. He took Ben by the shoulder and led him away.
“I have to say that has left me with few words.” Ben was still smiling from ear to ear. “The sun still shines,” he said with a voice childlike and innocent.
IT WAS DUSK when they walked Ben back to the village. Phoenix brought the backpack full of medical supplies. As they walked up the dirt road to the shanty village most everyone was waiting at the entrance. Vera, Ben’s wife, ran up to him pulling him into a tight embrace.
Phoenix could understand their worry; she knew how she felt smelling the blood. More than anything she wanted to pounce like a hungry tiger and kill the man that had trusted them with his life.
“We were so worried,” Vera said stepping back from her husband.
“I told you I’d be fine. I saw the sun, V. Took my breath away.”
“Really?” she asked in shock. The others moved closer at the word sun. Doug however stayed back a few feet with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring.
“Wasn’t much, just a tiny beam, but I stood in it.”
The group of villagers began to whisper among themselves, but Phoenix could hear everything they were saying crystal clear. Some were saying how they wanted to experience sun, others smiled like just the thought of the sun still shining bright in a blue sky was a miracle.
Adam nudged her arm with his elbow and motioned to the group with his head and then he held his index finger up to his ear. Phoenix nodded.
“Ya’ll have earned you a place for supper tonight and you’re welcome to stay over so ya ain’t walkin’ in the dark,” Ben said patting Adam on the shoulder.
Upon hearing this Doug hit one of the guards folding chairs with an open hand and sent it tumbling, before walking off.
Ben led them to his home. Phoenix set the backpack with medical supplies down on the table and unzipped it. Mixed in with the meds and bandages was a bottle of whiskey. Adam took it out. “Will you have a drink with us, Ben?” he said holding it up.
The old man’s eyes lit up. “Hot damn. Where’d ya get that?”
“I robbed a rich man’s stash,” Adam said as Ben went to get some glasses.
Vera walked in carrying a pot of something that smelled delicious. “I worked up some stew,” she said as she set it down on the counter.
“Come have a drink with us, V.” Ben handed her a glass and raised his own. “To the sun.”
The glasses, which were old Mason jars, clinked and the four of them took a drink. “Mmm, that’s good, but I make better,” Ben said with a smile.
“You have a still?” Adam asked.
“Sure do. It’s out back. I figure with the law gone ain’t nobody to stop me.”
Adam poured another couple shots into each glass. Ben moved to help Vera ladle the stew into some bowls, but she shoo’d him away. “You’ve had a long day. Sit. I have this.”
She put a bowl in front of each of them and brought out a homemade loaf of bread and set it in the middle of the table.
“Thank you,” Phoenix said to her. She noticed Ben looking at her so she looked across the table to let him know she was aware of it.
“Sorry, I just can’t get use to those glowin’ eyes of yours,” he said.
“If I wasn’t aware of how they look I would be totally freaked out by it,” she replied with a smile.
Ben chuckled. “Dig in. My V is a damn good cook,” he said ripping a chunk of bread off with his hands handing it to Phoenix then another for Adam.
Phoenix dipped her spoon in and took a bite. “Wow, this is really good.”
“Told ya,” Ben said raising his own spoon to his mouth.
“Killed a chicken to make it, but we got us a horny rooster,” Vera said with a grin.
Phoenix almost choked when the comment caused her to laugh as she swallowed.
“We got us another sick one,” Vera said to Ben.
“Who?”
“Jeremy. Annabel has been lookin after him all day.”
Ben sighed.
“What’s wrong with him?” Phoenix asked.
“Don’t know. Same as the others I guess. They just turn sickly out of the blue,” Ben answered. “I guess it may be time for our bargain.”
“You understand that we haven’t had blood for a couple days, right?” Adam said. “If you take ours we will need to replenish, and I didn’t bring any with us.”
“I won’t force folks to let you bite into um, but if they volunteer…” Ben let the sentence hang.
“Of course,” Phoenix agreed.
As they walked to the shanty where the boy lived Phoenix noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Quickly turning her head she saw Doug dash behind a building. She wasn’t sure how far this guy was willing to take his hatred, but it was in her and Adam’s benefit to find out.
Ben turned the knob and entered through a door that looked to belong to a home bathroom or bedroom rather than a front door. “Annabel, can we come in?”
“Of course.” The voice sounded polite, but stressed.
The home was kept dark with the exception of a lantern burning next to the boy’s bed. There were no separate rooms only a partitioned off bathroom with the entrance covered by a curtain. The smell of the outhouse type bathroom filled Phoenix’s nose and she coughed against it.
“Anna, this is Phoenix and Adam. They’d like to help Jeremy,” Ben said in a very respectful tone.
Phoenix felt an overwhelming sadness. The scene reminded her of the infomercials that would beg you to send money to kids in third world countries. There would be a child shown taking care of his younger siblings. He would be no more than twelve, yet he was the adult now. The teenager before her had the same look of stress and worry. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her fingers. “I would like that very much.”
Ben pulled up a folding chair and sat down next to her taking her hand. “There somethin you need to know.” He paused for a second. “If they help him they’ll be needin blood in return.”
For the first time the girl looked up and saw the company Ben had brought with him. She looked down at her brother then back to them. The boy lying in the bed looked like a pile of bones. His breathing was filled with wheezing and gurgles. In the dim light his skin looked purple.
Phoenix’s mind drifted to her own s
ister and how she suffered. More than anything she wanted to save her, but in the end the radiation took her. She never left Sophie’s side. Every day was filled with warming some broth for her, and forcing her to try and drink some water. As the weeks passed, Sophie just gave up. She knew her fate, and asked Phoenix to speed it along. Standing here in this tiny shanty Phoenix couldn’t help but wonder what may have happened to Sophie if she had known her blood could heal. Adam’s voice kicked her mind back into the present. “I’m not saying it won’t hurt, but I will give you some of my blood as well so that you’ll heal. I’ll try to make it as pleasant as possible.”
She sniffed again. “You’re going to bite me?” Panic filled the young girl’s eyes.
“Yes, and you should know that I will bite you on the neck not the wrist,” Adam confessed.
“Anna, it’s up to you; ya hear?” Ben assured her.
“He’s dying, Ben. I don’t have a choice. He’s all I have left.”
The patriarch nodded his head and stood. He gripped Adam’s shoulder for a second then stepped back.
Adam took his seat. “I need to feed first,” he said as gently as he could.
Annabel looked down at her lap for a second, then as her face rose it filled with determination. “I’m ready.”
Adam took both of her hands in his. “This won’t last long, I promise,” he said looking into her eyes.
The girl nodded and Adam gently moved her long hair to one side and gently tilted her head. Her eyes clinched shut. Adam hovered over her skin for a moment, then bit down. Anna let out a gasp and her eyes flew open, followed by moans of pain. Her hands gripped her shirt and she held onto it pulling it so tight around her body that Phoenix thought the seams would tear.
The feeding only lasted minutes.
“I’m sure that felt like an eternity,” Adam said before biting into his wrist and putting it up to her mouth. Anna cringed at the taste, but drank regardless. When Adam pulled his wrist away she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking as if she may vomit.
“Concentrate on something else. Anything else. You need to keep that blood down,” Phoenix said crouching next to her. The girl looked up at the corner of the ceiling and began to count out loud. She did this until she reached number fifty, then she took a few deep breaths. Ben handed her a glass of water, which she gulped down.
Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1) Page 7
