Phoenix began to speak again and Adam squeezed her hand. When she looked up at him he gently cautioned her with his eyes.
“Guards take her to the female barracks and the gentleman to the male barracks,” Nan said stepping back to give the troops room to approach.
As two troops took hold of Phoenix’s arms she tried to pull away, but the strength she had attained by drinking vamp blood had diminished.
Adam looked in her eyes as the guards took hold of him. “It will be okay.”
All she could do was shake her head back and forth as he was escorted away. A single tear fell down her cheek as he stole one last look at her over his shoulder.
“Let’s go,” one of the guards said jerking her by the arm.
“Get this mess cleaned up,” Nan said pointing to the blood on the walls as her heels retreated down the hall of nightmares.
Phoenix continued to look behind her as she walked until Adam was completely out of view. Crumpled on the floor lay the guard they both attacked. We actually killed him. She turned and walked willingly with her captors, her mind swimming. As the guards unlocked a white door with a small glass window her forehead crinkled in thought; it was possible to kill other vamps, but you had to ingest their blood to do it.
The door opened with an unsettling creak. Inside the room was pitch black, all except for a pair of bright green eyes. The guards shoved Phoenix inside and slammed the door. She spun around catching the handle just as the lock clicked. She tried to calm herself by taking in slow deep breaths; she had to keep her fear at a bay.
A breeze tickled the back of her neck and the light burst on. Phoenix gasped and turned around clinching her fist.
“Sorry,” a soft voice said just as Phoenix’s knuckles made contact with a cheekbone.
The girl stumbled back, eyes wide. “Well, it’s nice to meet you too.”
Phoenix stood there waiting for the revenge. She kept a fierce look on her face and her fists up.
“Yeah, okay. I think we need to start over,” the girl said half rolling her eyes.
Phoenix relaxed her stance. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. What’s with the dark, spooky atmosphere?”
“In case you haven’t noticed it’s after midnight and I was sleeping. Damn guards, they refuse to use any manners and actually turn some lights on for a gal.”
“Oh,” Phoenix said embarrassed for her behavior.
“I’m Cloud,” the girl said sticking out her hand.
Shanking her hand firmly, Phoenix introduced herself
“You’re totally new, huh?”
“Excuse me?” Phoenix replied.
“Your mutation hasn’t really begun. I can tell.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Once you are fully mutated you’ll see. You can sense other vamps and how strong they are.” Cloud raised her hands into the air and waved her fingers ominously, giggling.
Phoenix let out a breathy laugh. “How long have you been here?”
“Only about six months,” Cloud replied taking a leap across the room and landing on a twin-sized bed on the other side. Its frame gave a screeching protest before it bumped against the wall. She had on flannel pajamas and her hair was cut straight as an arrow just above her shoulders. It was jet black, which made her neon green eyes look even brighter. Her face was perfectly smooth like a porcelain doll, on which she wore no makeup. She was a perfect, petite girl.
“How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen.” She picked up a magazine from the floor and flipped through it. “You can say I’m pissed I didn’t get to go to prom.”
Phoenix chuckled. The girl’s voice held anger, but her face, which was glancing at an old Seventeen Magazine prom edition, was full of wonder.
“How long have you had that?” Phoenix said sitting on the other bed and pointing.
“They have a library here. It’s full of proper books and magazines that were printed before the bombs.”
“Proper books, huh?”
“Yeah, there are no stories about war or revolution.”
“I bet.” Phoenix breathed deep and ran her fingers through her hair. She bent and unlaced her boots, then tossed them at the foot of what would be her bed. Twisting and cracking her neck she sighed. Looking around her new accommodations she wasn’t sure if it was the creepiest place she had ever seen. The walls were white and hanging on them were pictures of happy families having cookouts. All the lawns were perfectly manicured and all the houses were bright colors. “The perfect image of a happy America, she muttered.
“Huh?” Cloud said looking up from her magazine.
“The pictures. What bullshit.”
“Yeah so much for freedom of choice, right.” Cloud changed directions. “Did you know Jonny Depp had a love of clowns?” Her eyes were buried in the magazine.
Phoenix shook her head and lay back on her pillow. God, Adam, don’t let them find out who you really are.
“I wonder what it would be like to date someone who filled their house with clowns?” Cloud said flipping the page.
“Honestly, I could care less, but the more you talk about random crap the more I forget about what I’m feeling,” Phoenix said staring at the glaring white ceiling.
“That’s the point. I don’t want to think about where I am. I would rather stare at hotties from the past.”
“Night, Cloud. You can tell me about your name tomorrow.”
THE HARD MATTRESS and old down filled pillow left Phoenix’s neck crimped. She sat and moved it back and forth until it felt normal. Sighing, she walked to the small bathroom to splash some water on her face. Though she had slept, her night was filled with dreams of losing Adam. Now that morning had come, or at least she assumed it was morning since the room was windowless and pitch-black, she felt panic and a racing heart.
Her hands trembled under the warm water as she held them cupped catching the stream. Splashing the water on her face did nothing to calm her nerves. Her hands gripped the sides of the sink and she leaned against it.
A slight knock at the door caused her to jump. She opened it to see Cloud standing there with puffy eyes and black hair standing out in every direction. She had slid her feet into giant puffy slippers that had teddy bear heads on them.
“It’s all yours,” Phoenix said.
Phoenix sat on the edge of her bed and slipped her boots unto her feet. As she laced them a loud speaker crackled to life. “Breakfast will be served in the main dining hall in an hour.” The voice was female and very stern.
Cloud came out brushing her teeth as she spoke. “You better get a move on or all the good muffins will be gone.”
Phoenix waited for Cloud to perfect her look, watching as she slid into skinny jeans and a white T-shirt. And then after a second of digging through her belongings, she pulled a pair of pink ballet slippers onto her feet.
“Nice shoes,” Phoenix said.
“They were my mom’s. It’s all I have left. I guess the Gestapo decided that pink ballet slippers didn’t signify rebellion.”
“Great, what are they going to make me wear?”
Cloud giggled. “Nothing that you look bad ass in, that’s for sure.”
The main dining hall was large and filled with hundreds of vamps. Just like her living quarters, the walls had images of perfectly happy people, nature, and pristine homes and neighborhoods. Three rows of tables ran down the center of the room and never seemed to end. People filed through a cafeteria line filling their trays with food and drinks. The room was silent with the exception of the clatter of forks against plates and the sliding of trays. Heads were down and focused on their food. Tons of hair styles could be seen around the room. The typical comb to the side worn by older men, balding crowns, blond, brown, red, black, long, short, spiked and buzzed off, but Adam’s disheveled locks were not among them.
Phoenix followed Cloud through the slow moving line and poured herself a cup of coffee. Her tiny roommate filled her tray with a large blueber
ry muffin, juice, and bacon.
“Get a tray and some food,” Cloud said looking at the coffee cup Phoenix held.
“Not hungry,” she replied scanning the room again.
“Listen, they watch us all the time. Get a tray and fill it.”
Just as the words were spoken a guard with a machine gun walked by. His eyes fixed on Phoenix and he stared at her for several seconds. Quickly she grabbed a tray and piled it with food. At the end of the line were plastic containers with only spoons. She slid one out and twirled it around. “Nice.”
“Knives and forks can stab,” Cloud said pulling on Phoenix’s shirt to move her along.
As they walked through a row of tables Phoenix could see people watching her. Their heads never raised, but their eyes followed her. Halfway down the isle she saw the top of Ben’s head. There was enough room for her to sit across from him. She slid in and Cloud filled the space beside her.
“Ben?” Phoenix whispered.
Cloud nudged Phoenix’s arm and the hard clap of a guards boots approached them and passed.
“Ben,” she said as quiet as she could.
When the older man raised his eyes to her she gasp. There were as emerald green as hers.
“What happened? Where’s Vera?”
Ben wiped his mouth with his napkin. “They ripped her right out of my arms.” Tears filled his eyes and his bottom lip began to quiver.
“Eat,” Cloud whispered urgently. Another guard approached, paused but moved on when Phoenix bit down on a piece of bacon. Ben looked down and hid his tears.
“The glass room you were in. That stuff they sprayed on you. Did that turn you?” Phoenix asked Ben sliding her hand across the table and taking his.
He nodded.
“Have you seen the others?”
“A few; their keepin us separated most of the time.”
“Adam?” She asked hoping.
Ben shook his head.
The loud speaker crackled to life again. “Today’s activities include a movie at 1:00 P.M. on the dot, there will be time for exercise after your food has been properly digested, and a very special speaker will be in the main hall this evening after supper.”
“Finish at least part of your food,” Cloud urged.
“Ben, we’re going to find them,” Phoenix said as she shoved a scoopful of eggs into her mouth.
Ben gave a hopeful grin.
Phoenix finished half her food when a guard and her least favorite human, Nan, approached.
“I see you have enjoyed this morning’s breakfast buffet?”
Phoenix turned her body around to look. Nan stood with her nose in the air and her hands clasp behind her back. Her expression was full of venom.
“You’ll be joining me for a couple of hours.”
“Why?” Phoenix replied mocking her with a cocky grin.
“Come,” was all she said before walking away.
The guard waited for Phoenix to stand, then followed behind her.
The main building’s décor ended when they walked into a section of offices. Pictures of people celebrating sat on the desktops of busily typing secretaries. As they passed the staff desks, a spiral staircase came into view. Phoenix looked up and saw that it reached five stories. Nan gripped the metal railing and began to climb. Her suit jacket and skirt wobbled back and forth along with her tiny ass as she climbed.
When they reached the top they entered an open floor plan with large marble pillars spread across the space to support the roof. The windows were tinted dark grey and surrounded the entire room. Off in a corner of the room sat a desk with a computer. The other side contained a fireplace and a plush leather couch. Phoenix’s boots sunk down into thick carpet with at least two layers of padding beneath. A man in a business suit stood with his back to her looking out the windows.
“Mr. Lachance, here is the woman you asked to speak with,” Nan said.
Phoenix stopped short of making a comment about not having an elevator. She didn’t breathe nor blink. The lump that instantly formed in her throat went down hard as a rock when she swallowed. The man that ended America was standing directly in front of her.
Decklin Lachance turned. His face was covered in a well-groomed beard that was cut close to his face. His dark brown, curly hair was short and professional. His suit was tailor cut and his shoes perfectly shined. As he approached, Phoenix guessed that the slight lines around his face put him in the mid-thirties age range. He motioned for her to sit in a chair that Nan had slid up to the couch. Phoenix felt numb as she sat down on the leather business chair.
Decklin raised his pants at the knee and slid onto the maroon leather couch and rested his arm across the back.
“You and your partner made quite the disturbance when you came here.”
Phoenix gripped the chair arms and slid foreword. Nan stepped back a little with a look of fear. Decklin didn’t move but, looked up at the guard who had escorted her. The vamp in military fatigues moved closer to her adjusting his gun just enough to remind her of the barrage of bullets that would hit her if she moved again.
“Where’s Adam?” she demanded.
“Unfortunately, he had a violent outburst when the guards tried to take him to his room. He’s now undergoing treatment.”
“Treatment?” Phoenix’s rage was growing with every word he uttered.
“Yes, we cannot have lawlessness here. The world has been cleansed of such behavior and I intend to see that it stays that way.”
“You took people’s freedom. You stole our lives and made monsters out of us.”
“The mutation was not something we anticipated. It seems there was a flaw in the system, but we have turned it around to our advantage.”
Off to her left she heard the low voice of the guard say, “The hell you have.”
Decklin sat there looking arrogant, while Nan stood off to the side with her perfect posture.
Phoenix looked up at the guard and he flashed her a grin.
“You complain about the new America,” Decklin continued.
“My life wasn’t yours to take or anyone else’s for that matter.”
“The government wanted change; they wanted a stronger more peaceful nation. I gave that to them. You can either decide to live in this new world or be taken from it permanently.”
“In other words don’t think, speak, or shit wrong and I get to live?” Phoenix stood. “Are you done?” Not waiting for a response she started for the spiral staircase.
“Miss Williams, you will find that your life will be a lot easier if you let go of the past.”
She froze at the sound of her real name and whirled around. With every bit of venom she could muster she spat, “You took that name from me with your fucking bombs, so you deal with the consequence of your actions.”
Bounding down the stairs two at a time she heard Lachance tell the guard to take her back to her room and there would be no activities for her. Just to insure her co-operation he gave her one last order; if she caused any trouble or even attempted to do so she was to be locked up in solitary.
As she walked back to her room the guards footsteps mimicked her own.
“I know you can hear me. If you want to live and get your man back move in secret.” He spoke only loud enough for her own ears and stayed behind her.
“Do you know where Adam is?”
“I have an idea.”
“Can you tell him something for me?”
“I can try”
“Tell him…” The guard cut her off.
“Don’t worry, I know exactly what you want to say. They took my wife. I imagine he is in the same section of the building she is.”
When they reached her door she paused before opening it and turned. “What’s your name?”
“Hell Raiser,” he said smiling.
“Phoenix.”
As the door clicked closed behind her and she was finally alone, she burst into tears. Unable to calm her rage and fear, she stripped her clothes and go
t into the shower making the water as hot as she could stand it. When the hot water heater finally spit out its last vestige, she got out.
Walking back into the room she smiled, but it was staged for Cloud’s benefit. The petite girl stood there with a brand new pair of pajamas wrapped neatly in the store packaging. “I thought you could use these. We can go down to the laundry and wash your clothes.”
“Thank you.” She let her towel drop and slid on the flannel jammies. They were straight black with no pattern.
When she looked back Cloud sat with her mouth open. Phoenix motioned toward her towel as she spoke. “Oh, I’m sorry; I grew up with a little sister so there were never any scruples about changing in front of another girl.”
“No problem, now you know I’m a lesbian. So thanks for the view.”
Phoenix took a second to process that statement. “Good to know.” She picked her towel up and tossed it in the laundry basket and then sat down on Cloud’s bed. “Should we do the laundry?”
“You’re not totally freaked?”
“Embarrassed, as if I had just stripped in front of a guy I don’t know is more like it. Freaked, no. I really never cared for homophobes; for lack of a better name.”
Cloud instantly became her bubbly self again. “Well, cool. The laundry is down the hall. Grab your clothes.”
The walls in the room were lined with dozens of washers and dryers that were front-load and built right into the wall. Phoenix was thankful that no one else had decided to clean his or her clothes at the moment.
Phoenix tossed her one outfit into a washer and added some soap. “You would think I could be happy for hot water in the shower, a washing machine instead of a rock, and constant electricity.” She sighed and looked down.
Cloud put her hand on Phoenix’s shoulder. “When things are forced on you it doesn’t matter what they consist of. It’s still torture.”
“Not spoken like a seventeen year old.”
“I try.”
Phoenix took a seat at a table. Cloud shoved all her laundry, white and dark into the washer, and sat down across from her. When the noise of the washer started Phoenix asked, “You say they watch everything we do; do they listen?”
Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1) Page 10
