by Wendy Knight
“Sounds good.” Instinctively, Cole patted his pockets, checking for ammo. But maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t need it now.
Phoenyx didn’t dare hope.
They hit the mall first, since it was closest. The glass doors had long since been broken and the ragged edges were tinged with the rust of dried blood. Phoenyx picked her way through, careful not to cut herself. They’d had a neighbor who had been scratched by a broken board while running from the Garce. He had survived the Garce attack, but his body hadn’t been able to fight off the infection and without readily available doctors and the access to antibiotics, he had died. A party had attempted to leave the safety of the neighborhood to get to a pharmacy, but when they’d gotten there, it had been cleaned out, and on the way back, the Garce had attacked. Not many had escaped back to the neighborhood.
All from one stupid board.
The mall had skylights, most of which were broken, so it wasn’t pitch black unless they ventured into some of the windowless stores. Still, Phoenyx kept her gun up, watching for the red, glowing eyes of the Garce.
“The art store’s just up here,” Enika said.
Unfortunately, the art store was one of the windowless stores. And it was pitch black.
Cole pulled a flashlight out of his back pocket, ever the Boy Scout. Also, common sense, because being in the dark during an alien invasion was just stupid.
Phoenyx had one, too, but she saved it. Batteries were scarce now and one flashlight did fine.
Enika knew the store by heart though, and barely needed the light. She sprinted down the aisle, dropped to her knees, and grabbed a notebook and the colored pencils above it. Apparently when all the looting had taken place right after the Garce had landed, no one had been interested in art supplies.
“Hello, pretties. Did you come to see us?”
Chapter 4
COLE SWUNG HIS GUN TOWARD THE sound, finger on the trigger. Phoenyx jerked her flashlight out of her pocket and flipped it on, raising it with Cole’s gun. The Pys shrieked and dove away from the light and Cole distinctly heard sizzling.
“Keep that away from us,” one of them hissed.
“This is how you repay our kindness?”
Phoenyx opened her mouth to argue or object or probably insult them, knowing Phoenyx, but Enika got there first. “We didn’t know it was you. You must understand, to survive here we can’t hesitate. And—and we didn’t know the light hurts you.”
“Your sun is not kind. Nor are your lights.”
Slowly, the metallic wings lit, and then the tattoos, so the Pys were visible in the back of the store, where it was darkest. Again, Cole was blown away by their beauty, like seeing an unimaginable butterfly with the face of an angel. “Like fairies,” he murmured without meaning to.
“We’ve been visiting for millenniums, waiting for the Garce to arrive. Sometimes, we were seen. Your myths were born from them. Fairies. Vampires. Sirens.” The tall one smiled, revealing rows and rows of dangerously sharp teeth.
“For—for millennia? How old are you?” Phoenyx asked bluntly.
Aylin purred. “So pretty, that one.”
Phoenyx shifted uncomfortably, moving behind Cole.
“Aylin,” the tall one said harshly. Aylin ducked her head, twisting her fingers together. To Cole’s group, she said, “We have hunted the Garce longer than your world has existed. We are immortal, like the Garce.”
“They’re immortal,” Enika muttered. “Of course they are.”
Cole didn’t know if she meant the Garce or the Pys.
“Wow,” Phoenyx said. “Well… we just came for the art supplies. This mall would not have been safe yesterday. So… thank you for that.”
Aylin smiled, also showing the razor sharp teeth. “Watch your step.”
They backed away, clear out of the store. Something inside that he couldn’t explain — call it instinct or intuition, but it felt wrong to turn his back on them. Stupid. Keven swung his gun in a wide arc, searching around them for more threats, and Phoenyx kept the flashlight moving the entire way back out. It was in the corners, where the skylights didn’t reach and no windows shared their light that the bodies of the Garce lay, already drained.
“Holy crap,” Phoenyx murmured. “We would never have seen them coming. And we had no way of knowing the Pys were here.”
“Yeah. This was kind of a stupid move,” Keven said.
It was stupid. They could have all been killed. The Pys had given them a false sense of security. Sure, they were killing Garce in droves, but that didn’t mean the Garce were gone. “Going around in dark, enclosed spaces is off the list.”
“Does that mean no exploring for the tunnels on 25th Street?” Keven asked. His face fell like a dejected puppy.
They made it to the front doors and escaped into the light. Phoenyx shivered like she was trying to shake the darkness from her shoulders. “No, Keven. I don’t think that’s a good idea for a while.”
Keven kicked at a rock. “Probably all blocked off anyway.”
Enika patted him on the shoulder.
“I want to eat. And draw. In that order. Let’s go back to the house. Phoenyx is getting sleepy.” Enika nudged Phoenyx with her shoulder, and Phoenyx yawned on command. She winked at Cole when he raised an eyebrow.
For the first time he could remember, Cole holstered his gun. It’s not like the weapon would kill the Garce, but it had many times distracted the shadowy aliens so he and his group could escape. It had been too risky to not have the gun in his hands before — the Garce could pounce out of any shadows and there was no time to unholster a weapon. It felt oddly… lacking to not have a weapon in his hands.
As if reading his mind, Phoenyx entwined her fingers with his, filling the emptiness.
It took almost an hour to walk all the way back to their neighborhood because they weren’t racing for safety. They stopped, picked fruit and random vegetables, many that hadn’t even grown there before the Pys showed up. Pineapple was definitely something Cole had never seen in Utah except in a grocery store. They were nearing the block when Keven paused. “I’m gonna go check on my family. It’s been a while. I’ll catch up with you later?”
When the Garce had attacked, Keven had been at Cole’s. He’d made it back to check on his family once or twice since, but he’d barely survived. The last time he’d attempted, the Garce had swarmed, and he’d been forced back.
“We’ll walk you,” Phoenyx said automatically, shifting her weight so she could turn.
“Nah. I’m good. I’ll find you later.”
“Are you sure?” Enika looked from Phoenyx to Cole and back to Keven. “And are you positive you haven’t lost your mind?”
Keven snorted and started walking. “I’m sure. See you guys later.”
“Boys are crazy,” Enika muttered. “Maybe get your gun back out, just to be safe.”
Phoenyx cocked her head to the side, long black hair brushing the skin on Cole’s arm and sending shivers of heat from the point of contact outward, radiating through his body. Even dirty and apocalypse-worn, she still affected him in ways he didn’t have time to think on now. Maybe once the Garce were gone and they could live life without fear again, but for now…
Those kinds of thoughts could get a guy killed.
Especially when his sister was walking next to them.
“I don’t think we need to,” Phoenyx said, and for a brief moment Cole panicked, wondering if she could suddenly read his thoughts.
“You think?” Enika asked, and Cole finally realized they were talking about the gun. Not where his brain had been going.
Phoenyx studied the streets around them, dark brown eyes scanning every shadow. “No. I don’t think we do.”
More than any of them, her instincts had kept them alive. It wasn’t until starvation had nearly driven her mad that she’d started making stupid mistakes that meant he lived on rooftop with a gun all the time trying to protect her.
Trying, and failing.
“We’re almost home. Let’s go. Same place as this morning?”
Cole shrugged. It was as good as any. Enika nodded and they wandered the rest of the way, Enika practically skipping. It was amazing what a few art supplies could do for morale.
“I want to take a bath,” Phoenyx announced as they climbed the stairs to the front porch. Cole remembered there used to be rocking chairs here, and the mom used to sit on the porch and watch her kids get on the bus every morning.
Now there were no rocking chairs.
“Uh… just because the Pys showed up doesn’t mean there’s running water, girl.” Enika frowned at Phoenyx like she’d lost her mind.
“No, but there was water in the Ogden river. So there might be some in the canal out back.” She turned huge, pleading eyes on Cole. “Will you keep watch?”
He suddenly couldn’t swallow, and his mouth was completely dry. “Uh… of course.”
“Without peeking?” Enika planted her hands on her hips. “Sex in a river can get you killed.”
Phoenyx blushed deep red as her eyes flew open. “Enika!”
“You’re not leaving me alone here,” Enika said flatly. “Killed by Garce for stupidity. I’ll bring my art stuff and come along, to help watch for aliens, of course.”
“That wasn’t what I meant,” Phoenyx said softly. “I’m not a whore, Enika.”
Enika’s fierce glare vanished and she threw her arms around Phoenyx. “I didn’t mean that! I just meant — no fear now and we’re not — never mind. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you are. I wasn’t. It’s healthy for young adults to feel these urges, even in times of turmoil, or especially in times of turmoil—”
“Enika, you sound like Mom. Stop now before we all die of embarrassment.” Cole raked a hand through his hair and rubbed his neck. “Holy crap. I’m seventeen. I’m barely a teenager.”
“That’s true, but the effects of puberty—”
Phoenyx raised her hands in surrender, laughing. “Enough. It’s been weeks since I’ve washed my hair, but no bath is worth this.”
Enika grimaced. “We should have grabbed clean clothes while we were at the mall,” she said lamely.
“My bath was going to be fully clothed,” Phoenyx said. “Wash both at once. This isn’t my first alien invasion.”
“Oh.” Enika’s lips twitched. “Well, then this whole conversation was just really awkward and pointless.”
“Ya think?” Cole drawled.
“In that case, I’ll join you. Art can wait a while longer, I guess. We need soap, though.”
They raided the house, finding an old bar of soap on a rope and some nearly dried up shampoo and conditioner under the bathroom cabinet in the basement before they ventured outside again. “Can we never speak of that conversation again?” Enika asked as she shut the door firmly behind her.
“Please,” Cole said flatly.
The canal ran behind Phoenyx’s old house, but she went clear around the block to avoid any sight of the brown brick and yellow siding. Cole and Enika followed silently, pulling grapes off the vines that grew along the cracked street. The potholes they got after every winter were gone, thanks to the snow plows not being able to run the past winter, but weeds and grass hadn’t hesitated to reclaim their territory and tore the asphalt into many large, crumbling pieces. In some places, the grass was so high he couldn’t see from one chunk to the next, and had always been afraid Garce were hiding on the other side.
The grass was taller and thicker now, but the fear wasn’t as debilitating, and they were able to get to Phoenyx’s side of the neighborhood pretty quickly. As she’d hoped, the canal was full. It wasn’t crystal clear and sparkling, but it was flowing water, and she didn’t hesitate to wade in. Enika followed, and Cole took first watch, but there was nothing to watch for.
No Garce sneaking through the grass. No Garce leaping from the shadows. They didn’t seem to like the water, though he’d never understood why.
Instead, Cole listened to Enika and Phoenyx splashing in the water, and there was even laughter. It was from Enika, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard such a sound. Something inside clicked, like he maybe wasn’t failing so much at keeping her safe. Like maybe his parents were proud of him.
Because Enika could still laugh.
“Your turn.” Phoenyx nudged him. He hadn’t even seen her climb out of the water, but now she stood next to him, dripping wet and clothes plastered to her skin, trying to finger comb her hair. When he didn’t move, she peeked up at him through the tangles. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you don’t smell like roses, Cole.”
He grinned and kissed her on the forehead. “Point taken. Keep watch?”
She gave up on her hair and took the gun. “I’m on it.”
He kept her in sight as he waded into the canal and sank down to his chin. Enika tossed him the soap as she clambered up the banks of the canal and sat next to Phoenyx on the grass.
The water felt heavenly, soothing all his aches and bruises. The cuts and scrapes burned a little though, and he absently hoped he wasn’t getting some weird infection from the canal water. Maybe they’d be able to venture out of the neighborhood now, look for more supplies — like rubbing alcohol and antibiotic ointment. When the Garce had shown up, people had tried to escape in cars, but the Garce tore right through the metal. Within days, people were trapped in their neighborhoods, unable to leave the safety of roofs because Garce could tear through walls and doors, but they couldn’t climb, couldn’t even jump terribly high. To walk all the way into the city, the way they’d done today, was unheard of. He knew there had been a lot of looting in those first days, and everything around them had been scavenged clean, but maybe beyond…
It was true what Phoenyx had said. The Pys had changed everything. In just one day, they’d done what an entire world’s military forces together hadn’t been able to do in months. Of course, now there was no form of government, no form of military, no form of organized anything. Just everyone for themselves. They’d been trapped in their neighborhoods, not able to leave the safety of the houses and the height of their roofs. Trying to venture out was a death sentence. But just that morning, they’d walked clear into town and back. No attacks. No death. No running or screaming or panic.
Well, a little panic, when they’d run into the Pys in the darkness of the mall.
He grimaced, remembering the way their sharp teeth had glinted against the weak light. If they can take down a Garce so easily, imagine what they could do to a human.
Chapter 5
“WE SHOULD MOVE QUICKLY, HIT SOME of the stores outside the neighborhoods before everyone else does and gather supplies,” Phoenyx said as Cole climbed up the banks toward them. He had his shirt off, trying to squeeze excess water from it. Even starved and exhausted, he was mouthwateringly hot. The muscles from a lifetime of playing football and baseball still lined his arms, abs, and chest. His dark brown hair was longer than he’d used to wear it, and a little wild, curling at the ends around his ears and the base of his neck. And his eyes, well, they’d never changed. Still brown enough that she could drown in them. For several seconds, she forgot they were in the middle of a conversation and just stared.
She was super cool like that.
They hadn’t been together long when the invasion hit. About six months. Long enough that she knew she loved him, though. She’d met Enika in class when she’d saved Phoenyx from a horrible group project. Enika, Phoenyx had loved immediately. She was everything Phoenyx was not — outgoing, happy, friendly. Everyone loved her. Right before their final project was due, Enika had invited Phoenyx to her house to work on last minute details.
Cole had answered the door.
She’d crashed hard that day, barely able to concentrate on a word Enika said. He was a junior, she was a sophomore, but she’d seen him from a distance during football games and baseball practice while she was at track, but she’d never been so close to him. He was gorgeous from fa
r away, but up close? She’d nearly fainted.
After that day, she’d found every opportunity to hang out at Enika’s house. And when she realized Cole might like her too, she had literally lost sleep over how to ask Enika if it was okay. Because Cole was hot, but not worth losing Enika over.
It turned out, Enika had been behind it all along, secretly pushing them together because she could see how good they were for each other.
All that lost sleep for nothing.
Also, best friend ever, as previously noted.
The invasion had been awful, horrific, worse than any nightmare, but it had one bright spot in a world of darkness — it had brought them all so much closer. Cole was her soulmate, she truly believed that, and not because she was a dreamy high school girl with her head in the clouds, but because they’d been through hell together and were still fighting. And Enika was her soul. The part of Phoenyx that wouldn’t give up. The world needed Enika as much as Phoenyx did.
“Uh… hello?” Enika waved a hand in front of her face. “You still in there, girl?” Enika’s wild curls had air-dried into perfection. Phoenyx’s long black hair, on the other hand, was a tangled, matted mess.
“Apparently not.” Enika raised an eyebrow at Cole. “Maybe she needs sleep.”
“No.” Phoenyx blushed furiously, ducking her head so her hair fell across her face. “No, I’m fine. Let’s grab our supplies and then we’ll hunker down for a few days while everyone else realizes it’s safe to leave and goes looting.”
The sun dried their clothes while they walked, and she tried really hard not to be distracted by the way Cole’s shirt clung to his skin the entire way. She hadn’t had time to be distracted by Cole for so long — she’d been too busy surviving. To drool over him meant taking her eyes off the Garce, and that meant death.
