The Phoenix Curse (Book 3): After

by D. R. Johnson

  Then I focused on the skeletal body beyond the glass.

  I'd seen bodies before, but this one was bizarre. By the clothing and long strands of hair that hung off the dried, rotting scalp, it was a woman. Her head, tilted at an impossible angle, rested against the shoulder strap of the seatbelt. She had been wearing sunglasses, but they had fallen and were caught against her jaw, resting in the open chasm that had once been her mouth. The empty eye sockets stared back at me, unnerving.

  "Psst." Ali hissed, pulling my attention away from the gruesome sight. I looked at her, embarrassed that I had allowed myself to become fascinated with the corpse, but she had nothing to say. She only wanted me to recover my focus. Turning her attention back to her footing, she dismissed it, and we finished crossing the street.

  The tower loomed over us. I arched my head back to look up its length, and swiftly looked away when my head began to swim. We were so close. Only a few more minutes and Stephanie would be safe! I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.

  Only a few dead-brains lay between us and the doors, and Gordon was in the process of lighting the last flare that would be needed. Meg was further away, herding her followers behind a blockade of caution tape. It looked ridiculous, but the dead-brains stayed within their confines, for the time being at least.

  Gordon's flare sizzled to life. I cocked my head to the side, hearing something odd in it, but the sound quickly faded. It was almost as it if was right next to me. I stumbled as I turned about, trying to replay it in my head, and Ali gave me a perturbed look. I shrugged at her, unable to convey what was wrong with just a look.

  Then it came again, louder this time. Without the hiss of the flare to cover it up, I instantly knew what it was. The sound of ripping cloth. My stomach dropped.

  I wasn't sure if it was loud enough for Ali to hear, but suddenly the hamper jolted as Stephanie shifted inside. I gently dropped my end to the ground, forcing Ali to do the same, and she lifted the blanket to look in on Stephanie. I darted from one side to the other, my eyes roving over the outside of the hamper until I found it. The sharp corner of the board Stephanie was sitting on had torn a hole in the thick canvas. I groaned.

  Ali took a deep breath as she glanced at the door of the hotel. She lowered the blanket and put her hands back on her side of the cart. She motioned me to do the same and whispered. "Easy..."

  We lifted, took a step, and the board ripped a gaping hole in the canvas. Stephanie jerked from within, her hands shooting up to grab the edge as we sat the hamper down. Two of the freaks that had been following Gordon turned back to us, alerted by the commotion. My pulse began to race as I stared at the dead-brains, my hand going to my hatchet.

  "Sorry, Meg." Ali sighed and abandoned the hamper, pulling her blades in one fluid motion to rush the closest dead-brain. It fell seconds later as Ali pulled her knife free from his throat and kicked it away. I gulped and pulled the blanket from the hamper. Stephanie stared at me, her face drained of all color except for the bright spots of red that stained her cheeks.

  "Get her out of there." Ali said, her voice low and eerily calm. She stood over the body of the dead-brain, facing away from us, waiting for the next threat to draw within striking distance.

  I reached for Stephanie, and as she shifted, the rip grew larger. Blankets and towels spilled out of the hole, followed by Stephanie's foot. She had her teeth clenched tightly together, and I heard her suck in a breath through her nose, but that was the only sound she made.

  Stay quiet. Please stay quiet!

  I gripped both her arms and lifted, pulling her free. The hamper toppled to its side as she climbed out, over-balanced by her and all the blankets. She clung to me as she got her feet underneath her, and refused to let go.

  "You need to cover up." I said, reaching for a blanket.

  Stephanie snatched it from me, clearly panicked, and wrapped the fluffy comforter around her. It engulfed her, swallowing almost all of her body, and her hand shot out from between the folds searching for me. I clasped it tightly in mine and led her toward the doors. We walked slowly as my other hand pulled my hatchet free of its sling.

  "We're going to make it." I said firmly, and Ali turned back to meet my gaze. Determination glowed in her eyes, and she nodded her agreement. Stephanie would be fine. Nothing was going to hurt her today.

  Gordon began to shout at the dead-brains, effectively recapturing their attention. I heaved a sigh of relief and led Stephanie on. Her hand squeezed mine tightly, and she followed obediently. Ali moved with us, positioning herself between us and the dead-brains, but Gordon had drawn them further away, leaving the path to the doors clear.

  "We're almost there." I whispered to her.

  I guided her over a curb and around an overgrown flowerbed. Suddenly, the blanket ripped free from her grasp, tangled in the remnants of the cactus garden. She stalled, instinctively reaching for it, but froze as she saw the dead-brains following Gordon.

  I looked at the doors, beckoning us from less than twenty feet away, and tugged her hand to get her moving again. She stumbled forward, both hands gripping my arm now. The doors drew closer as we began to move faster, and I shifted my hatchet under my arm to free up my hand.

  I reached for the door, and the shadows moved.

  My eyes went wide with fear, but I managed to focus through the shadows. A dead-brain shifted against the building, hidden behind a column of fancy stonework. It had not been drawn away by the flares or Gordon's shouts. As it slowly turned, I understood why.

  Part of its skull was crushed, leaving a preposterous dent in the side of its head. Somehow, miraculously, its baseball cap had managed to stay on its head when it received the injury, and the skin had healed over the blue material, fusing the cap to its head at an odd angle that left the brim covering its eyes. It couldn't see.

  But it could smell. I watched in horror as its nostrils flared, sniffing the air, and I knew it caught Stephanie's scent. Its mouth twisted into a grimace, and it inhaled, preparing to scream.

  Instinctively, I reacted. My hatchet shot out, the flat top of the blade jamming into its throat. It wasn't a fatal blow, but it muted the dead-brain as it staggered backwards into the glass doors.

  I tried to grab the haft of my hatchet with both hands in preparation to fight, but I wasn't able to jerk free of Stephanie's grip. It threw me off balance and I staggered into the stone wall, pulling her along with me. Panic flared inside my head. I couldn't struggle with her and protect her at the same time, but it was too late. The dead-brain had regained its footing and was starting to charge.

  The glass behind it shattered an instant before the crack of gunfire echoed through the street. I stared ahead, confused, as the body crumpled lifelessly to the ground. It was that moment that Stephanie loosened her grasp on my hand. As her fingers began to slide from mine, I turned to look at her to see the whites of her eyes vanish as her lids fluttered closed. Her body tilted backwards, poised to fall. The hatchet clattered to the ground as I spun to catch her, and she fell limply into my arms.

  Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump.

  The blood raged through my veins, pushing all other sound away. Time slowed. I stared down at Stephanie's face and saw every detail. The light smattering of freckles that covered her nose. The soft pink of her lips. A strand of her hair that was matted to her forehead, darkened by sweat. It had probably been hot in that hamper.

  "Get her inside!" I heard Ali yell beyond the thumping in my ears, but I couldn't look away.

  Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump.

  My face inches from hers, she was the only thing I could see. It took mere seconds that seemed like an eternity for the fear to creep in. A tear fell from my lashes - was I crying? - and landed on her cheek. She flinched. A small twitch that flooded me with relief.

  Suddenly, Ali was beside me, jerking the door open and hauling me through. I cradled Stephanie in my arms as shards of glass crunched under my feet, but Ali didn't stop. When I slowed, she only gripped my arm tighte
r and pulled me forward again.

  When she pulled open another door, I regained enough sense to carry Stephanie through without prompting, rushing into the stairwell. Ali pushed the door closed behind me and slid her fingers against Stephanie's throat. Seconds later, she heaved a sigh and fell back against the wall.

  "That could have gone better." She murmured, trying to catch her breath. "We need to get her some water."

  I gently lowered Stephanie to the floor, reluctant to let her go. My brain was slowly putting the pieces together. "Fuck, I thought... She fainted?"

  "I think so." Ali said, squatting down beside us. "Nothing got close to her."

  I scrubbed a hand through my hair, finding it damp with sweat. I pulled it away to look down at my fingers and was surprised to see I was shaking. It was hard to breathe. I slumped to the bottom step, staying as close to Stephanie as possible, and I could feel Ali's eyes on me.

  Struggling to regain my composure, I concentrated on taking deep, slow breaths. My heartbeat was slowing when I heard footsteps running across the floor. They were loud enough for even Ali to hear, and she jumped up to pull the door open, peeking through the crack. Seconds later, she pulled it wide to let Gordon and Meg enter and quickly shut it behind them.

  "What happened?" Meg gasped. Her wide, worried eyes immediately drawn to Stephanie. She dropped to her side, brushing her hair out of her face.

  "A freak managed to slip past us, but we were able to stop him before he frenzied." Ali answered. "I'll make sure that door gets fixed."

  "I'm not worried about that door. How is Miss Stephanie?" Gordon said as he bent over her prone body. "I heard a gunshot and saw her fall."

  "We think she fainted. Stay with them," Ali said but hesitated slightly. "Please. I have to get her some water."

  Meg nodded, and Ali disappeared. I heard her footfalls retreating as she ran down the hallway. I dropped my head into my hands, thinking some water would be good for all of us. Gordon's heavy hand fell on my shoulder, and I looked up at him.

  "We did the right thing here. Wasn't safe to keep her out there in the middle of all that." He smiled, flashing his yellowed teeth, but the uneasiness lingered in his eyes. "She'll come around shortly."

  Again, I noticed his hesitance, but appreciated what he was trying to do. He backed away, giving us space. Meg was sitting as close to her as I was, and she seemed reluctant to leave her. The lengthening silence was uncomfortable, but the three of us stared down at her for long minutes, watching her breathe. Finally, Stephanie's eyes fluttered open as she woke, and the three of us shared a sigh of relief.

  Stephanie stared at each of us in turn before focusing on me. "What happened?"

  "You're safe." I smiled. She struggled to sit, and I immediately reached to help her. "How are you feeling?"

  "Okay." She started, then groaned. Her hand went to her temples. "My head hurts."

  "Ali went to get you some water."

  "That thing!" She said suddenly, her eyes flying open as they snapped to me. "It was right in front of us!"

  "It's dead." I said, trying to reassure her, but she was already breathing heavy. "Ali killed it before it could frenzy."

  "It was so close. I could smell it." She almost moaned. "I was sure it was going to get me. Wait. I fainted?"

  I met her eyes and nodded.

  Stephanie let her head fall back against the wall and sucked in a deep breath. "I've never done that before."

  "The pregnancy could have caused it." Meg said. "You should rest. Take it slow going up these stairs."

  I craned my head back to look up the stairwell, but couldn't see anything past the next flight. The sound of Ali's returning footsteps drew my attention and I stood to open the door for her. Stephanie gratefully took the water as Ali knelt beside her.

  "Now that you folks are situated, I'll go see to that door." Gordon said abruptly. "I got some venison I'll cook up for tonight. That baby needs some protein."

  And just like that, Gordon was gone. Meg smiled shyly and said, "He's not big on crowds. He's more of a one on one kind of guy."

  Ali looked confused, but her question wasn't what I'd expected. "Venison?"

  "Gordon likes to hunt," Meg said, grinning. "There are plenty of mule deer and pronghorn just outside the city. The zombies can't catch them, but they don't like coming around the buildings."

  I looked at Ali and smirked. "Maybe he can teach you."

  "No." She said firmly, causing Meg to chuckle.

  We sat for a bit, and I listened to Ali and Meg talk about the wildlife in the area. Stephanie finally interrupted them both by reaching for the rail to pull herself to her feet. I jumped up to stand next to her in case she needed me, and she looked at me gratefully.

  "Take it slow." Meg said. "The stairwell is safe."

  Stephanie nodded, and we slowly followed her up a couple flights before she stopped to rest. She looked at us all in turn and smiled shyly. "This might take a while."

  Meg returned the smile and patted her on the arm reassuringly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go check on Hope."

  No one objected, but Meg waited for Stephanie's nod before she left. As she flew up the stairs, her retreating back earned a look of envy from Stephanie. It took almost an hour for Stephanie to climb most of the flights, and Meg was back with us before we managed to make it to the top.

  "Hope's excited to meet you." Meg said when she returned. "The top floor is full of huge suites, but Gordon only has half of them set up with electricity, and we have to monitor it. His contraption can run dry and we'll have to wait for it to recharge if we use too much.

  "We also only have one hot water heater working, so you'll have to take turns with the showers."

  "Oh, thank goodness." Ali groaned, and I felt the same. At the mention of a shower, Stephanie's pace seemed to quicken.

  We reached the top, and Meg held open the door for us. Stephanie was the first through, wiping sweat from her face. Meg pointed to the door across the hall. "That's Hope's play room, and the one across from it is where we live. This next one on the right has power and room enough for all three of you."

  "Beautiful." I muttered and heard Ali say close to the same. Meg beamed as if we'd given her a compliment.

  Ali said. "I'll need to make a run for our things in a bit."

  "I can help." Meg perked up. "Just let me know when you're ready."

  We walked into our suite, and I stared in awe. The large, open living room, framed by the balcony beyond it made my jaw drop. From there, it branched off to bedrooms and bathrooms, and who knows what else. This suite was a house! Judging by just what I could see, it was probably bigger than the house I grew up in.

  Stephanie hadn't moved from the door, and she looked as awestruck as I felt. She reached for a light switch, flicked it on, and began to giggle. "This is amazing!"

  I wandered deeper into the suite, opening doors and searching through rooms. I found three bedrooms, and two showers. I looked at Ali, unable to stop myself from grinning. "Which one can we use?"

  Ali stood at the balcony, a look of fascination on her face, but she dragged her attention away to explore the bathrooms. She opened the glass door of the shower and turned on the water. After giving it a moment, her fingers stretched out underneath the stream, and a big grin broke out over her face. "It's warm!"

  "You can go first if you want." Stephanie said, smiling.

  Ali laughed, "If I get in there, I'm never getting out again."

  "I'll be quick then." Stephanie said, eagerly jumping at the chance. I followed Ali back to the living room, and the sound of the running water from the other room was oddly comforting. I ran my hand along the dusty couch, but couldn't bring myself to sit on it. It looked too perfect, so I picked a spot on the floor instead. Ali continued to roam around the room, and my mind wandered.

  "You don't think she'll keep her here forever, do you?" I asked Ali, thinking of Hope. The hotel was incredible, but it didn't seem any different to me than the hotel
in Boulder City. A prison was still a prison. Ali shot me a confused look, and I clarified. "I mean Meg and Hope."

  Ali turned back to the vase she had been inspecting and said almost absently, "I was actually wondering if Stephanie might want to stay here."

  "What?" My voice was weak, stunned. After all we had been through, how could she think that? I refused to accept what she was saying. "We have to get her some place safe before she has the baby."

  "But it's safe here." Ali wasn't looking at me, her finger running over a design in the vase. "Meg's been raising that little girl for five years. Stephanie's baby will be safe here too."

  "But it's a prison." I gasped. That finally caught Ali's attention. She stared at me blankly as I stood. "She's not safe here. She's stuck here."

  Confusion creased her forehead. "But there's food and electricity--"

  "And Reed is out there." I snapped, cutting her off. Her jaw went slack and the color slowly drained from her cheeks. "Do you think he's going to stop looking for us?"

  "Joss..." She struggled for words. Had she forgotten about Reed?

  "No!" I snapped, surprising myself with how angry I was. I didn't struggle for my words like Ali. No. My problem was stopping them. My voice rose in volume as the almost forgotten anger and pain floated to the surface. "We aren't going to abandon her here. You can't keep doing that! I won't leave her, not like you left me in Sweetwater!"

  My jaw snapped closed, cutting off the last word, but it was too late. It was already out. I regretted it, but that didn't change the way I felt. It felt the same. That terrible, gut-wrenching feeling that had twisted my insides when she told me I would be safe in Sweetwater. I had stood there alone and watched her go, unable to even cry, and now she wanted to do it again.

  On the other side of the living room, Ali had frozen. She stared at me with wide eyes that glittered with tears. She swallowed. A soft sound that I heard clearly, even though I stood so far away.

  "I..." She started, but nothing else came. She looked stricken. She blinked and quickly turned away to hide her tears, but I'd already seen them fall. There was a clock somewhere in the room. I could hear it ticking the seconds away as the silence stretched out. Her words came, soft and unexpected. "I'll go get our things."