I started gathering some ammo for our guns, and some fresh medical supplies. I decided that the best way to get out of this place alive is to create a distraction for the wolves. I snuck over to the dog food aisle very quietly. I grabbed three bags of Beggin’ and threw them one at a time across the store. They landed with a loud crash and I could hear the wolves run quickly over to the noise. I stood up turned around and I came face to face with the Alpha male. This wolf stood fiercely at about eight feet in length and five feet in height. His breath stormed over my face with a typical dog breath, but much nastier. He growled at me with a low blood curdling tone. I closed my eyes, and time froze. I counted down from five as the wolf sniffed the entirety of my body. As my clock reached its end and I recited the number one in my mind, I opened my eyes and took my knife from its holster on my hip and swung the blade upward sticking it right into the wolf’s bottom jaw. It screamed out in pain and whimpered loudly. I threw the wolf, knife and all to the side and pulled out my pistol. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I heard the pack behind me getting closer, so I turned around and fired three shots and dropped two of the wolves. I shot one in the head and the other one in the shoulder and the heart. I turned quickly and ran down one of the aisles. One of the wolves slipped and slid right into the shelf unit. The shelf unit fell and smashed that wolf. It is now four down and three to go. I continued to run and run and run, but my legs can only go so fast. These creatures were much bigger and much faster; inevitably one of them caught up to me and tackled me to the ground. We slid into a register and I put my gun in its mouth as it tried to bite me. As my arm entered the wolf’s mouth, its jaws came down onto my arm. I started firing shots from my pistol while it was in the wolf’s mouth. Blood splattered out of its head and blood started pouring down onto me; at this point I could not tell my blood from the wolf’s blood. The other wolves caught up and were quickly met with gunshots. The last of the wolves were shot down by a fire squad of Crusaders. They proceeded to walk towards me and one of them hit me in the face with the butt of their gun, knocking me out cold.
Chapter 23
I have been taken prisoner by a group of Crusaders. I guess I had a price on my head for killing so many of them. The Crusader Republic does not tolerate murder of their militia. I will be made an example of in a very public place as a reminder to not stand up against the Republic. I hope that the reward is at least flattering. I would hate to be insulted by some sorry ass bounty.
I am starting to get very weak. I have lost a lot of blood from the wolf-bite on my arm. My legs are weak, my head hurts, and my vision has been going blurry every so often. They have my hands tied together and attached to a horse that one of them is riding, so I have no way to stop and rest.
Damian: Hey you! Guy on the horse! What are you a captain? What?
Officer: I am an officer, a loyal soldier to the Crusader Republic.
Damian: Uh huh… and you are taking me where?
Officer: We are taking you to our capitol, where you will meet Phoenix himself.
Damian: So you’re taking me to see a guy who named himself after the place he lives at?
Officer: Do not disrespect our Governor like that, murderer.
Damian: oh yea, about that... what is the bounty on my head anyway?
Officer: $500,000 and a promotion to Captain.
I looked over and I could see James in a tree aiming at the guy on the horse and under my breath I whispered “Well that’s gonna get cut short.”
An arrow flew right into the arm of the officer pinning his arm to the side of his chest and causing him to fall off of his horse. I fell over and stared at the sky. The sky started spinning and then my consciousness drifted into a dream where I was in a field full of golden wheat. In the distance I saw a teenage boy being taken by some men onto a stage and then there was another man yelling from the stage as if there was a crowd there, but it was just dirt and plants he was yelling at. I turned to look around and as I turned I caught a glimpse of my wife in a beautiful white dress. She came and rubbed her hand down my face and kissed me. She moved her lips to my ear and put her hand in mine and whispered, “ Here comes a second chance.”
When I woke up, I could feel someone’s hand in mine.
Damian: Beth?
Evelyn: He’s awake guys, come here he’s awake! He forgot my name, but he’s awake.
Dai: Hey Damian, are you okay?
Damian: Yes, my head just hurts.
Dai: Well, I’m glad that your arm doesn’t hurt.
Damian: How long was I asleep?
Dai: Six days.
Damian: Oh wow.
Dai: Yeah, but we were able to get your arm fixed up. Luckily that dog didn’t hit any major blood vessels.
Damian: Yeah lucky me. Wait, who is this guy?
Dai: Oh him? That’s Ben. He’s been lending a helping hand and covering for us while we stay here. He knows everything and he knows that we are pretty much criminals in The Republic’s eyes.
Damian: Can we trust him?
Dai: I don’t think we will have a problem with him.
Damian: So how did you find me?
Dai: Well your trip went a little longer than we thought, so James and I went looking for you. We pretty much had to just follow the blood trail that your arm left behind.
Damian: Well thank you, I would have been at the mercy of Phoenix if you didn’t find me. I could be dead.
Chapter 24: Phoenix
Phoenix: I’ve missed you.
Ruth: I know you have, Abraham, You don’t come and visit me as much as you used to.
Her voice was horrific. It was a voice of pain, short breath, and pauses. The Hollows are tough to visit because of the smell, and all of the screaming. It is a very eerie setting when I come here.
Ruth: How have you been, Abraham? I don’t hear much about the outside world. Being in this place isolates me from the world.
Phoenix: I have been fine, a lot of work though. Being a leader is not as easy as people make it out to be.
Ruth: No one ever said it was easy Abraham, but the key to being a leader is love. If the people love you, then you know you are doing a good job. So… Do they love you Abraham?
Phoenix: After many years of suffering and chaos, I would say I have created a nice community for them. I honestly believe that they love me. I give them the hope they need. I give them faith.
Ruth: And who do you give them faith in?
Phoenix: Well… me, I provide for them, and I lead them. If I give them a home and a world where they are not afraid, then I am the one they need to believe and have faith in.
Ruth: But you are only human Abraham. What if you fail? What happens when they realize that they can do it as whole instead of being led by one man with man written words that require them to bow or leave?
Phoenix: The Holy Son did it, and he didn’t have the instruction manual like I do. I have everything I need to succeed. I will succeed, and I will always be a kind and merciful leader in their eyes.
Ruth: Just don’t let things get out of control. I would hate to hear that you were killed or overthrown for being a ruthless man. The man I married is such a kind soul. I still see that kind soul in you Abraham, please don’t ever let it fade away.
Phoenix: I promise, and I promise to visit more often my love. I hate that we cannot move you closer to Phoenix. Please keep me in your thoughts my wife.
I went to hold Ruth’s hand before I left, and as I grabbed her hand, I could hear one of her fingers shatter as if I had broken glass in my hand. She screamed out in agony as I pleaded for forgiveness from her. I never meant to hurt her, but this was the first time I have made physical contact with her for four years. I could not imagine the pain she felt from my touch. I miss my wife, and I wish I could help. Unfortunately all I can do is protect her and keep her hidden from the world.
Chapter 25: Damian
I am finally able to get around on my own, which is nice because it has been a rough couple of d
ays. Being in a bed unable to move around is horrible. I could not imagine being a hollow, immobilized for life. Just the thought sends shivers into my spine.
I decided to go see how everyone is doing. Evelyn has started gaining a little bit of weight, and she is very emotional. We know now that she is in fact pregnant. She is truly one of a kind, so she has not been allowed to leave our shop for a while now. She hates being cooped up inside all the time, but we keep letting her know that it is for her safety. The new guy, Ben, has been very helpful in keeping this a secret. He runs the front of the shop and makes sure people do not ask where Evelyn went. He usually says that she moved to a different region in order to find some lost family after Randall died. He is very attentive to her, and I think it is starting to bother Berg. I think Berg feels a sense of jealousy when it comes to Ben tending to her. Gabriel also seems to not like Ben being around Evelyn so much. It makes him very uncomfortable and a little impatient with Ben. I however have learned to trust Ben in such a short amount of time, which for me is very odd. It usually takes me much longer to gain trust with somebody. Dai and James have also seemed to take quite a liking to him. They, however, also treat him like he is Igor from Frankenstein, He has become their little errand boy when it comes to little odd jobs that need to be done: like washing clothes. Ben is very intimidated by them, but I would be too if I was as small as Ben. Ben is only around five foot six and only weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds. Long story short: Ben is tiny.
I have noticed that Crusaders have been increasing in population, which means that James, Dai, and I are unable to go out in the open during the day. The bounty on our head increases daily in desperate attempt to find us. I never would have thought that we would become renowned criminals. Our reputation seems to remain in this region however. When eavesdropping in the market, I can hear people saying that Phoenix has kept us a secret in order to keep The Valkyrie Federation out of this region as much as possible. Phoenix seems to have this idea that he can be his own leader separate from the rules that The Federation created.
Ben: Hey Damian, I’m gonna stay up tonight as guard. Is that okay?
Damian: You know Ben, You have been doing really well keeping us hidden and out of Phoenix’s sight. I’d say that you earned the chance to do this.
Ben: Great. I won’t let you down Cap’n.
He hurried off very excited, He really seems to enjoy being a part of our group. I think it is the rush of being outlaws and harboring fugitives. I have faith that he will do a good job protecting every single one of us, especially Evelyn…or so I thought.
The next day we woke up to Berg pacing and nearly hyper ventilating.
“Evelyn’s gone, and Gabriel is dead!” Berg yelled.
I made my way to Gabriel’s room and there was blood everywhere. He had his throat slit and a knife left in his chest. I left Gabriel’s room and I quickly ran to Evelyn’s room and I could see signs of a struggle. She did not have anything that could break in her room, which is probably why none of us heard anything. I looked around for things that would help us figure out where she might have gone. Towards the front of the shop there was a paper fluttering that had some writing on it. I picked it up and it was a note that read:
“When the time is right, bring her to the capitol.”
Phoenix has found out about Evelyn, which means that one of us has tipped off the Crusader Republic.
Damian: Where are Ben and Twitch?
James: I don’t know.
Damian: Well… let’s go to the capitol then, and see what is going on.
Chapter 26
We started making our way to the capitol. We were all quiet and we knew what to expect. We all understood the brutality of the Crusaders and we only pictured the worst for Evelyn. Berg’s hand was rubbing his gun as we walked. He was very determined to kill the person responsible for abducting Evelyn. We all trusted Ben and he betrayed us. He preyed on us and waited for the right moment to pounce. As for Twitch, I have no idea what to think. I do not know if he was an accomplice, or if he is just ahead of us in pursuit of Evelyn as well. We have quite a ways to walk in order to reach the capitol, Woodland Park is about one day’s walk from Phoenix. We will have to find shelter somewhere before nightfall in order to ensure safety for all of us. I figured tonight we could stay in a lodge somewhere in Manitou Springs. This way, none of us have to build a camp or try and claim one as our own. Tomorrow is going to be a long enough day as it is.
There is this lodge right off of the highway that used to be a very fancy mansion. It has now been turned into a place where travelers can stay. As we approached, there were plenty of people hovering around acting like they owned the place. Bandits, bounty hunters, and even B.V’s were just loitering around. We got inside and walked over to the lodge owner at his desk.
“How much for the night?” I asked.
He studied our group for a second before replying, “For four people it will be four thousand dollars and four shotgun shells.”
I pulled out a roll of cash and six shotgun shells and handed them over and said, “Keep the Change.”
Lodge owner: You fellas will all have separate rooms tonight. Just take whatever rooms you can find.
We all said goodnight and found our own rooms. It was time for a good sleep and hopefully some good dreams.
I put my hand on the ground in order to stand up. The ground had a very warm watery feeling to it. I looked down and my hand was covered in blood. I picked up my wife and started carrying her down the trail. There was a line of blood that followed us the whole way.
We got to the car and I started driving to the nearest hospital. I turned around to check on her and she looked straight at me with a face that had no concern at all and whispered, “Wake up.”
As I opened my eyes, I was met with the stock of a gun. Apparently our bounty doubled when Evelyn was taken. It was Phoenix insuring that we would not make it to the capitol unless it was under his conditions. We all were taken from the lodge and were being transported to the capitol. This time they put bags on our heads to make sure we did not try anything slick. I did not even know people used vehicles in this region, but the Crusaders were transporting us in some kind of truck. The drive to the capitol was not long which means we would arrive at our destination very shortly. I do believe that this will be the last night of my life. Phoenix is too ruthless to let us go free with exile from this region. Especially knowing that we are Evelyn’s guardians.
The truck came to a stop and the tailgate was dropped with a loud metallic sound. We were pulled out of the back of the truck and escorted up a hill and inside a building. I could hear them taking the other guys to a different area. Then, in an instant; all their voices vanished, but as I was forced into a chair I could hear the southern draw of another man, and the bag on my head was taken off, revealing a man before me. I could tell by his demeanor and the way that he was regarded, it was Phoenix.
Phoenix: You know what I like about you Damian? You have the power to discipline and govern yourself. You don’t need all these rules to guide you or tell you who you are. You are a man who has morals and sticks by them. In fact I am no different than you. Except for….
Damian: We are not the same, you mistake your place in this world with your true self. You are not self-disciplined or self-governed. You just discipline and dictate the people of this region. You pillage and rape like a barbarian.
Phoenix: I will only ask you this one time Damian, Do not interrupt me when I am talking, only warning…
He turned his head to a Crusader.
Phoenix: Did that party you sent to the train station try, and rape the women that were with those boys.
Crusader: Well, Phoenix sir, I figured…
Phoenix turned to the Crusader and shot him in the head. “Rape is not our way.” He muttered. He sighed and then turned back to me.
Phoenix: What I was trying to tell you Damian is that we are the same except for one major difference. I see the flaws in
man and how those flaws affect the societies of our world. You see the potential in humans that does not exist and you hope, and hope is the biggest lie that man has ever created.
Apocalypse No.3 Page 6