The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After

by D. R. Johnson

  We stumbled down the hill, arm in arm, while the two women followed behind us. It was Ali that finally spoke up first, breaking a long and awkward silence.

  "So, what caused the fire?"

  "Not what." Vanessa was quick to respond. "Who."

  Ali's brow was furrowed as she tossed a glance over her shoulder at Vanessa. Her lips pursed into a frown as she corrected herself. "Who then?"

  Vanessa chuckled but changed the subject. "You were a ghost the first time you came through here. Looks like something put the life back into you."

  Then Vanessa turned her attention to me and her short question caught me off guard just enough to wrap my gut up in knots again. "What was your name again, boy?"

  "Joss," I stuttered, then added a belated, "Ma'am."

  Vanessa cackled, a hoarse, dry laugh that sounded natural. I cast a weary look behind me, not understanding at first what she found so funny. "No one's called me ma'am in a long time. Ali's been raising you up proper it seems. Not much place for that left in this world but good to see it ain't gone completely."

  I relaxed at her response while Ali tensed beside me. It took me a moment to understand why, but I finally assumed it was because of the time we had been apart. She still felt guilty, I knew. Nothing I had said so far had helped ease that pain, but all that mattered to me was that she came back.

  We both let Vanessa's comment slip by without a response.

  "You got room in that truck of yours to get us all back to our camp?" Vanessa questioned and this time Ali visibly stiffened. That earned another chuckle from the older woman. "You think we didn't notice a vehicle driving around out here? That is one rare site indeed."

  Ali chuckled dryly before she responded. "Sure. We can make room."

  "Good. Most of the diseased were attracted to the showdown over there but might still be a few wandering about. Don't want to take any chances."

  "I understand." Ali said simply and changed direction toward the Murano.

  Goosebumps rose on my arms as I looked across the landscape. It had been hard getting used to the deadbrains at first and they still managed to make me shiver. It was a different story for the women that followed us. I spared them a look, seeing that both of them were paying more attention to the surrounding area than to Ali and me. It gave the illusion that the guns they held were their protection against the deadbrains instead of against us. The thought helped calm me, despite what had been a dire situation only moments ago.

  Everything seemed calm. Nothing other than the four of us moved across the barren terrain, aside from a few birds and squirrels. There was a chill in the air, but nothing like what we'd experienced during the storm a week ago. It didn't even feel like winter now.

  Luckily, there were no deadbrains around and we made it back to where we'd stashed the Murano without incident. Ali immediately started in on moving everything from the backseat into the cargo hold. Marley followed me to the back and helped shift some items around so everything would fit. We hadn't overloaded on our last haul, so it wasn’t that difficult.

  I kept my eye on Marley, but it seemed she had lost interest in me. I came to the conclusion that her eyes were just naturally wide, her face fixed with a permanent dear-in-headlights look. I wanted to ask her how they had been the ones to find us, but I never could drum up the nerve.

  "I'm sorry." Vanessa said out of the blue. I turned to her, wondering what she had apologized for. Her cheeks were flushed when she continued. "It's just that we've lost a lot in the past two days."

  Ali was studying her intently, and I felt left out, having missed what started the conversation. After a few moments, Ali responded. "Most of what I carry is for trade supplies and I always meant to pass it on to the Elders in Sundown anyway."

  Vanessa nodded in acknowledgment but she let the conversation die there. We continued to pack things away in silence when I noticed Vanessa had tears running down her cheeks. I shared a look with Ali. She had seen it too, but ignored it. I shifted awkwardly while Ali finished repacking our supplies without comment.

  Once everything was rearranged, Ali motioned for me to take the back seat with Marley so Vanessa could set up front with her. I climbed in first and waited for the women to get settled.

  When Ali started up the Murano, Vanessa said, "We're not far from here. It's the trailer park past the old Stop-n-Go."

  Ali nodded a silent response as she shifted the Murano into gear. I gazed out the window, trying to remember where we were but I didn't recognize anything. Everything I could remember was burning in Sundown.

  Marley sat just as quietly, her eyes still taking a mental inventory of everything in the truck. When she saw that I had caught her, she shifted nervously and turned toward her own window. I watched her curiously for a few more moments, trying to figure her out. Ali interrupted my thoughts as she broke the silence.

  "So, what happened here?"

  I leaned forward slightly, hoping that we would finally get an explanation. Vanessa was slow to answer. When she spoke, her words made no sense to me. "Well, you did."

  Stunned, I continued to stare at the back of Vanessa's head, waiting on her to elaborate. She stayed silent until Ali slowed the Murano. She finally added, "In a roundabout way, that is."

  Ali put the SUV in park and turned in her seat to face Vanessa directly. Her voice was stern. "I need to know what we're driving into."

  "I know, I know." Vanessa sighed, refusing to turn towards Ali. I glanced at Marley to see her fidgeting with her pistol, absently rubbing at a smudge on the metal. She wouldn't raise her eyes to meet my gaze. Vanessa continued, "It wasn't you, really. It was just that you were the first immune we ever knew of."

  My blood ran cold as the thought dawned on me. If she was the first they'd known about, then she had told them about her immunity when she had never told me.

  "The first?" Ali responded to Vanessa, but my mind was whirling. I was grasping for puzzle pieces in my foggy memory.

  "After you left, I guess the Elders thought it okay to share your secret." Vanessa said. As my pulse started to race, I felt anger and hurt well up, heating my cheeks.

  Why had she told the Elders? Why was I the one she kept in the dark?

  Vanessa was still talking, and I had to mentally shake the haze of anger from my head so I could pay attention. "Once word got out, Nicolas Wenfry stepped forward. He'd been immune the whole time, just never told anyone. Scared to. Just like you were."

  Vanessa finally turned in her seat to face Ali. "Now we know to pay attention to the eyes."

  I instinctively looked down at the floorboard although it was as if I didn't exist to Vanessa or Ali in that moment. My eyes would mark me as one of the immune now, as long as people knew what to look for. I blinked several times, feeling self-conscious.

  "He was the soldier?" Ali said, obviously remembering who Vanessa had referred to.

  "Well, National Guard." Vanessa corrected her. "But that didn't matter. He didn't know what was going on any more than anyone else did."

  I leaned forward again and Ali glanced back at me briefly. I avoided her gaze. She was so caught up in the information we were finally getting, she didn't seem to notice. She prodded Vanessa for more. "So what exactly did Nic do?"

  Vanessa cleared her throat. "Let me back up a sec. You did a lot for this town. Just how much was pretty evident after you left. You'd think we would have learned how to live without all the frills after the world went to shit, but we didn't. We're all a bunch of selfish bastards, do you know that?"

  My mind was racing, struggling to make sense of everything Vanessa had just said. This was all new to me. I had never been aware Ali had been doing special chores for the town.

  "It was the little things you brought in." Vanessa continued. "The toothpaste, the diapers... even the trash bags. When those went away, you'd think the end had come all over again. More than a few of us were demanding the Elders figure out a way to get more. That's when Nic decided to step up, share his secret
and fill our lives with the trivial things again. God bless that man for trying to do the right thing."

  Vanessa gave Ali a hard look, leaning towards her. There was a sharp edge to her voice when she spoke again. "I suppose you can guess what happened next, can't you?"

  I turned my stare to Ali, waiting for her answer. Her face paled and she turned in her seat. It wasn't so much her words but the way she said them that gave me chills. "People didn't like it."

  "People didn't like it." Vanessa reiterated, also leaning back in her seat. I looked again at the thick cloud of smoke still billowing up from Sundown. My anger started to fade.

  Ali let the Murano start moving again and I sighed heavily, catching Marley’s attention. The sadness I felt was mirrored in her eyes. She looked away as Vanessa continued.

  "It was just a few bellyachers at first, but sure didn't take them long to gain ground. It split our town right down the middle. Some of us hailed him as a hero. Some of us wanted him gone. I just wanted it to all wash away so we could get back to living."

  "Who did it?" Ali cut her off, her voice cold and full of anger. I was wringing my hands together, trying to absorb the impact of the darker side of humanity.

  "Jerald." Vanessa said softly. "A few others backed him, but he was their voice. Their ringleader."

  That name I remembered and it felt like I’d just been punched in the stomach. It all started to make sense.

  Jerald had been so welcoming when we first arrived in Amarillo. I had opened up to him about Seth and he had listened with a warmth and compassion that I sorely needed at the time. Then, abruptly, it had all stopped. The fledgling companionship I had found in the older man was dead. He started to avoid me, and it got to the point he was able to ward me away with a scowl.

  This whole time, I had thought I’d done something wrong, but now I understood. I had never told anyone about it, not even Ali, and that was why I had never opened up about Seth with anyone else.

  Now I knew it wasn't my fault, but a bias brought on by the fear of something no one could possibly understand.

  A hard lump rose in my throat and I turned my head as if to look out the window, but I didn't see anything past the tears blurring my vision.

  Vanessa's voice was noticeably lighter when she spoke again, as if she had shrugged off a heavy burden that had been weighing on her. "We're not far now. You better let me out so they can see me coming. Clive can fill you in on the details."

  Ali slowed to a stop, and Vanessa slipped out of the cab to lead us into the town on foot. The Murano rolled slowly behind her. I was still struggling with the memories of our first trip through Amarillo when Ali's sharp intake of breath drew my attention forward again.

  In front of us was a string of hastily built shelters and tents. The structures barely looked capable of providing protection from the elements, and they wouldn't even slow a deadbrain down. A group of deadbrains would surely decimate everything here. There was a barricade of sorts that encircled the tent city. It mostly consisted of old vehicles; cars, trucks, trailers and whatever else that could easily be moved. I frowned, knowing that this was what remained of the once thriving settlement of Sundown.

  Marley spoke for the first time. Her voice was soft and a stark contrast to Vanessa's gravel, but her mournful tone matched the sadness in her eyes. "Home, sweet, home."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As we drew closer to the town, I could hear Vanessa as she called out to the handful of men coming out to meet her. They carried various weaponry, all held at the ready. I saw bats and knives and at least one crossbow. One of them even carried a large rifle. They relaxed as Vanessa approached, although they kept their eyes on us.

  I wasn't able to make out what Vanessa told them but I was sure she was explaining the situation. More people began to emerge from the tent city, led by their curiosity. Men and women, children and the elderly, all pressed against the make-shift barricade. I was relieved when I recognized a few of the faces but this was a small crowd compared to what I could remember from Sundown.

  Ali parked the Murano alongside an old, half collapsed semi-trailer and killed the engine. Marley slipped out as soon as we were stopped and disappeared in the crowd. Ali gave me a nervous look before she climbed out of the cab. I felt the same unease as I looked out at all the dirty, unwashed faces. Taking a deep breath, I joined her and we both stood awkwardly, afraid to move away from the safety of the Murano.

  It felt like forever, but it couldn't have been more than a minute when I saw the town-folk part to let a big man pass through. I recognized him instantly and knew this was the Clive that Vanessa had mentioned earlier. He had been one of the town's Elders.

  He worked his way through the crowd easily. Standing a head taller than most people, he created a wave as he moved toward us. As soon as he broke through the last line of people, he swept off his old blue baseball cap and stretched his arms out in a huge arc, beaming a smile at us.

  "Ali!" Clive bellowed. I cringed at his booming voice, and he continued just as loudly. "You're certainly a sight for sore eyes."

  Ali stepped up to meet the large man, and I stayed glued to her side. To say I was uncomfortable was a severe understatement. "It's good to see you, Clive."

  He smiled but it never made it to his eyes, it was merely painted on. Sadness lined his face and it weighed heavily on him. His thick fingered hands fidgeted with the old baseball cap as he glanced awkwardly over his shoulder at the people behind him. "We've been through a rough patch lately."

  I frowned and heard Ali huff. Clive bowed his head, giving in to the weariness and grief. He mumbled to himself just loud enough for me to overhear. "Obviously."

  "Got a place we can talk?" Ali interjected. I looked behind Clive to the crowd of town-folk that showed no sign of dispersing and hoped he said yes.

  "Of course, of course." He replied, shaking his head as if coming out of a trance. He mumbled as he turned. "Follow me."

  I gulped audibly at the thought of walking through all those people. Instinctively, I latched on to Ali's hand and she gripped back, leading me along behind Clive. The crowd parted for us and my nervousness grew as I looked from one frowning face to the next. None of the looks were reassuring.

  We were surrounded on all sides, the path closing up behind us as we passed through. I was sweating now despite the cool winter day. From within the midst of bodies, a small curious voice spoke up over the sound of the murmuring crowd. "Is she one of them?"

  I couldn't tell if it was from a child or young woman, but the voice was curious, not angry. I might have found that reassuring except for the unexpected hush that fell over the crowd. Clive paused, stopping Ali and I behind him. I saw him give Ali a sheepish shrug and he said lamely, "I didn't know you'd come back."

  Ali's sharp green eyes turned back to me as she pulled me even closer to her. There was fear in her eyes, something I wasn't used to seeing there, but I also saw the fire that I had come to trust and admire. She may have been frightened, but her strength never wavered.

  She took a deep breath and answered the small voice. "Yes, I'm immune."

  The murmurs started again instantly, steadily rising in volume. It masked my gasp as a boney hand reached out for me, grasping my arm. My heart leapt in my chest as a wrinkled old woman turned me around to face her. "You too, boy?"

  I stared into old grey eyes, desperate and imploring. A silence fell over us all again as everyone waited for my answer, but I couldn't find my voice. All I could do was nod.

  The old woman reached for Ali with her other hand, drawing us both to her. Her grip on my arm tightened painfully and I could see tears brimming in her eyes as she spoke, her voice shaky and frail. "Will you help us then? The fire took everything. They burned it all and left us with nothing. It's like the end all over again."

  The tears spilled over, running down her dirty cheeks and pushing the dirt out of the way. This was not the reaction I had expected. I looked into the faces of those that surrounded us. They wer
e wounded and beaten, struggling to survive in a world that no longer wanted them.

  There was no hostility. No malice.

  I squeezed Ali's hand tightly just as Marley materialized from the crowd and pulled the old woman away from us. Ali returned the squeeze as she surveyed the crowd, just as I had done.

  She answered the old woman but addressed all. "Yes, we'll help."

  The crowd exhaled at once, releasing the collective breath they had been holding.

  Clive reached out to pat Ali on the back and smiled at us both appreciatively. He made a quick gesture with his head to follow him again and the crowd of people started to thin around us. They had gotten the answer they wanted and were now going back to their make-shift homes. I didn't want to think what could have happened if Ali had said no.

  Clive led us the rest of the way through the mud and mess of the little camp to a shabby old travel trailer, the smaller of the few structures that looked to be in use. The trailer no longer had wheels and was sitting lopsided on the ground. It rocked as Clive entered before us, turning sideways to slide through the small doorway. Ali and I followed him inside the darkened space, and I was relieved to shut the door between us and the wounded people outside.

  I looked around the small room as Clive took a seat at the table. There wasn't much to see. The room was sparse, the only furnishings being what was built into the trailer. Everything else was stripped bare.

  "Thank God you're here, Ali. You couldn't have come back at a better time." Clive said, rubbing his face with his big hands. I looked out the window at the people still milling about outside.

  "What the hell happened?" Ali asked, sounding as drained as I felt. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Clive's response.

  "Jerald." He said simple while staring at the floor. A stab of pain shot through me at the sound of his name again. Part of me didn't want to hear this story, but the other part, the part that was humiliated and scorned, needed too. I ground my teeth against the pain and returned to Ali's side, waiting to hear what Clive had to say.