The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After

by D. R. Johnson

  I wanted to look for Joss, but wasn't able to focus on anything. With the way the world was whirling, I didn't know if I could find my way back to Reed's room if I had too.

  I'll pay you back for all that blood. I thought bitterly as I was carried through another doorway into a dark room.

  The woman was laying down towels on the bed when the man dropped me on top of them.

  "I just cleaned this." She said softly, almost sadly.

  "Guess you're going to have to clean it again." He snorted and walked out without another word.

  She grumbled, but regained her composure before turning her attention back to me. Once we were alone, she spoke softly before she disappeared. "I can't do this by candle light. Don't move."

  I snorted, or at least tried to snort, but it sounded like I was choking. The idea of me moving was ridiculous. Barely able to cradle my throbbing arm against me, I struggled to raise my head in an attempt to inspect my shoulder, but dizziness sent me back down to the bed.

  Moments passed while I recovered. I was finally able to move my head to inspect the room. Even that was difficult and didn't reveal anything of use to me. The room looked just like Reed's, at least in shape anyway. It was sparse and dark, with the smell of rot hanging in the air. The light thrown off by the single candle flame made the room feel more like a prison cell. I shivered violently as a chill ran down my body and I knew it was brought on by more than just the thought of being captured.

  Time warped in my head. It felt like I had been laying there for hours, but it couldn't possibly have been that long. They wouldn't leave me alone this long unguarded. The whole right side of my body was going numb, all except for the constant throbbing. My breath came in short, shallow gasps, and I had to concentrate on my breathing so I wouldn't fall under again.

  Finally, the door opened and a light source was floating into the dark room. I looked up to see the woman had returned, followed by yet another man I'd not seen before. The lantern lit up his hazel eyes as he wasted no time bending close to inspect my shoulder.

  "Doesn't look so bad." He said as he pulled away. I fought to keep my eyes open, hoping I didn't lose consciousness again at this critical point. When I saw the surgical pliers he sat on the bed, a new surge of energy saved me momentarily.

  "This will probably hurt like a son of a bitch." The man said as he leaned back over me, holding an old belt close to my face. "Bite down on this."

  My head turned in protest before I realized what he was offering. Reluctantly, I turned back to him and opened my mouth. His gentle touch was surprising as he placed the leather strip against my teeth. I bit down, testing it, and then met his eyes. I nodded. He smiled back, almost warmly, or maybe my mind was about to buckle under the stress. He introduced himself in the same compassionate manner. "My name is Hawk, by the way."

  Just as quickly, his kind attitude melted away as he turned back to the old woman. His face turned dark as he picked up the pliers.

  "Mona, put some pressure right here and hold tight." He mumbled as the old woman sat on the bed and leaned over me awkwardly. With the leather in my mouth, I nearly gagged as her stench crawled up my nose. I don't know how I had missed it before. She could rival a freak with her body odor. I turned my head into the bed as much as possible, trying to imagine this wasn't happening.

  I felt pressure, followed by a sharp intense pain. The leather didn't help. I wasn't biting, I was screaming. My pain didn't slow the man operating on me. He continued to dig into my shoulder and fireworks of hot pain were going off behind my eyelids. It was agony.

  I shuddered. My battle to stay conscious was lost. All my senses shut down, and I slipped into the blackness, away from the pain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Consciousness came to me slowly. It weaved in and out of my dreams before I finally had the strength to open my eyes. I knew where I was and remembered what had happened, although I wished it had all been a dream.

  They hadn't moved me from where they had performed their little operation. The only courtesies I had received was being bandaged up and covered by a blanket. I snorted, trying to shake the feeling that I was just another prisoner, but the inevitability of that was bearing down on me.

  I tried to lift my head, but the pain in my shoulder pinned me down, and I could still feel a twinge in my ribs. I wasn't used to being so restricted. The tightly bound bandages weren't helping me in that department either, although I couldn't deny that the pressure against the bullet wound did help relieve the pain.

  Frustrated, a groan escaped as I laid back. I would have to be content with what little I could see. With my movement limited, that turned out to be not much more than my earlier, fuzzy assessment. The light coming in through the window was sparse. I craned my neck enough to see what was blocking it and could tell it had been boarded up from the outside.

  To keep the freaks out or to keep the prisoners in?

  I knew the answer. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm myself, aware that this was quite possibly the worst situation I'd ever been in. Even if I had died when I was bitten, my torment would have ended. This had no time limit. I was facing the possibility of becoming a sex slave for all the men I saw earlier. I cringed and fought back tears.

  That was if Russell didn't kill me first. Considering the path my mind was quickly trudging down, I was beginning to think that might be the preferable option, although Russell didn't seem like he wanted to kill me quick. He already had his revenge planned out in his mind, and I’m sure that involved a very slow death.

  Because of the men I had killed.

  Dead eyes stared back at me when I closed my eyelids. I shuddered and tried to sit up again, but fell back without making any progress. They had been trying to drag us here, and I had done what I had to, even though it hadn't helped us in the end. Logically, I could justify my actions, but that didn't stop the sick feeling that was creeping around in my stomach. They had attacked first, and I had done everything I could to protect Joss. It wasn't enough.

  "Oh, Joss," I groaned out loud. What would they do with him? Reed had promised he'd stay alive if I was a good girl, but how far would that get us? It wasn't something I was willing to gamble on, that was for sure. Unless Joss wanted to conform to the ways of the men in this camp, there was no way they'd let him live. That sent me into another depressing spiral of thoughts.

  Desperate to find something else to occupy my mind, I tried a different approach to move myself. I wiggled my toes. Blinking in surprise, I couldn't believe they hadn't removed my boots. Maybe they hadn't bothered to search them, either.

  Carefully, I crossed my legs to rub the heel of my left boot against the cuff of my right and felt a wave of relief. The pressure of the skinning knife dug into my ankle. It wasn't much, but it was something, and a little surprise might go a long way if I could take a few of these men off guard.

  Hours passed while I lay there, planning and plotting but unable to come up with anything solid. The limitations of my weakened state were too severe. Stealth was my only option or Joss would be dead before I could find him. That wouldn't be easy since I had no clue where they were keeping him.

  Time slipped by as my mind wove one useless plan after another. When the door finally opened, I still hadn't moved. As lantern light reflected off the walls, fear bloomed in my stomach again. I wasn't ready to face anyone yet.

  Tilting my head back to catch a glimpse of my visitor proved useless. They were hidden behind the sharp glare of the lantern, and my eyes hadn't had time to adjust to the new light source.

  "You're awake." It was a man's voice, and one I recognized. "How are you feeling?"

  The man who had pulled the bullet out of me stepped into view and set the lantern on the desk along with a steaming coffee mug. He had told me his name, and I stared at him for a few heartbeats before it finally came back to me. Hawk.

  As he turned to look down at me, I answered him, my bitterness showing. "I'm alive."

  The corner of his mout
h curled into a small smile, and I could see a well-manicured goatee and mustache that was a stark contrast to his tousled hair. Surprisingly, his tone was lite, perhaps even amused, when he responded. "I see that."

  Apprehension was still swarming through my body, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything else. Instead, I watched him, sizing him up as best I could. He looked to be at least a head taller than me, but it was hard to tell from my perspective. Although he was thin, his toned arms flexed as he crossed them in front of him. I met his stare, reminding myself that stealth was still my only option.

  "Mind if I check the wound?" Hawk asked, breaking the growing silence.

  I snorted in response. Both of us knew I couldn't say no. He bent down to pull the blanket away, unfazed by my obvious discomfort of the situation. As he gently pulled the bandage back, I asked, "How is Joss?"

  "Doing better than you." He answered easily. "The bullet went clean through him. Just took a few stitches to close him up. He'll be happy to know you're awake."

  I sighed heavily with relief. My eyes drifted shut as I let my body relax, trying to ignore how close Hawk was as he inspected my wound. Unlike the woman that had been helping him last night, he had bathed recently. I could smell his deodorant. He spoke. "Reed wants you and your brother alive. Consider that a good thing for now because Russell would just as soon have you dead."

  His words negated the good news, and my composure threatened to crumble. Of course, Hawk knew what I had done by now. Russell wanted revenge for the men I had killed and I couldn't help but wonder if Hawk would want payback as well.

  My body stiffened as the thought crossed my mind. Hawk must have noticed, and his hazel eyes flashed up to meet mine. His brow furrowed briefly before he turned back to my wound. "I have guard duty for the rest of the night. Russell won't make it to you during my shift, I promise you that."

  He had spoken softly so his voice wouldn't carry. Moments slipped by as he reapplied the bandage, allowing me time to study him and try to figure him out. Gaining the courage, I finally asked him, "Because Reed wants me alive?"

  Hawk squinted, and he avoided meeting my eyes. His lips twisted as if he was contemplating, considering his next words carefully. He said, "That would be the safest answer."

  That threw me off. What was he hinting at? I frowned, wanting to ask more probing questions but Hawk drove the conversation in a different direction.

  "Do you have any drug allergies?" He asked as he stood and I blinked up at him, confused by the question. It took several seconds before I was able to shake my head no in answer. He continued, "I have an antibiotic for you. There's no sign of infection yet, but no point taking any chances."

  He fetched the mug from the desk and produced a large white pill from his pocket. He handed it to me as he sat on the edge of the bed, and I took it with a shaky hand.

  "What's that?" I asked, eyeing the mug as I dropped the pill into my mouth.

  "Just broth." He smiled again. I found his kindness unnerving. "Hopefully it's enough to keep you hydrated."

  I still didn't want to trust him, but figured if they were going to kill me, they wouldn't do it with broth. Hawk watched me struggle to sit up and quickly reached a hand to the back of my neck to help me raise my head. My first reaction was to flinch away. It was hard for me to accept his help. He tilted the mug against my lips, and I drank just enough to down the pill before pulling back.

  "I'm not leaving until you finish this cup." He stated firmly, but not unkindly.

  "Who are you? What kind of name is Hawk, anyway?" I said before I could stop myself. My voice was strained, but I didn't like this enigma that had appointed himself as my caretaker. My question drew a chuckle from him.

  "I was training to be a paramedic before the change." He answered. "Compared to the old standards, my knowledge was limited. Now, I'm the expert around here."

  He reached down to lift my head again, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. His closeness made me uncomfortable, but I allowed it without protest, taking another swig of warm broth. The sooner I drank it, the sooner he would leave me alone again.

  He leaned close and grinned as he answered the second half of my question, exposing his perfect white teeth. "And Hawk is a last name, by the way."

  As he lowered my head gently, I dared ask, "What do you do here, Hawk? Am I a prisoner?"

  He sighed as he looked away from me. As each second passed, the weight of my predicament grew heavier and heavier. When he turned back, his hazel eyes glowed in the lantern light. "I know what you did out there, Ali. Word gets around quick here. Some of the men here aren't happy about it, but Reed's keeping you protected right now."

  "But they attacked us –"

  "I know they did." He interrupted me. "That's what they do... Or did, I guess. Anyway, I'll stand guard duty as often as I can. Reed's command will keep the others away from you."

  "What does he want with me?" I asked even though I already had my suspensions. He was immune, just like Joss and I, but I was curious if Hawk knew anything about our condition. His answer went down a different path.

  "I don't know what Reed's intentions are. He's not one to spend time in the pits."

  "Pits?"

  Hawk exhaled as he let his head drop to his chest and his eyes squeezed shut. It was obvious he regretted what he had said. This was information I needed, but not what I wanted to hear.

  "You're almost done. I'll be back before my shift starts with some real food if you think you can handle it." He tried to dodge the conversation, reaching to help lift me again, but this time I jerked away, instantly regretting it as pain shot through my chest. Hawk didn't press me. Instead, he stood and calmly set the mug down on the desk. He picked up the lantern as he turned to go.

  As he looked down on me, I couldn't tell if the expression on his face was sad or angry. His voice was flat, devoid of the kindness that had been there before. "You're a prisoner here. You'll breed with the men here willingly or it'll be forced on you. Reed doesn't care either way. He thinks he can save humankind."

  He reached out, letting the back of his finger brush against my forehead. I cringed from his touch and his hand fell away. His voice was heavy when he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Ali."

  Stunned, I was unable to respond. Hawk promptly spun on his heel and left the room, taking the light with him. My suspicions were confirmed, but I wasn't prepared for the impact it had on me. My stomach roiled with fear and anxiety as I once again wondered how Joss would fit into all this.

  Left alone with my thoughts, I tried to work this new information into the puzzle. Hawk had been kind, but to what end? It was unlikely he would be able to help us escape. Everything seemed so dismal.

  After a few failed attempts to sit up, the pain won out and I gave in, opting to wait for Hawk's return. I needed my strength back before I could try anything, and I just hoped that my healing abilities would assist with that. I poked at my ribs, still feeling the bruise, but at least the pain didn't seem quite as severe as it had earlier.

  I dozed off occasionally and lost track of time. Light was still seeping in through the window when I started awake, but I had no way of knowing how long I had slept. The room seemed to be dimmer by the time the door opened and Hawk returned, as promised.

  This time, he carried a tray that he sat on the desk along with the lantern. The smell of warm food reached my nose and I tried to identify what was on the plate. I recognized the smell, but from a far off time.

  "Hungry?" Hawk offered me a slight smile, catching my reaction. I turned a glare on him since my decision of whether or not I wanted to reciprocate his mood was still up in the air. Just as before, he didn't let my bitterness bother him. He went on, "I was thinking you might like to sit up."

  "I would." Answering quickly, I kept my voice flat. Perhaps if he was able to help me to a sitting position, I could move around a bit more after he was gone.

  "I take it you don't much care for being laid up." Hawk said as he p
ulled my blanket away and tossed it on the other side of the bed. I decided not to answer.

  Hawk didn't waste any time. He leaned over me, slipping one hand under my torso and cradling my head with the other. "On the count of three?"

  I nodded in answer to his question, suddenly nervous and annoyed by his closeness again. He began to count, and I focused on bracing myself against the pain. On three, I struggled to sit up, feeling the same protest in my shoulder as before, but this time Hawk's arms easily lifted me past it. I winced as he brought me upright, my ribs reminding me they were still bruised.

  Hawk backed away as I sat on my own, his eyebrows raised as if he expected me to fall back. My ribs kept my breathing shallow until the sharp ache subsided and I was able to stop panting. I looked at Hawk with the gleam of tears in my eyes.

  "You good?"

  I nodded.

  "Don't want to move you around too much." He said gently, his hands still hovering near me.

  "I think I got it." I said, thankful I was no longer lying down. He smiled encouragingly and I had to look away, hiding the awkward look I wanted to give him. This was a rape camp and Hawk was a guard here. I couldn’t allow myself to trust the man, despite his kindness. No matter how out of place his actions seemed, he was still one of them.

  Taking a deep breath to settle my thoughts, I attempted to move my legs. Slowly, I lowered one off the side of the bed, relieved to find it was much easier now that I was in a sitting position. My other leg followed, causing a minimal amount of pain in my ribs. It was actually going better than I expected.

  Then the absurd happened. Hawk took hold of my left hand and pulled it over his shoulder as he sat down beside me. His hand slipped firmly around my waist and my body shuddered in revulsion. I gasped, trying to pull away but his hand that gripped my wrist was like iron.

  "One, two, three." He said, and my muddled thoughts finally put together what he was doing just in time. My legs obeyed as he pulled me to my feet. I wobbled, instantly woozy, and my arm that was thrown over his shoulder tightened instinctively. "It's okay, I got you."