The Phoenix Curse: After - Part One

by D.R. Johnson

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  A few hours passed and I was sorting clothes into different piles when I heard the front door slam. Jeremy and Kevin had come in for dinner. I finished up the pile of shirts quickly before I headed downstairs. Jeremy and Kevin had already washed up and were sitting down to the table. Jeremy caught me peaking around the corner from the stairs and waved me over. Feeling awkward for no reason, I took my usual seat beside Kevin.

  "So how are those hands, boy? Will you be out in the garden again tomorrow?" he asked, and it was hard for me to tell if he was joking or not.

  "Now, you leave him be. I need his help tomorrow too." Mary gave me a sly wink behind Jeremy's back. "He did an excellent job today, and it helped free up my time." She made a round of the table, setting down bowls and plates for all of us and I smiled at her as she passed by me. She patted my back affectionately.

  "Well," Jeremy said, scrutinizing me as he gnawed on a celery stalk. "Can't disappoint Mother, now can we?"

  He smiled a bit as he reached for the salt. At least I think it was a smile, but his eyes were thoughtful. Now that I was hurt, he had to be calculating the extra days it would take to finish the storage project. It meant more work divided between himself and Kevin until I could get back out there.

  The Powells had been farmers before everything happened, and had taught me quite a few things about raising crops. We even had a couple big horses and a nice cow in the barn that Mary could get milk from. Milk meant butter and cream and cheese.

  They also weren't the only family out here raising animals and crops. Some tended chickens and pigs, and there were as many dogs as anything else. All dogs hated dead-brains, and were a great alarm if one actually wandered close.

  The families shared or traded to help each other out. It reminded me a lot of the way it was when I was in Oklahoma. We had been secluded there, just like we were here, but bad things still managed to happen. I guess it was okay to feel safe here, but I didn't want to let myself believe any place was safe anymore.

  Jeremy had grown up on this farm, even though he had been living in Sweetwater with his family when the outbreak happened. He came back to find the couple that had bought the place turned into mindless dead-brains. Jeremy and his brother Jacob took the farm back the hard way. That old couple is buried outside now, beyond the garden.

  This area hadn't been very populated. Some of the neighboring houses survived, others didn't. New survivors had come in to take their places, though. We were up to eight houses occupied with families now. It seemed odd to me that there were so few travelers here, but considering how close we were to Dallas, I guess it wasn't so odd after all.

  I watched Becky as she brought out the soup pot. Her blue eyes flashed me a look so quickly I thought I might have imagined it. Mary was right behind her, and they both took their seats. Jeremy said grace, and I respectfully bowed my head with the rest of the family. Prayer seemed useless to me now. I knew I was like Ali in that respect. Either God wasn't there, or he was no longer listening.

  "Amen." Jeremy ended, and we echoed him. He stood up to serve us, making sure to divide the portions evenly. It was enough to get us full, but never overeat. Even with Jeremy taking those precautions, we didn't have leftovers often.

  I could feel my mouth salivating as I looked down at the rich chicken and vegetable soup swimming in my bowl. It was no small amount of torture waiting for it to cool to the point it wouldn't burn my mouth. I caught a glance from Kevin and knew he was thinking the same thing. Between the two of us, we could probably eat the whole meal ourselves.

  Twice since I'd been here, the people in our community had come together to butcher one of the cows. All the families shared the meat, and we ate on it for two days. Those two times were the only times I could remember being full in the past year.

  The meal was spent in silence for the most part. When Jeremy let his spoon drop into his empty bowl, he finally spoke. "Jake and I have been talking, and we both think it's getting time for another run. With one worker down anyway, this might be the time to do it."

  Both Kevin and I looked up in interest while Mary snorted her disapproval. We both knew that being able to get off the farm and away from the daily chores always made for a nice break in the monotony. "I'm going to run over to Jake's in the morning to see if he wants to go with us up north."

  I turned back to my stew almost immediately, hoping to hide my face and my reaction. Even though Jacob was Jeremy's brother, I didn't much care for him. He lived in the neighboring farmhouse with his new wife and baby. His wife came to visit us often with the little one, but I only saw Jacob during hauls. I preferred it that way. He enjoyed killing the dead-brains way too much. After witnessing the brutal way he took them down, I found myself uncomfortable being around him.

  "Papa, can I go this time?" Becky said, and I glanced up in surprise. She never went on hauls. Mary give Jeremy a warning look, but Jeremy just sucked at his teeth in contemplation. His refusal to acknowledge Mary had her face turning three shades of red.

  "Now Rebecca, I'll need you here working with me tomorrow," Mary said, obviously irritated that Jeremy hadn't responded negatively yet.

  Becky looked down at her plate, frowning. She spoke again, but she didn't have the courage to look up. "It'll be safe, Papa. We haven't seen a madman in nearly a year now."

  "Harrumph," Jeremy grunted, lost in his contemplation. "We'll see in the morning, child."

  Jeremy pushed himself back from the table and retired to the master bedroom. Mary immediately followed, slamming the bedroom door behind her. I could hear them as they argued behind the door.

  Wanting someone else to break the awkward silence, I turned my attention back to the stew. No one else spoke, though. Becky finally rose from the table, gathering up the dishes to take to the kitchen. I finished quickly and decided I would help as much as I could. When I brought my bowl into the kitchen, Becky was already washing the dishes.

  "I can help with those," I said. She glanced up to meet my eyes briefly, then her gaze dropped to my hands. I noticed her eyes were red-rimmed from crying.

  "Your bandages... You shouldn't get those wet," and she turned back to the sink.

  I flexed my hands, looking at the bandages and shrugged. "I can help you dry at least."

  She didn't look at me again, but nodded after a few seconds. Kevin joined us a few minutes later, storing the extra food as best he could. I knew the stew would be our breakfast in the morning since it would only last a few days. The vegetables would keep a bit longer.

  The three of us cleared the dinner table and cleaned the kitchen in silence. We retired to our beds without seeing Mary or Jeremy again that night. Their voices drifted up to my bedroom on the second floor, though. I knew they had lost their youngest daughter before I met them. Mary had understandable fears. She didn't want to risk losing her last daughter. I didn't blame her. I didn't want to lose anyone else either.

  Sleep came slowly for me. I had gotten used to the hot nights, but tonight was different. The wind that rustled through my open window wasn't enough to keep me cool. I was thinking about Seth and Mom and Dad, missing them all. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I didn't want to feel so alone anymore. I cried.

  We only had one working clock in the living room, so I had no idea what time it was when I finally drifted to sleep. When I did sleep, I dreamed of Ali. She was coming back for me, but the dream was long gone by the time the dawn gently woke me. That, in itself, was a refreshing change from Jeremy's harsh wake-up calls. Not wanting to linger, I hastily got dressed and went downstairs to find Mary patching up some of our clothes. Becky was outside working on the wash.

  "Good morning, love," Mary flashed me a quick smile, but the light that was normally in her eyes wasn't there this morning. The talk she and Jeremy had must have been rough. She was back to her sewing without another word.

  "Morning, Mrs. Mary,” I replied politely as I made my way to the back door. I wanted to find Kevin so we could t
alk about the haul today. I figured Jeremy was already over at Jacob's and we would have a free morning until he returned. I could take the time to work on my carving, but for once, I didn't want to be alone. I found Kevin helping Becky hang the wash.

  "Hey, Joss!" Kevin replied, overly excited to see me. I actually got a smile from Becky as I walked up. "Guess what?"

  "Um..." I started, but Kevin had no intention of letting me guess.

  "Becky gets to come today! Pa went to get Uncle Jake's truck and we're heading out as soon as they get back!"

  "That's great news." I smiled at Becky and tried to match Kevin's enthusiasm, but I fell short. It wasn't because Becky was going with us, and I hoped that she didn't take it that way. It was the mention of Jacob that soured my mood, even though I wasn't really surprised by it. After all, he was the one with the running vehicle. Chances of him letting us use it without him were slim, but I didn't want to be reminded of it.

  I habitually started to help hang the clothes and asked, "Are we going into Sweetwater?"

  "Nah, Pa thinks Sweetwater has been too cleared out," Kevin replied. "There's a small town just up the road to the north he wants to start going through. It's not far, maybe twenty miles or so. He said the Wilsons have been up there a few times already," Kevin chattered, his excitement bubbling over. "And there's that little airport up there too, maybe we can check that out sometime!"

  I was frowning to myself, hoping the Wilsons had been able to clear out the dead-brains. New places normally meant running into a few, and that meant having to watch Jacob sadistically kill them. Unease spread inside me and I briefly thought about offering to stay with Mary to help her today. I didn't want to look like a coward in front of Becky, though, so I dismissed that idea pretty quickly. The worry was making my stomach upset, and I was glad I woke up late and missed breakfast.

  Kevin continued to rattle on about the airport and maybe learning how to fly a plane someday to find other survivors. I nodded and grunted at appropriate times during his one-sided conversation while Becky stayed silent through it all.

  Kevin may have been older than me, but he hadn't seen what the world out there looked like now. They'd moved from Sweetwater to this farm not long after the outbreak started. He'd lost his little sister to the flu, but I had lost my whole family to the outbreak. He was so naive.

  The dread was building in me every second. No wonder Mary was so worried about Becky going. Going to Sweetwater was one thing, but knowing that we were going to a new location, I didn't even want her to go. It wasn't my place to say anything or intrude in this family's business. By the time I heard the horse galloping up the driveway, I was back to my sullen, quiet self. Turning to watch Jeremy guide the old mare to the barn, I could see the dust trail being kicked up by Jacob's old Ford truck.

  Kevin actually jumped with his excitement and took off for the barn. I barely even glanced at him as he left, determined to finish hanging the wash first. Becky wore a puzzled expression for a bit as she noticed my mood, and she soon drifted back to her indifferent attitude toward me. The smiles were gone. I sighed to myself as I finished hanging the last shirt.

  "Becky," I started and she looked at me while she gathered the baskets. Again I felt foolish for what I was about to say, but I had to get it out. "If we see any of those diseased out there, please don't get near them. Let Jacob and Jeremy take care of them."

  She straightened and stared at me for a second, the puzzled expression back on her face. I wished I could hear her thoughts. Finally she nodded her agreement and said, "Of course."

  With that, she walked to the house and my gaze turned to the barn and the rusted, blue truck that was rolling up. Even though the unease was sitting heavy in my stomach, I decided it would be best if I joined them to help with the preparations for the trip.