by Anne, Melody
Where he’d been lean and carefree four years ago, now he was much taller and thicker. Even his eyes had changed color. There was so much maturity in his gaze, and he definitely wasn’t the average teenager anymore. He was a man who was respected and loved. He’d also be feared by the enemy.
“Just a few more minutes, John,” Phoenix replied. He looked somber, but he shrugged his shoulders and left her to what she was doing. She walked over to her bed and sat. The dust billowed around her, causing her to cough. She quickly walked to the center of the room and watched as the floating dust danced in the filtered light through the grimy window.
She grabbed a T-shirt that was on the floor and wiped the glass. She gazed out at her old backyard. Large weeds aggressively weaved themselves around the playground her father had built when she was two. She didn’t want to know what was lurking in the grimy depths of the dark green water of what once had been her swimming pool. It didn’t resemble the yard she’d played in as a child.
She turned away, not wanting to look at any of it for a minute more. It was no longer her yard. This wasn’t her house. There was no more warmth in it — no love. She began to realize a house really was only walls to keep you safe. The family inside was what made it a home. She’d wanted to come back for so long, but it was empty . . . cold . . . depressing. She went to her closet and reached behind her clothes to find her secret door.
It opened with a creak and she pulled out her beloved diary. She sat down and brushed off the cover, looking at the Hello Kitty picture. She opened it and turned to the last page, curious what her final written words were.
Brian is so dreamy. He smiled at me today. John told me they were busy, but he finally caved and let me hang out in his room for a while if I promised not to speak. I didn’t care; it was amazing just to hear the sound of Brian’s voice. I could listen to him all night and day. The adults were all whispering again, but we’ve given up trying to figure them out. Sadie will be over tomorrow. I can’t wait. Mom promised we could light a fire in the backyard and make s’mores, and drink hot chocolate. Then, we’re going to watch princess movies all night. I’ll talk to you more, tomorrow. Love, Phoenix.
Phoenix shut the diary with a smile. She caressed the precious pages and thought about Sadie. She’d get a real kick out of reading it. If Phoenix weren’t so afraid of Brian getting his hands on it, she’d bring it along.
“Phoenix, are you ready?” Sadie asked. Phoenix glanced up and saw Sadie standing in the doorway. Sadie’s arms were securely wrapped around herself as if she were trying to hold herself together. Sadie felt torn from the wonderful childhood memories of practically living at Phoenix’s home on weekends, to the cold, unfriendly, abandoned house they were in. The visit was shaking her up as much as it was Phoenix.
“Yes. There’s no use dwelling in the past. It’s all different now. It feels so tainted,” Phoenix said as she stood. She put the diary back in its secret compartment and turned to walk down the stairs with Sadie. They were silent as they looked at the dust-covered pictures lining the walls and the cobwebs along the ceiling.
“I couldn’t walk into my place,” Sadie admitted.
“These aren’t our homes anymore. I needed to do this, needed to say goodbye, but I know now that a home is anywhere we make it. As long as we’re together, we’re home,” Phoenix said. Sadie looked at her for a moment before grabbing her and holding her tight.
“I couldn’t survive if anything ever happened to you. You’re right, of course. Being here is hard, but not devastating like I thought it might be. I have you, my parents, John, Brian, and all our new friends we’ve made over the years. I don’t need anything else.”
“I wouldn’t mind a DQ Blizzard, though,” Phoenix said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Of course I’d give you up in a heartbeat for some soft serve,” Sadie agreed with a slight laugh. Her heart wasn’t in it, but they were doing the best they could under the circumstances.
The two girls walked from the house and Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief. John was standing with the rest of their group. They’d loaded a few more items into the truck, making their sitting area even more cramped.
“We’re going to drive through town and scan the area for any survivors. There’s a rescue group not far behind us, but if nobody’s around, we can take a shortcut and head toward Monroe,” John said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Phoenix said while climbing into the truck. Devon jumped in right behind her and pulled her against his warm chest. No one said anything about it — they were walking on eggshells, afraid she would break down at any moment.
Leaving the neighborhood, they headed toward the small center of town to see if there were any signs of life. It got more depressing the farther they traveled. Store windows were broken, entire blocks burned down, and the lone park in town was overgrown and deserted. Phoenix couldn’t imagine what the rest of the world looked like if her small town was in such bad shape.
The enemy soldiers had focused on bustling cities with millions of people in them. They’d come through small towns looking for people, but hadn’t spent nearly as much time obliterating them.
“We’re going to stop at stores along the way to search for more food, but not here. I don’t see any signs of life — let’s get down the road,” John ordered.
Phoenix was relieved he didn’t want to go into their small hometown market. She’d often ridden her bike there with Sadie, in search of penny candy. She didn’t want to walk in without the beloved storeowner smiling at them and sneaking them each a Tootsie Roll.
They left the town behind without spotting anyone. Phoenix and Sadie hoped their neighborhood friends they’d played with as kids had made it to safety. They prayed they weren’t taken to the awful prison camps and tortured. It was disheartening to find no one in their homes. Their once-thriving community had turned into a ghost town.
They drove several miles before coming to another small town. They slowed the vehicle and peered out at the ash-filled streets. It was obvious the soldiers had bombed the area. There were craters in the ground where the city offices had once stood, and the historic library was nothing but a few broken walls of bricks and burned beams. How sad that so much history had been destroyed.
They passed the place where a family diner had once stood. Phoenix’s mom had taken her and Sadie there for breakfast one weekend when they’d had a sleepover. Phoenix could practically taste the strawberry crepe she’d eaten. The owner had been at least seventy, and he’d given each girl a lollipop when they left. The building was gone, as if it had never existed.
They continued driving, not having time to go through each neighborhood. The rescue crew would do thorough searches of all the towns, but it was up to John’s team to reach the military base as quickly as possible. If they found survivors, they needed to call the teams, but they couldn’t actively search. They had to be careful with their fuel and get to the base.
“How can we make any real changes, John? Looking at all of this destruction makes me feel so hopeless. I don’t understand how a few teenagers can make any difference in these war-ravaged places,” Phoenix whispered. Somehow she was afraid to speak out loud. It seemed almost disrespectful, knowing that most of the burned buildings they passed still had human remains within their walls.
“You forget that we’re not alone, Phoenix,” John said. The look on his face stunned her. She hadn’t really noticed any changes in John. He was her brother, but those words were filled with confidence and something more. She’d forgotten about the unseen aid of magic on his side, and how he could communicate with the rest of the ones like him out in the world. It was easy to forget there was anything good in the world when evil was far more prevalent, staring back at her wherever she looked.
“Why did Josiah allow this to happen?” she asked.
“It’s hard to explain. This is all new to me too, Phoenix. Cassidy and Jayden both taught me what they could in the limited amo
unt of time they had, but I don’t know where to start. I guess the best way to explain it is to think of an animal. Do you remember your cat, Flower?” John asked.
“Of course,” Phoenix answered with a fond smile. Flower had found them one stormy night. Phoenix had heard the scariest howling outside. She’d gotten John and they’d crept down the stairs to open the back door. When she’d peeked out from behind John’s back, she’d seen an orange fur ball with matted hair and huge brown eyes staring at her.
The poor kitten had been shaking in terror in the freezing rain. John had reached down and picked him up without any fight from the frightened animal. They’d snuck him inside the house, dried him off, fed him, and hidden him in Phoenix’s room. He’d been forever grateful and for months hadn’t left the safety of her room. She hadn’t minded cleaning his litter box. He’d slept next to her head every night, the sound of his purring lulling her into a deep sleep.
When he’d finally started exploring the house, her parents had discovered him, but they’d seen she was too attached to make her give him away. They didn’t like the idea of a litter box in the house, but since she’d done such a great job of keeping it and the cat clean, they’d relented. Flower started getting into a lot of trouble, though. He jumped on the counters, scratched their parents’ furniture, and tore the curtains. Then he ate their parents’ bird, and that was the last straw. Their mother made him live outside from then on.
He’d mew from the patio at her window until he figured out how to climb onto the roof. Then he’d walk to her window ledge and Phoenix would let him in. He’d be so sweet and cuddly at night, but every day he’d be a terror again. It went on for years. Phoenix would get so mad at him, especially when he’d rip up her homework or clothes, but she never stopped loving him. One day he hadn’t shown up at her window. She’d cried for months over that cat, but he never had come back home. She’d hoped he’d found a new home with people to love him.
“You know how he’d always get in trouble, but you loved him no matter what?” John asked. “Just because you knew he wouldn’t behave, didn’t mean you were going to keep him in a box or refuse to feed him. You still had to let him go free. That’s how it is with Josiah. He loves all mortals no matter what they do, but he has to let them make their own choices. He wants to protect the world, but people don’t really want that, and they won’t listen to him anyway. And if he did always step in and fix everything and make all the choices for mortals, that would make him no better than the dictators in our history books. Unfortunately, part of free will allows bad men to be easily led by dark forces like Vyco and his many, many, many minions.”
“I don’t understand how anyone could listen to Vyco or want to practice dark magic,” Phoenix said.
“It’s fun to be bad,” John said. “I have to admit some of the best times I’ve ever had were when I was breaking so-called rules that had been set for me. That doesn’t make me a monster, but I can see the appeal to those Vyco can get to. It’s why he easily whispers in their ears — and why they greedily accept his idea of paradise.”
“But, the people who have died . . .” Phoenix interrupted.
“Murder is horrible, Phoenix. I wish it never happened, but it’s always been the answer for desperate men and women. They think their life will be better if they eliminate those they perceive as a problem. Plus, we had so much divide in our country, it made it very easy for others to come in and break us apart. We were already broken. All it took was a strong hand, and the tear was complete. There are a lot of people who thought our country had too much power, so they decided to take advantage of us at our weakest point. You can’t blame Josiah for those people’s choices, but you can help stop it. Evil will continue to happen, but good will always triumph,” John said.
Phoenix found truth in his eyes. There’d be a lot more suffering, but at the same time, it would end. She didn’t know when or how that would occur . . . and she couldn’t imagine she’d make that much of a difference no matter how many people told her she was a big part of the plan.
“I hate to interrupt you two, but what in the hell are you talking about?” Jacob asked. Phoenix had completely forgotten his presence. She looked at John with wide eyes.
“This is our team, they have a right to know the truth,” John said. He turned to Jacob. “When we stop for camp, which will be soon, I’ll tell everyone at once. There’s no use explaining twice. You’re going to have a hard time believing me anyway,” John said with a smile. Jacob didn’t appear happy about waiting, but he nodded his head.
The rest of the ride to their camp was filled with silence. Their team wanted to know what was going on in the world. Phoenix had no doubt that once they found out they’d rather go back to the days they didn’t know what evil resided in the dark. It was very difficult to sleep when you knew.
They arrived at camp and John sat down with his team, a fire going and disbelief in their faces as he began talking. They’d always trusted John, but this was different. This was beyond their imagination, something from a storybook.
Their mouths hung open and they thought it was all a big joke. Brian even chastised him for acting with poor taste in the situation they were in. John jumped into the air and landed feet first on a branch twenty feet up a tree. The group then believed him.
The remainder of the night was spent with question after question. Phoenix sat quietly, listening to her brother talk, Sadie on one side and Devon on the other. She gave up on any distance with Devon. Having him there made the fear inside her more manageable. She fell asleep that night, snuggled with Sadie in a small tent, and didn’t have a single dream.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, John. I think we need to get out of here,” Brian said. They were walking through a small town, about a hundred miles from their destination. They’d seen signs of life and wanted to do a sweep.
“I agree, but we need to find more canned food and other supplies. This is taking longer than we thought it would. Skirting around the straggler soldiers hasn’t been easy,” John said. He was on high alert. He knew there were soldiers a few miles down the road, but he didn’t know how many. He wished Cassidy would come back to them. He knew she’d found Jayden. She couldn’t communicate with John because she was too close to Vyco, and he’d figure it out if she tried using her powers, so John had been in the dark for a few days. He had to fight daily to not go after her.
“Everyone needs to stay close, then,” Brian said. He wasn’t trying to hide his apprehension, which was about to make Phoenix and Sadie crawl out of their skin. When the guys started losing their composure, they weren’t reassured everything would be okay.
“The soldiers are far enough away; I don’t think they’re a threat. We need to get supplies and get back on the road. We have no choice but to split up. I’ll take Phoenix, Sadie, and Jacob. The rest of you take the other side of town. We meet back here in one hour, whether we’ve found anything or not,” John said.
Both Brian and Devon wanted to protest, but the look on John’s face stopped them. They nodded their heads and immediately headed around the corner.
Phoenix shuddered as she watched Devon disappear. She’d grown more attached than she wanted to, but she was still fighting the attraction by telling herself he was her friend and nothing more. She tried to convince herself it didn’t mean anything that she wanted him near, where she could see he was safe.
She and Sadie followed John as he approached an old store. It looked as if it had once been a mom-and-pop establishment. That was a good sign because the soldiers could’ve easily passed it up for a Walmart or Target superstore.
John stepped through the broken door, holding his hand out for them to wait. He didn’t say a word, knowing they’d obey. He disappeared down one of the dark aisles and Phoenix turned to look out at the garbage-strewn streets. A paper fluttered by, and she reached down and picked it up.
On the front was a fade
d picture of a missing child. Phoenix couldn’t see what the child had looked like. A reward was offered for any information leading to the child’s return. She wondered if the parents had found her, only to be ripped apart once more, or if they’d been captured and never received an answer. She couldn’t take her eyes off the crumpled paper as she imagined the pain the girl and her parents had gone through.
“All clear, you can come in,” John called. “There are still some good supplies in here,” he added, sounding optimistic. Phoenix smiled for the first time in days. She hoped there was some good canned fruit. She could practically feel the juice sliding down her chin. She started to step inside when she was stopped by the sound of Leah screaming somewhere in the distance.
Neither Phoenix nor Sadie stopped to think about what they were doing. They both turned and started running toward the sound of their friend’s voice. They heard a gunshot ring out and sprinted, pushing themselves harder than ever before. They heard John call to them, but he hadn’t left the store. They had a head start on him. It wouldn’t last, since he ran supernaturally fast, but maybe they’d reach Leah before he stopped them. They had to help her.
Another shot shattered the silence just as John caught up to them and put a restraining hand on their shoulders, slowing them to a stop. They both tugged against him, to no avail.
“We have to help,” Phoenix shouted at her brother.
“Leah needs us, let go,” Sadie snapped.
“You don’t want to see this,” John said with a sad shake of his head. Their eyes widened. Of course, he already knew what was going on.
“Quit babying me, John. Our team needs help,” Phoenix snarled. If he didn’t let her go in one second, she was going to kick him. It wouldn’t do her a whole lot of good, but at least he’d know how furious she was. John lowered his head and reluctantly released them. They raced around the corner, then stopped in their tracks. Leah was on her knees, sobbing so hard her shoulders shook.