Page 47 of Resurrection
A man’s deep southern drawl calls out from the rear, startling us all and making us stop, our collectiveawareness heightening tenfold. We turn as a unit, aiming our firearms in his direction on pure instinct and reflex.
“Don’t fucking move!” I yell in his direction, ready and more than willing to put him down if I need to, my pistol aimed directly at his face.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You won’t need those here, friend, trust me. You fine folks have just stumbled into paradise.” He gestures to the town around us, turning in a circle for effect.
“Welcome... to Phoenix Rising.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aly
Phoenix Rising...
What kind of kumbaya culty bullshit is this? I’ll admit, the allure of such a place still existing drew me in like a moth to a flame. The possibility that this is real—that I’m not hallucinating this town and everyone in it, that normal, everyday lives can still exist without the constant worry of infection or imminent death—took my breath away. All I wanted to do was fall into the dream with my guys and never wake up. But they’re right.
It’s too perfect.
And now, we come to find out that this guy refers to this town, not as what it was once called, but asPhoenix Rising?What flavor Kool-Aid are these people drinking?
Considering this guy? Probably lemon-lime. He leaves a bad taste in my mouth and all I want to do is purge myself of his presence. Immediately.
Mr. happy shiny people waltzes over to us, a large overly eager smile perched upon his face as he takes us in. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? The sun’s shining bright, and not a cloud in the sky. Absolutely beautiful, if I do say so myself.” Placing one hand in his pocket, he lifts another in greeting to a gentleman walking across the street behind us. “Great job, Casper! Go on ahead and get Chase to help you fold those, then y’all can go on and get some chow.” A slight nod, lacking any emotion whatsoever, is all he gets in return as Casper lifts the basket of laundry higher and enters the building to our left. “Ah, he’s a good kid.” The leader of this shindig returns his gaze back to us, still pointing our weapons at him, and smiles. “You know, normally, a handshake and a greeting is a respectable form of introduction. Although, y’all are obviously not from around here, we do take a great deal of pride in southern hospitality here at Phoenix Rising.” He lifts his hand, extending it to Jax, and waits.
We look at one another, confused and baffled at how carefree this guy is. He doesn’t even have a weapon on him. No security. Just a pair of black pants he probably refers to asslacks, a white button-down short-sleeve shirt with the top few buttons open, and…
“Oh, for fucks sake. Are those penny loafers?”
Hawk coughs strangely before coming closer to me. Oh, shit, did I talk out loud again? Fuck it. Whatever.This schmuck deserves it. Acting like this during the damn apocalypse? He’s got to be fucking crazy. An absolute looney-bin. Andthisis coming from the one that talks to herself! What if we just decided to shoot him here and now? He’s not even wearing any type of appropriate footwear to stand a hope of getting away.
Sadie starts to growl, pointing in his direction—a clear indication that she senses a threat. I look down to her by my side as Jax takes a step forward. He puts his hand down, attempting to calm her.
I’m with you, Sadie, I don’t like the jackass either.
“Who, the fuck, are you? What do you want?” Jax prompts the man who looks like he just jumped straight out of The Book of Mormon. He hasn’t stowed away his weapon yet, and looking at Cole and Hawk, they don’t plan to either, their unwavering sights aimed directly at this guy.
“Well, good sir, you can call me David,” he answers in a thick, southern drawl. Stepping closer to Jax, he turns his head to the side as if he’s about to tell a deep, dark secret. “That’s what all my friends like to call me,” he says, chuckling low. At the silent and unimpressed response from us, he continues, “And, as I’ve just indicated, this is Phoenix Rising. I guess you can call me the mayor, or some such equal title if you so desire. As for your secondary inquiry, what we want are more residents, of course,” he says excitedly, throwing his hands up and clapping once in exclamation. “We could certainly use a few good backs, such as yours…” He walks around Jax’s outstretched arms and swats him on his shoulder, completely disregarding the weapons pointed at his head. “Could do us a lot of service in the future, and we’d very much appreciate any contribution y’all would be happy to give,” he says with a little smirk and side glance.
Yeah… totally not liking this guy at all.
Jax adjusts his grip on his weapon and takes a single step back, creating distance while also probably trying to come up with more questions. I have one of my own, however, and step forward slightly. “What is thisPhoenix Rising?”I’m curious and, even more so, suspicious. The more information we can get, the better prepared we’ll be. The guys taught me that, and I can see their approval and pride showing as both Hawk and Cole nod their heads in my direction.
“Well, hello there, little lady,” he croons, peering over Jax’s shoulder to see me. “I am so glad you asked.” He lets his arms fall to his sides, his hands smacking on those irritatingly stiff pant legs. “We, at Phoenix Rising, are focused on moving forward, away from the ways and unfortunate events of the bygone days. This past year has taken entirely too much from the residents of this here darling town, and we have dedicated our lives to returning this land to its prior glory. Respite, regrowth, and renewal. That’s our motto as well as our creed. Think of it as a resurrection from the ashes of condemnation, if you will.” David lifts his hand, indicating to the town around us. “Everything you see here—every person, every building, every solitary blade of grass—has a purpose: to come together in creation, to rebuild andfortify our future.” He returns his gaze back to me, his voice deepening. “Everybody needs a purpose, darlin’. Here? We like to make sure everybodyhasa purpose. Like I said... We’d love to have you.”
Sadie growls again, pulling Jax’s attention, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off of the man in front of us. His black eyes remain vacant, even as his smile lifts a centimeter higher. It’s penetrating. Unyielding. Terrifying.Fucking creepy as hell.My breathing stills as my unruly hands tremble slightly. Not enough for this guy to see but enough for me to know, deep within my gut, that we shouldn’t linger here. With Hawk and Cole still on guard, Jax reaches an arm back, pushing me behind him more and shielding me from David’s gaze while shaking his head with our decision.
“We’re good. Thanks anyways,” Jax responds. He tilts his head back to us, silently indicating our retreat from this place.
David doesn’t get the hint, though, and holds his hands up in protest to try and stop us from leaving. “Hey, hey, hey, now. What’s the rush? Stay a while. I’m sure y’all could use some time to relax. We’re just about to sit down to a delicious, homemade meal, and I’m sure you’d appreciate the benefits of a nice, hot shower after your journey.” He takes another step closer just as two others press in tighter from either side of the road, flanking us.
Cole and Hawk see them immediately and turn their sights on them, following their movements with their weapons. Even with the obvious threat, the new arrivals don’t relent and continue walking towards us,their arms lifting from their sides in a placating gesture. “It’s a crazy world out there,” David continues, his speech slowing and becoming more deliberate as his smile diminishes slightly. A second later, it resituates itself, as if his mask didn’t just obviously falter. “We sure would like it if y’all would join us. We definitely have some fun times here, believe it or not.” He winks and lifts the side of his mouth as he takes another step.
There’s that fucking smirk again….
“Back... The fuck...Off....Now.” Jax steps forward, less than a few feet between David’s head and the barrel of his gun. The two loitering jackasses pause, their steps faltering as they look to their leader.
“Why the aggression?” David counters. “We’re just trying to offer you a place in paradise. Isn’t that what everyone wants in the end?”
Continuing to slowly back away to the town’s exit, Jax lets out a growl of frustration, allowing Cole to intercede for us. “Look, he already gave you our answer: we’re good. Just trying to get to where we’re going. That’s all. No offense but we’ll be on our way now.”
