Page 78 of Redemption
Just as I think we’re about to walk all the way to the next town over, we turn into a large storage facility. There are hundreds of units, and each one comes with a roll-up overhead door. Tank pulls out a set of keys from his pocket and opens one, revealing a pickup truck stashed away within its depths.
Modifiedis just the tip of the iceberg.
“Allow me to introduce you to the last member of our crew. This...,” Casper indicates with his raised hands, “is Betty.”
And Betty... is a beast.
There are multiple guns welded to the frame, while a large Gatling-style gun is mounted onto the roof, and twin semi-automatic rifles are attached to revolving mounts affixed to the walls of the truck’s bed. Every window, including the windshield and rear, has been equipped with horizontal steel blinds. And every tire holds a long blade reminiscent of the scythes formerly used on chariots.
My jaw drops at the vehicle. It’s a cross between something straight out of a Mad Max movie and the video game Twisted Metal, complete with the maniacal cackle that comes out of Tank when he sees it and strokes the fender lovingly. Maybe a little too lovingly, in my opinion. “Jump in, fellas,” he says, licking his hand and smacking the side of Betty before turning to the rest of us with a sadistic grin. “We’ve got growlers to tame.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Cole
The house I’m offered to stay in is home to four other guys. Two of them, Colby and Bran, work in food service as part of the manpower behind the community cafeteria. Axel works as a mechanic and engineer for the town. And Stitch, of course, works with me over in the Infirmary.
Which is where we need to be at sunrise every day.
My eyes fly open at the sound of multiple blaring alarms simultaneously going off in various positions around the house. It’s been three days of this, and after months of zero wake-up calls, it’s definitely not something I’m used to yet.
With a grumbling, frustrated effort, I pull myself from bed, rubbing at my tired eyes and stretching the enduring stress from my muscles. Between Stitch and myself, each and every alarm is found and silenced before we dress and trudge out the door in the direction of the main community buildings.
Colby and Bran weren’t a part of the early morning frenzy, but I spot them as we enter the cafeteria. With resources already limited, residents of Phoenix Rising aren’t allowed to cook or prepare meals in their respective homes. Instead, Colby and Bran, along with several others, spend all morning preparing a huge community buffet. Biscuits, muffins, loavesof bread, scrambled eggs, and mountains of fruit cover a long table along with other items. It’s more freshly prepared food than I’ve seen in one place in over a year, and that includes Jax’s estate. He would bake all day every day if he could, but nothing compares to the abundance before me. And none of it goes to waste. The population residing in this town is surprisingly significant, to say the least, but, most importantly, very concerning.
I think back to when we first passed through here almost a week ago. We saw people, at least a couple dozen, during our small trek through Main Street but nothing to require this magnitude of preparation on a regular basis. Now that I see what I’m up against, it’s like I’m living in a life-sized Where’s Waldo puzzle. It’s been three days, and after steadily working in the Infirmary and wandering about town in the areas I’m allowed, eavesdropping into every conversation I’m able, I still have no idea where Aly and Jax are.
Thankfully, I’ve already found Hawk. Completely accidentally, but I at least know where he is and where he’s set to stay for the time being. Although he was almost beaten half to death, I’m happy to report he’s getting better, physically at least. But he's not doing well... mentally. Being stuck in that room, cooped up for so long and unable to do anything, is making him restless and agitated. And, from what I can see, he’s slowly losing his grip. It hurts me to see him suffering as he is, but, regardless, he’s still, physically, in no condition to hunt for Jax or Aly. Plus, he lacks the proper clearance to walk around as freely as I do. People would immediately recognize he’s out of place and sound the alarm, which leaves me on my own to find Jax and Aly in the middle of all this. Based on the accelerated rate of Hawk’s mental deterioration, I’m hoping I can make that happen sooner rather than later.
My thoughts race with what Jax and Aly might be going through. After witnessing what they did to Hawk, all of them are negative. I force myself to take a deep breath and recenter myself.
One step at a time.
One room at a time.
The first being the community cafeteria each morning.
Due to theNo Meals at Homerule, every resident in Phoenix Rising is required to come here each morning, afternoon, and evening to get whatever nourishment they need. That means that even if Jax and Aly don’t show up here themselves, there’s a good chance at least one person in this room knows where they are.
I join the back of the buffet line with Stitch and grab a plate, placing a piece of fruit and a muffin on it while slowly scanning the room around me.
Men.
All men.
My initial question returns with stunning vibrancy.Where are all the women?
After three days here, you’d think I would have seen more than just the one by now, but the woman who died in that barn has been the only female I’ve managed to find. It can’t be a coincidence that they’re all miraculously unaccounted for. Are they keeping them sequestered in their homes? The town is old-fashioned enough to pull something like that: hiding away their treasures from the prying eyes of thieves and trespassers. Even still, it feels like something... more.
I can’t put my finger on it.
With our plates filled, Stitch leads me to a table, and we take our seats. He talks to the person on the other side of him about something or other, but none of the conversations around me indicate anything about any newcomers apart from myself. After a few minutes, I finish my meal. And, as the sun peeks its head over the horizon, I head for the exit with Stitch right behind me.
Out of time, once again, but I’m no less determined.
As we head down the road, my mind reels with possible solutions. I always liked puzzles as a child, and this is simply another that I need to solve. I just need to find the code. The link. The hidden clues that can point me in the right direction.
We step into the Infirmary and up to the desk where Locke is already starting his morning. He pauses writing his notes in a file to look up at us. “Morning, guys.”
