Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1) (20 page)

Marcus stopped the truck and four others pulled up beside him. Phoenix jumped down from the passenger side and stopped to listen.

“What do you think? Hell Raiser asked as he and Cloud joined her.

“I really don’t know.”

With weapons ready, they all entered the cave. With so many people the walls came alive with commotion. Marcus spun around. “You keep them quiet or I’ll slit their fucking throats.” The man standing behind him nodded then walked along the group of vamps quietly passing along the order. When he came back he looked his leader in the eye and said, “Hand signals only from now on.”

“That’s more like it.”

Phoenix took Marcus by the elbow. “There’s one thing I didn’t tell you.” Anger flashed in his eyes. “Nothing major, just that President Edelston is being held here and Lachance intends on killing him. I’m going to get him out.”

“That’s your problem to deal with. I’m just getting you in so you can clear the way. Then you get the fuck out.” Marcus’ eyes filled with half anger, and half threat.

“I told you it’s all yours and it will be.” Phoenix stared him down with just as much determination to let him know she was no pushover.

“Are you two done?” Hell Raiser asked impatient. “I don’t like standing idol. We need to get moving.”

Sweat rolled down Phoenix’s forehead and neck. She wiped it off using the back of her hand just as they reached the back of the large cavern that led into the facility.

The first thing her eyes focused on was the cage where Adam was held the last time she saw him. Squinting against the darkness, she gasped when she realized the door was open and Adam wasn’t there. “Shit.”

“That isn’t good,” Hell Raiser said.

Phoenix looked down at the ground not moving, blinking, or breathing.

“Don’t read too much into it yet. We don’t know where he is. You did the right thing,” Cloud said putting her hand on her shoulder.

“What if he’s dead and I just left him?”

“You said you can feel him, right?”

“It was just that once.”

“So try again.” Cloud’s voice was full of hope.

Phoenix closed her eyes. She could feel parts of him, but the thing she felt the most was anger and rage. It was a sharp reminder that Adam was no longer Adam.

As Marcus led his men past them, Phoenix took Clouds wrist and Hell Raiser took hers. Quickly, they ingested each other’s life force and the power it gave them was instant.

Phoenix readied her gun, “Let’s go.”

As they walked up to the cage she entered it. The door wasn’t just opened it had been broken open. There were multiple pools of blood on the floor, and dried, crimson, tissue and hair infused into the bars.

“We have a huge problem,” she said pulling a clump of hair and scalp from the bars.

“This just got a whole mess of complicated,” Hell Raiser said running his hand down his face.

“Are you flaking on me, girl? Plan on walking me into a trap?” Marcus said crossing the threshold.

“I didn’t set the trap, but it appears one has been laid.”

Marcus shot forward and grabbed her by the throat. “If I die you die first, bitch.”

“It wasn’t her, man. Just listen,” Hell Raiser pleaded as a vamp shoved a gun at his temple.

“You got two seconds,” Marcus replied with spit flying out between his clenched teeth.

“Lachance made a super vamp. All he craves is vamp blood and he’s stronger than you can imagine. See?” Hell Raiser pointed at the bent, iron lock on the door.

“And you didn’t mention this before, why?”

“He should have still been locked up,” Phoenix squeaked.

Marcus chuckled. “You go first,” he mingled in with his evil laugh.

Phoenix rubbed her throat and sighed. “Fine.” She shoved past the gang leader and walked up the stairs as silent as possible.

The room they stepped into looked as if a hurricane had stood in one spot swirling around in madness. Lights dangled from the ceiling with their florescent bulbs buzzing and flickering. The walls had objects lodged into them. Phoenix reached out and pulled part of a picture frame from the wall, glass slid out of the piece and hit the floor with a clatter before shattering. They walked across clothing, food, dishes, furniture, personal items, and worst of all bodies. Vamps littered the floor in groups, pulled from their chairs as they ate and drained in quick succession. The walls, which were all monotone, were now spattered with dirt, blood, flesh, and coffee; this was only the cafeteria.

The rest of the building looked the same. Limp bodies lay where they fell, some still holding terror in their eyes. Some had their throats ripped out; others had their heads completely severed. Cloud gagged and coughed as she stood beside Phoenix finally turning her head to a corner and upchucked. Phoenix rubbed her back as she retched and heaved. “You need to ignore it. Find a way to tune it out.”

After a few minutes Cloud stood and blinked over and over. “This is awful. I don’t know…why?”

Phoenix knew what she was thinking. She had seen this before. She had witnessed people dying horrible deaths. Your thoughts become muddled as you try to make sense of the tragedy before you. Any conclusion you come to only gets marked with more questions.

“You can do this. Count with me.”

Cloud’s forehead creased as she breathed in rapidly.

“One…two…three. Come on, count it with me,” Phoenix continued. “Four…five,” her head bobbed with each number, looking into the girls eyes. Cloud began to count and her breathing slowed. Phoenix took her face. “You got this.”

Cloud swallowed hard, but nodded.

“Where is everyone? There has to be survivors.” Phoenix whispered in a panicked voice.

The facility was devoid of the sound of another living being, save the invading party.

“This place better be what you say, girl. Where are the weapons?” Marcus walked past her with his gang following. “Spread out. Stay in groups of two. Find me those weapons.” As the gang moved forward they kicked the corpses and any body parts out of the way as if they were rubble in the street.

Phoenix fought the anger building inside of her. Marcus just hit a new level of total asshole. She wondered if he ever had someone he loved, or if he was even capable.

Hell Raiser, Phoenix and Cloud stood silent in the hall.

“I guess we’re on our own,” Cloud said.

Just ahead of them, in a room to their left, was the sound of footsteps crunching on debris. All three of their guns came to the ready.

Staggering from the room was a middle-aged man. His body, hair, and face were covered will dirt and blood. His clothing was ripped and hung around him as he limped along. “Thought that was your voice,” he coughed.

Phoenix craned her head. “Ben?” The shock in her voice rang out over the sound of the buzzing lights.

“Oh my, what happened?” she said running to him. Her arms wrapped around his body to help him as he walked.

“Adam,” he managed to get out.

Phoenix swallowed hard. “The others?”

Ben’s eyes closed as he slowly shook his head. “I don’t know where they are.”

“Help me get him back in the room,” Phoenix said.

Hell Raiser scooped the portly man up with little effort. Phoenix and Cloud cleared off a bed in the room and Ben gave a little grin as his body was placed on the mattress. “I’m going to look for the others. You stay here.” She pointed to Cloud. “Stay with him and barricade the door. Don’t open it for anyone but us.”

“Wait,” Cloud said as Phoenix went for the door. “Please be careful.” The tiny girl wrapped her arms around Phoenix and gave her a tight hug.

Phoenix nodded before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t hesitate to shoot,” Hell Raiser warned.

“I got this.”

As Phoenix and Hell Raiser cleared the building they found a few survivors. They helped each of the injured to the laundry room. Those that could help them were ordered by Hell Raiser to come along. The compliant vamps did as he said since he was the only guard around. As the group got larger they were instructed to continue searching and gather at the laundry room.

Phoenix and Hell Raiser made it to the office area. Every human secretary and assistant, including Nan lay dead, but not from blood loss. Every single one of them had a broken neck. Not just broken, but snapped in half. Their heads lay at weird angles with vertebrae protruding out. Their eyes all stared ghostly at nothing.

The spiral staircase lay ahead and Phoenix took a couple of breaths before she stepped onto the first step of the metal riser. “Adam’s up there,” she could barely get the words out.

Each stair seemed to take hours as they tried to walk silently. When she hit the landing her mouth fell open and eerie chills ran along her body. Adam stood there, his eyes no longer bright emerald, but jet black. His head was shaved clean, but not professionally. His scalp was littered with scabs. His skin in general was filled with bruises, cuts, and partially healed wounds. She knew why when he began picking at his arm. His fingernails were no longer human looking, but resembled miniature claws that made quick work of his skin.

She walked cautiously toward him. “Adam?”

His head shot up as he let out a feral growl. Just as he was about to pounce on her the door that led to the helipad opened and Lachance walked in. With him was President Edelston. “Ah, just in time for the big show. I have the thing he craves the most.” Lachance’s voice was filled with triumph.

Adam’s attention was no longer on Phoenix or Hell Raiser. His nose sniffed the air, flaring in and out. Saliva poured from the corners of his mouth. Adam rushed toward Decklin. Decklin tossed President Edelston toward Adam and then disappeared back out the door and quickly closed it.

Adam had his father’s entire body held tight against him and within seconds his teeth bore down on his father’s neck.

“Adam, no!” Phoenix ran at him.

Hell Raiser fought to keep Adam’s head away from the President’s neck. He grabbed his forehead and wrapped a hand around his torso pulling with all his strength. Phoenix took the President’s arms and pulled with all her might. Adam’s growl echoed around the office and rattled the windows.

As Phoenix yanked hard, the President slipped from Adam’s grasp. She pushed Edelston behind her and backed the both of them up. Adam picked Hell Raiser up and threw him like he weighed no more than a small child. Hell Raider’s body slammed into the fireplace breaking every piece of the mantle.

Adam’s fists curled at his sides and he marched forward slow and intentional. “Adam it’s me. You don’t want to do this.”

Phoenix turned to the President. “Run!”

He stumbled to the stairs falling over his own feet and turned to glance back. “Go,” she insisted. The next thing out of her mouth was a terrified scream. She felt Adam’s teeth dig into her neck and the blood flow out. His hands gripped her arms so tight she felt the pressure on her bones. He bit down again and she felt her eyes begin to roll up in her head.

“Bang!”

Look for the rest of the Phoenix books coming soon.

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AVID CLEVELAND BROWNS fan, animal lover, and paranormal addict are just a few ways to describe M.R. Ferguson. M.R. grew up in Ohio and West Virginia, which gave her a fear of snakes and the ability to fix anything with duct tape. She has been writing since childhood, but wrote her first novel three years ago. She now resides in Utah with a veritable menagerie of pets and a million ideas in her head just waiting to be put on paper. When she isn’t ghost hunting, M.R. can be found writing paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels.

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