Born (34 page)

I nod, "We had a black nurse in the
farm and she confirmed they weren’t breeding blacks there. Only whites."

"I heard a man say that mixing the
religions and races was a sin and god smote us for it."

"That's bullshit. God didn’t drop
the bombs or make the infection. They burned the world and now they gotta live
with the Phoenix that rises out of the ashes."

"You are the Phoenix Emma. You need
to spread your wings and soar. Don’t let them catch you."

The women all speak trying to motivate
me. I feel sick. I've caused death and destruction. My actions have had
consequences. Not to me, but to innocents who never met me before. Innocents
have suffered because I have stood up against the breeder farms.

"This is crazy." Joe looks
stunned.

Jake looks horrified and whispers to me,
"This is creepy." I lean in and whisper back. "I know
right."

The truck rolls to a gentle stop. The
back opens.

Mona smiles, "Well we're at Green
Mountain."

The ladies in the back stand and stretch.

Each of them touches my hand and squeezes
it or hugs me as they climb from the truck.

"You guys sure you'll be okay?"
I ask in between hugs. I feel lost in too many thoughts.

They nod.

"We all got picked up fairly close
to here."

"Good luck Emma and may God be with
you. You are the Phoenix. Don’t ever forget it."

I can't smile. Not without losing the
control I have. I want to shake them and tell them to stop speaking such
treason or the others will come for them. Instead I look out at the bright day
ahead of them and mutter. "Stay safe."

Mona closes the door and I hear her
laughing as we sit in the darkness. Will sits beside me. He kisses my cheek
silently and whispers, "You okay?"

I shake my head and push myself away from
him. I feel more ready than ever to kill something.

We ride in the dark for a while but then
we feel the truck veer off to the left and slow down. We hear talking and the
truck starts moving again. I have my bow ready. I stand at the back of the
truck and press my back against the metal. When it comes to a stop and the door
opens I am ready.

When the first bit of light hits I let
the arrow soar. I've already pulled a second arrow and shot my second guard
when necks are broken and knives are slashing. Mona backs the truck up and
parks over the dead guards. Their guns are thrown in the back of the truck and
Will and Jake each take one.

My bow is left in the truck but the back
of my pants is filled with knives and scanning cards. I have a gun with a
silencer too.

When we enter the facility I let Will
snap the neck of the first nurse. I try not to watch him kill. It makes it
harder to watch him sing later around the fire with images of him snapping
necks and stabbing people.

We move silently and effectively. We are
always split into teams. Will and Jake are doctors and have Anna as a patient
in tow. I am alone with Leo. I always dress as a doctor. Mona and Joe stay with
the truck. Mitch and Muriel are a doctor and nurse team. Everyone takes a wing
and guides their group to the pool. I take the girls around Anna's age who are
fit and don’t have babies in tow.

I have to blow up the building.

Each building is the same. They are made
like a cookie from a cookie cutter. Every room and garden looks the same.

I don’t ever take the elevator. I take
the stairs and sabotage the elevator when I'm in the basement.

I slink down the stairs and open the
door. Leo growls. He hates the boiler rooms of these places. I dig my fingers
into his fur.

We walk into the place just as cautious
as the first time.

I look around. Something feels off. My
stomach hurts. I stop in my tracks and turn around. Leo leaps at the same time
a shot is fired. He falls to the ground mid jump and whines. Everything slows
down. I scream as loud as I can and leap for him. I'm firing shots at the men standing
behind the elevator. Two fall. I land on Leo and everything gets hazy. The
steam releases and the valves make their noises. I dig my fingers into his fur.
I feel a dart. He's not shot. He's poisoned. His breathing slows down. I sob
into him but my head feels heavy. I try to lift the gun but I can't. I manage
to lift it once and shoot the pipes several times. Water and steam blast
everywhere. I shoot the boiler in the far corner. I look at my left arm and see
the dart sticking out of me too. My eyes grow heavy.

I grip his fur tight and feel my
breathing begin to pace with his. The darkness takes me quickly. I try to fight
it but I can't. The last face I see makes my stomach clench tight.

Marshall.

XXXX