// outfit displayed in media //
the soft and warm missouri breeze caused plants in the field to gracefully sway, and locks of phoenix's hair to move along in the direction the light wind made them move to.
the pyrokinetic's amber eyes were irritatedly narrowed, although no one would be able to notice as they were shaded by her pair of sunglasses. what was the cause of her irritation, you might ask? well, murphy, obviously.
the man had been standing out in the field and taking a leak for an unnatural amount of time. it genuinely concerned phoenix at first, but her miniscule amount of concern was quickly swept away by the fact that he was holding up everyone. his hair also began to grow back quite unevenly, and it was an eye sore to look at.
"no z's in sight." mack's voice cut through the silent atmosphere filled with wait and anticipation.
"anybody else worried about mr. sunshine over there?" doc asked, warily eyeing the discolored man.
"i know. he's looking worse." garnett agreed.
"it's really hard to worry about a dickhead, doc." phoenix stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"c'mon guys, let's give him a break." addy defended. "it's the apocalypse. none of us look our best. it's like one long bad hair day."
mack jumped up into the bed of the truck next to where phoenix sat. "speaking of hair, what's with all the bald patches?"
"maybe that vaccine is like zombie chemo." cassandra spoke.
"or maybe the vaccine isn't working." 10k suggested.
phoenix snorted at that, and smirked at her boyfriend. "that's some nice optimism you got there, buddy."
10k jokingly rolled his eyes in response and playfully nudged the girl's shoulder. "just sayin'."
murphy turned his head to look at them as if he heard their gossiping. they instantly averted their gazes to act like they weren't staring at him and talking about him as he peed, which probably only made them look more suspicious. the only person who didn't try to conceal the fact that she was watching murphy was phoenix, who continued to shamelessly stare at the man with immense vexation growing inside of her.
"hurry up, sweetheart!" she called, and stifled a chuckle at the expression murphy made. "we're wasting daylight!"
"bite me!" he retorted, flipping off the now angered pyrokinetic.
"i will not hesitate to literally set your ass on fire!" phoenix threatened, raising up her flaming middle finger at the man, although he was turned away so he couldn't see.
"don't waste your breath." mack grumbled to the girl. "he's not worth it."
"trust me," the teen scoffed, scowling at murphy. "i know."
meanwhile, garnett and doc we're discussing whether or not murphy would make it to california. the only part of their conversation that phoenix heard was "if he goes zombie, we might have to put him down".
phoenix's eyes lit up behind her darkened sunglasses, and she turned to face garnett with an eager grin. "dibs on piking him!"
at the same time, warren declared the same exact thing, and the two females were suddenly caught in a competitive stare down. phoenix raised her hand to slowly slide off her shades, revealing her narrowed eyes. the teen's face was deathly serious and challenging, while warren only managed to keep her stony-faced facade up for a few moments before her face broke into a grin. chuckling, she raised her hands up in defeat. "alright, you win."
phoenix's previously straight lips split into a triumphant smile, feeling accomplished. before the apocalypse, she was always the competitive one in her family. whether it be for the smallest things such as a card game (which, if she lost, resulted in someone having to buy another deck as the previous set transformed into a pile of ashes), or something larger like a game of basketball. she either won most of the time or she was a sore loser during the rare moments when she did lose, which resulted in a slightly inflated ego. and mercy to whoever she lost against.
"if he turns, piking him's the least of our problems." garnett stated.
finally, murphy finished up and turned to look at the waiting group. "what?"
"pit stop's over. let's get moving." garnett told him.
"i have a ginormous bladder." murphy grumbled as he made his way over to the truck. "sue me."
"i would if i could." phoenix said with a sickly sweet smile.
"man, i sure could use some of them kansas city barbeque ribs about now." doc sighed after everyone got situated in the truck.
phoenix groaned at that, sending a warning glare at doc through the back window, although he couldn't see her. "not helping, doc."
"sorry, phee." doc said with a chuckle, just as the truck began moving once again.
•
the vehicle pulled up to the group's new destination, which was a decent sized building with fencing around the perimeter and road blocks guarding the entrance.
as the truck drew closer, phoenix noticed a sign that read, prepare to surrender all weapons before entry. she snorted, and rolled her eyes at the rather asinine rule.
"surrender all weapons?" 10k scoffed, seeming to have the same opinion as phoenix. "are they serious?"
"looks like." mack replied.
"they better not be. i'd like to see them try to take my weapon away." phoenix grumbled, scowling at the sign as the truck slowly passed by it.
when they reached a distance of a few yards, a woman wearing a bandana and holding an assault rifle appeared from behind the road blocks, followed by two men.
"stop right there!" the woman fiercely ordered. "this is a private compound. i'm gonna have to ask you to turn around and go back the way you came."
"i'm looking for major williams." garnett announced as he exited the truck with raised hands. "joe williams."
"and who are you?" the woman questioned skeptically.
"i'm sargeant charles garnett, georgia national guard. we've known each other going back pre-z."
the lady seemed to be thinking for a few moments until she spoke. "wait here. your crew stays in the truck. they try to get out or we see a weapon, we fire."
"well damn." phoenix mumbled under her breath.
garnett nodded, and looked back, giving the group a reasurring nod.
"easy everyone." warren said from the passenger seat. "charlie's got it all under control."
"oh, so you're calling him charlie now?" murphy asked, his tone snarky.
"yeah, and i'm gonna start calling you my bitch if you don't shut up."
phoenix had to laugh out loud at that, and her barks of laughter soon died down to soft snickering. "nice one." she complimented warren, and the woman sent her a small grin through the rear view mirror.
a few moments passed when a taller man in a brown polo shirt came into view. "well holy shit." he chuckled, eyeing garnett. "it's the ghost of charlie garnett. never expected to see you again. at least not alive."
"hey, joe." garnett greeted with a small smile. "didn't expect to see you again, either. looks like we're both still standing."
"looks like." joe repeated with a nod. "last time i saw you, you were pulling my ass out of a ditch full of z's."
"just returning the favor. how many z's did we kill that day?"
"not enough."
garnett made a move to lower his hands back down to his sides. "do you mind?"
joe turned to face his soldiers. "stand down." he twisted around to look at garnett. "you're the first person i've seen from before. how the hell did you end up here?"
"i'm actually on a mission for the government, if you can believe that." garnett replied.
"if it was anybody but you, i wouldn't."
"we've come from new york. haven't eaten in a few days."
as if on cue, phoenix felt her stomach grumble in hunger. that trail mix hadn't lasted them very long.
"new york? haven't seen anyone east of the mississippi for over a year. how many of you are there?"
"nine." charlie answered after breifly glancing at us. "including a doctor."
"real doctor?"
"sort of. he's watched a lot of e.r."
doc then leaned out of the window and waved cheerily at joe.
"alright." joe confirmed with a nod. "come inside and tell me your story. we'll get you some good. but the truck stays outside. let them in. and of course you'll have to check your weapons."
everyone left the truck and followed joe and garnett over to a room that phoenix guessed was to check weapons. with the metal detector, it looked like a security check at an airport.
phoenix was the second one in line to hand in her second weapon, which was her trusty pistol. she slid it over the counter to the man, who took the gun and stored it in the back. she then proceeded in spreading out her legs and arms so the same woman with a bandana could scan her with the metal detector.
once the girl was cleared, she went through the entrance and patiently waited for 10k, who was after her, to be finished with his security check. the sniper handed over his rifle first, followed by him pulling out a plethora of assorted weapons, including a long chain that he stored in his pants. no, not in his pocket, in his actual pants.
phoenix watched the scene unfold with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk. as he walked towards her with a smug grin, she had to bite her lip to prevent herself from completely losing herself and cracking up.
"jesus, tommy." she snorted. "or should i call you 'daniel boone wannabe' from now on?"
"ha, ha. very funny." the boy shook his head with an eye roll before lazily slinging his arm around her shoulder. "y'know, one day i bet you're gonna regret calling me that."
"oh, yeah?" phoenix challenged with a raised brow. "and when will that be? 'cause i don't see myself regretting anything in the near future, thank you very much." she declared, raising her chin and turning away from her boyfriend, as if she were some posh, snobby princess.
"you're lucky you're adorable." tommy grumbled, sighing and shaking his head like a disappointed dad would.
"and you're lucky you're my favorite person." phoenix said, leaning closer to her boyfriend.
the girl heard some new voices from outside the fence, so she turned her head to the left to see who was talking. there were two guys and a girl who were talking to joe about some "crazy cult leader" and how they made a mistake. maybe it was the false innocence in their expressions and their voices, maybe it was the fact that they were associated with a cult, or maybe it was the fact that the girl was staring dreamily at tommy. either way, phoenix did not have a good feeling about any of them. especially the girl.
the pyrokinetic sent a warning glare towards the girl, with her eyes narrowed and anger beginning to fester up within her. the brunette seemed to have received the memo, because with one glance towards phoenix a frightened expression coated her face and she quickly retreated after the two guys as they were allowed entry within the property.
tommy tightened his arm around the teen and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head in a reasurring manner. his actions quickly washed away phoenix's malice and unease towards the trio, and she no longer felt the desire to burn that girl to nothing but blackened ashes.
while the couple were enjoying each other's company at the very back of the group, they didn't even notice that they'd missed pretty much all of joe's, garnett's, and warren's conversation about why joe banned weapons. by the time their talk dwindled to an end, they were already entering the main building.
"what if someone, y'know, dies of natural causes?" phoenix heard murphy speak at the front of the line.
"sure, that could happen." joe answered. "all the doors and gates open automatically, sealing off each section of the compound. like a submarine, can't be opened by z's. everything's zombie-proofed."
'hm. seems too good to be true.' phoenix thought skeptically, glancing around the interior of the building with narrowed eyes.
"ever heard of the titanic?" murphy scoffed, making joe glare at him.
"you're welcome to stay outside in your vehicle."
"you'll have to forgive my friend." garnett apologized. "he's been through a lot."
"we all have." joe mumbled. "nothing's perfect, but this is as close as it gets. after a while, most people find they can actually sleep through the night."
joe led the group into the cafeteria, and the scent of food hit phoenix like a charging bull. her stomach grumbled again, and she stared longingly at the line of food on the table.
"really? i can't imagine that." addy commented as she, too, was staring at the food.
"we grow our own fruits and vegetables. the scraps and our waste all go into a biomass generator. we're up to four hours of electricity a day.
"wow." phoenix spoke quietly in an impressed manner.
"what's their story?" warren asked as the same men and girl from before entered the room.
discontent bubbled up inside the ambrosia girl once again at the sight of the three people. maybe she was just being paranoid or her opinion of them was biased because of the girl who clearly had eyes for tommy, but they sure earned their names on the list of people who phoenix didn't trust.
"we had a little trouble a while back with a preacher we took in. he drank his own kool-aid. decided the zompocalypse was actually the second coming and we needed to save the z's, instead of kill them. calls them 'the resurrected'. real wack job."
"i'm not an expert on the bible, but i'm pretty sure there's nothing in there about zombies." warren spoke, placing her hands on her hips.
joe nodded in agreement. "we had to kick him, out, along with the rest of his followers. i've seen this kind of thing before. crazy spreads fast."
"so why would you let them back in?" warren questioned.
"they all have family still here. i knew once they were out a while, they'd get hungry or scared and some would come back. like clockwork these three showed up today."
"not true believers, huh?" garnett sighed.
"hard to believe on an empty stomach." joe answered. "speaking of which, let's get you people something to eat. first meal is on me. the rest you trade for. there's no meat of course. i hope you're all vegetarian."
phoenix grabbed a plate and began piling a bunch of food on it like it was her last meal - which could be true. garnett and warren broke off from the group to sit at a table with joe, while the rest went to a different table.
the ambrosia girl immediately began digging into her plate of food, which consisted of apples, grapes, bread, and carrots. she groaned in satisfaction as she felt her energy increase with each intake of food. its like her powers had a battery, and each ability that she performed took off a certain amount of battery power until it reached 0%. then at that point, the only way to bring the battery back up to a full 100% is eating food and drinking water. and as the girl quickly cleared off more than half of her food, her body's percentage climbed back up to full power.
as phoenix's eating started to slow down, she looked over at 10k to see how he was doing. he was slowly taking bites of his apple and staring at something, or someone across the room. the teen's eyes narrowed as she followed his gaze that led straight to the brunette who was sitting with the two guys.
phoenix's blood began to boil, and her hand that held her final piece of bread slowly clenched into a fist which formed the bread into a tight ball. she clenched her jaws, and it took everything in her to not burn that witch from the inside out. betrayal intertwined with fury as her eyes trailed back to her boyfriend. or could she even call him that anymore?
"10k." phoenix growled through clenched teeth, earning back the sniper's attention. when he saw the rage swirling around in her golden speckled eyes, his eyes widened with regret. not because he was caught in the act of being attracted to another girl, which he assumed is what his fixated stare appeared as, but because he would never dream of being the cause of phoenix's anger and hurt. he couldn't explain himself to her at that moment, as much as he wanted to, because that would distract him from his plan.
"phee, it's not what it looks li-"
"save it." the girl sharply snapped, and she swallowed down a sob. "i don't want to hear any of your bull-"
she was cut off by tommy abruptly grabbing her arm and tugging her behind him through a hallway where he saw the girl walk off to. the others watched the scene unfold with confusion, and worry that the young couple's relationship might be put in jeopardy.
"what the hell?!" phoenix exclaimed, successfully tearing her arm away from tommy's tight grasp. she glared up at him, and felt the nerves in her hands begin to vibrate and the temperature in her fingertips increase.
"i can't explain right now, but please know that you're the only one i have eyes for; that girl is nothing to me." he spoke briskly, and the girl was barely able to understand half of his words. "please follow me. i don't want you to get hurt."
the pyrokinetic's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she contemplated turning around and going back to the cafeteria. her heart wanted to believe him, while her brain screamed "liar!" over and over. her final last minute decision was to follow her heart and believe every word he spoke.
"okay." was all phoenix said, and she noticed tommy sigh in relief as if a weight was taken off his shoulders. the heat in her fingertips slowly went away, until the temperature was back to normal.
"thank you."
he proceeded in gently grabbing his girlfriend's hand and leading her further down the hallway, where phoenix saw the brunette a few yards ahead of them. the teen rolled her eyes, suddenly regretting letting tommy drag her along as he galavanted after this girl. she didnt know what his objective was, and she didn't care much unless it was something she doesn't want to envision.
the ambrosia girl had a bored and unamused expression as she lagged behind 10k, but when she watched as the brunette suspiciously turned right through an entrance to somewhere, interest spiked within her.
phoenix, who was suddenly immersed into the situation, quickened her pace to jog in front of tommy. she approached the door that the girl opened, and saw that it was propped open with a wooden wedge. bending over and picking the piece up, she glanced at 10k with narrowed eyes.
"something's up." she mumbled, and 10k nodded in agreement.
phoenix tossed the wedge to the side and followed in the invisible tracks that the girl left behind.
little did the couple know, all hell would soon be broken loose in the cafeteria.
•
the two teens continued to follow the girl, but kept about an eight yard distance away from her to prevent being discovered.
they stalked along the perimeter of the building, when they arrived at the entrance of the property. phoenix's eyes narrowed for about the millionth time, and she wondered what business the brunette had to take care of in this specific location.
they approached another corner of the building, when phoenix felt a firm object under her shoe. she took a step backwards and looked down to see a black, bloodied cross. the crimson liquid was obviously fresh, and it stained the girl's fingertips red.
tommy nudged the teen's shoulder, and her gaze averted from the cross to see the brunette stumbling towards the security check, with her hands clutching her stomach. phoenix's eyes slightly moved downwards to see a small trail of blood that the girl left behind, and her brows furrowed as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. looking down at the cross once again, she separated the object into two pieces, which revealed a tiny blade coated in blood.
"shit." the girl grumbled. "shit."
at this point, the puzzle had been completely solved, and phoenix's face fell in dread at the sight of the lady with the bandana trying to help the girl. she was just about to yell out a warning, but it was too late as the now zombified brunette reached up and grabbed the lady, instantly latching its teeth around her neck. shrieks erupted from the woman's mouth, sending chills down the teen's spine.
suddenly, another realization came upon phoenix; the two other guys were most likely in on the same plan, so by now, most of the population inside the building should be turned z. worry washed over the pyrokinetic like a tsunami wave, and her heart began to race.
"the others.." she trailed, and 10k nodded. his eyes held the same panic as phoenix had; he seemed to be thinking the same thing.
they both looked over at the murder scene again to see that another person had fallen victim to the zombies. his screams of anguish and pain echoed and bounced around the walls of phoenix's brain, causing her to slightly wince. trying to separate the two z's was like trying to intervene between two brawling lions; it was a supremely idiotic move that would obviously end in death, but the girl was still empathetic towards him. him and the lady.
while the girl was lost in her own thoughts and sympathy, she didn't even noticed that tommy had left her side and was sneakily stalking towards the building where the weapons were stored. which was also towards where the two z's were still feeding off of the unlucky man. phoenix's heart seemed to stop for a moment, and her eyes widened in alarm.
"tommy!" she whisper-yelled, her hands beginning to tremble. "you idiot, get your ass back here!"
alas, he either didn't hear her or blatantly ignored her, as he continued to make his way to the weapon room.
"god damnit." phoenix whined, wringing her hands together as a nervous habit. realistically speaking, the sniper would be fine if the zombies don't hear him and continue to feed, but the girl's dread clouded all logical judgement.
the pyrokinetic groaned in frustration and started after her boyfriend, when she saw another zombie pop up from behind the weapon room's window, splattering the glass in blood. tommy stumbled backwards from the glass in surprise, and phoenix instantly noticed the the trio of zombies racing at an inhuman speed towards him.
"run!" the girl screamed, and for once, tommy listened to her. he tried to speed away from the z's, but they were simply too fast. phoenix realized this, and knew that he wouldn't be able to outrun them all. her panic quickly fizzled away and was replaced with her protective instinct. she wouldn't allow tommy to be torn away from her. not like her mom, who was murdered by psychopathic bastards. and not like her siblings, who she doesn't even know are alive or not. it's been a year since they've been separated, and phoenix is convinced that they're dead. and if tommy dies, she'll mentally tear herself down until all that's left of her is a shell of a human who's loved too much and lost even more.
she can't let that happen.
seeing the expression on tommy's face as he realized his fate fueled phoenix's rage, and it didn't take much for yellow and orange flames to appear on her hands. a fiery glare placed itself upon the girl's face, and her amber irises blazed with the same fires that covered her hands.
"duck!" she commanded tommy, who complied and trusted that she'd do anything to prevent the zombies from tearing him to bits.
once her boyfriends body ducked to the ground and under her line of fire, phoenix raised her arms to be parallel to the ground, aimed her hands at the zombies, and allowed her rage to take the lead.
fire shot out from her palms like clouds, as if her hands were flamethrowers. which they were, actually. a scream erupted from the pyrokinetic's mouth, which helped release all of her pent-up fury and allowed it to give more force and range to her billow of fire.
flames engulfed the walking corpses, but even though they were quickly melting with each blow of fire, their movements didn't cease. the brain has to be destroyed for their re-animate lives to be ended.
tommy scrambled to get behind his girlfriend, who simply continued to amaze him with each moment they're together. he's never met anyone as incredible as phoenix, and the fact that she was capable of such outstanding abilities kept him guessing what else she was able to do.
phoenix paid no attention to tommy, although she was aware of his presence and backed up a few steps into him to get him moving when the z's came too close for comfort.
she needed to finish them off, and she could feel herself grow weaker with each passing second of blowing out flame. the imaginary battery within her began to quickly dwindle down in percentage, and the fire that phoenix produced grew to be less powerful and constant.
the pyrokinetic moved to the left and away from tommy, who watched her with astonishment and anticipation. the zombies disregarded the sniper, and they lumbered after the girl with outstretched arms.
"go help the others!" she called to tommy, briefly glancing over at him and saw the uncertainty in his face although he knew she could handle herself. "i'll be done with these guys soon! just go!"
10k hesitated for a split second longer before curtly nodding and running off to where he assumed the others would be.
phoenix's gaze flickered between tommy and the pack of zombies until the sniper was completely out of sight.
"alright, you fuckers. this has gone on for too long." she grumbled, continuing to keep distance between herself and the corpses.
the teen lowered her hands for a moment, ceasing the throwing of fire. she took a moment to observe the liquified and singed flesh of the z's, and forced down the bile that threatened to climb its way up her throat. while phoenix inched her way backwards, her center of focus zeroed in on the heads of all three zombies.
she had a plan, but it would have to be executed quickly or else her loss of energy would result in a negative outcome.
phoenix could feel the nerves in her brain begin to vibrate, and the invisible gears that powered the mental component of her pyrokinesis start to work on overdrive. she slowly raised her arms once again with her palms pointed at the z's, but no flames came out. instead, after a few more seconds of mental focus and will power, phoenix abruptly clenched both hands into fists. and in perfect synchronization with her action, all three z's heads exploded into bits and pieces of flaming flesh.
the limp bodies slumped to the ground with 'thuds', and phoenix's arms fell back to her sides. she felt accomplishment and satisfaction, but both mentally and physically, she was exhausted. the girl wore a tired and worn expression, and she heaved out a deep breath. a headache began to form, causing shooting pain in phoenix's temples.
"fuck all ya'll." she growled down at the smoking bodies that laid at her feet, before staggering off to the direction where 10k went. her feet felt like two cement blocks, and all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. or eat. she was really hungry.
•
phoenix really had no idea where tommy went off to or where the others could possibly be, but the sounds of distressed yelling from inside a section of the building gave her a hint of their location.
she staggered along the wall of the building, not caring much about stealth or how much noise she was making. if someone threatening showed up, she could just burn them where they stood, right? yeah. right.
as the shouting grew louder and clearer, it was obvious that whoever was yelling needed help.
"tommy!" phoenix hollered with concern evident in her voice, disregarding the fact that she would probably attract unneeded attention.
"phoenix!" a close voice called back, and the girl immediately recognized it as tommy's. "i'm over here!"
the 50% discovery of her boyfriend caused phoenix to put a little bit more pep in her step. her lumbered walking pace switched to more of an clumsy jog that caused her to skim her shoulder against the brick wall, and thankfully, her leather jacket prevented skin from being scraped.
phoenix turned on a corner, and was unexpectedly met with the dilemma that her boyfriend was trying to solve. she discovered that the shouting, along with the familiar groaning of zombies, was coming from behind a door that was blocked off by a huge wooden cross, which tommy was trying to move away so that whoever was in danger could get out.
the sniper turned his head to see his girlfriend, who he didn't notice yet was energy-deficient.
"help me out!" he groaned, barely managing to move the heavy-looking object over a foot.
phoenix rushed as fast as she could over to the struggling boy and moved next to him to grasp onto the cross's right arm, successfully helping him with moving it off to the side despite her physical state. she watched as he tugged open the door, and the disheveled forms of garnett, warren, and the rest of the group scrambled to pass through the entrance. 10k quickly shut the door behind the last person, blocking off the dozens of z's that clawed at the door.
"what the fuck happened in there?" phoenix slurred out, her change in voice and demeanor finally being noticed by tommy.
"it was a shitshow." addy gasped out, trying to catch her breath. "one of those freaks slit his throat and started a chain reaction."
"how do we get out of here?" garnett asked.
tommy forced himself to momentarily tear away his concerned gaze from phoenix and look to the group's leader.
"i've been using the roofs to move. the cult freaks are in the compound. armed." he answered.
"murphy?" warren asked.
"haven't seen him."
tommy finally had a chance to ask his girlfriend if she was okay, and why she looked so energy deficient. although he felt he already knew the answer, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt that the reason she was so lethargic was because she was protecting him.
"hey." the sniper slowed his pace next to phoenix as they began jogging along the building's wall. "are you okay?"
"yeah, never felt better!" she sounded drunk- her words came out barely coherent.
"no...i don't think you are." he frowned slightly, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder for support. it seemed like she'd stumble to the ground with a soft nudge.
"what're you talking about?" phoenix giggled like a child, softly shoving tommy away from her. "i feel splendid!"
tommy quickly shushed the girl, as her voice raised about ten octaves in only a few words. warren heard the commotion and glanced back at the two, confusedly narrowing her eyebrows at the fatigued teen. she slowed down next to tommy and leaned over to him.
"what's wrong with her?"
the boy sighed, furrowing his brows. "i don't know. she might've wasted all her energy killing a group of z's. i don't think she'll be able to use her powers at all."
"well keep an eye on her." warren suggested, but it seemed like more of a command. "i wouldn't want to lose her, and i'm damn sure you wouldn't either."
with that, she quickened her jog and moved up to her original position next to garnett.
"no. i wouldn't." he whispered, sadly looking down at his snickering girlfriend.
just as they began to turn around a corner, they were halted by an armed group of people, with their weapons pointed at them.
"greetings brothers and sisters." a man spoke. "the resurrection church welcomes you. please raise your hands to the heavens or i will resurrect you where you stand."
phoenix seemed to be knocked out of her exhausted daze, as the silly grin was wiped off her face. it was replaced by a defensive glare, and her hands trembled slightly. she expected the familiar warm sensation in her fingertips, or the buzzing of nerves in her brain, but was met with nothing but confusion and fright.
amidst her overwhelming wave of bewilderment, she didn't notice tommy softly tugging at her arm until he and cassandra were making a run for it. phoenix's eyes widened and she made a move to bolt after them, when several gunshots were fired in their direction. the bullets hit nothing but the ground and the brick wall, as they were already out of sight.
a quiet groan in the form of a growl bubbled in the girl's throat, as anger towards herself, her own stupidity, and cassandra began to fester within her.
"let them go." the man's voice broke phoenix away from her thoughts. "the resurrected will take care of them. the rest of you, come with us."
the armed men and women poked and prodded at the group with their guns to corral them like a bunch of sheep towards the open area with a cage filled with z's. their hands were tied behind their backs with zip ties, and were forced down on their knees. in front of them was a man in a white, flowing robe like one that a preacher would wear. except this man wasn't anything close to a preacher.
"the last of the resurrected have been secured." a man told the phony preacher, who nodded as one of his soldiers brought out a zombified joe.
"and those who died today have the honor of entering into grace ahead of us." the robed man began. "blessed is the path before them. blessed will their journey be. brothers and sisters, i know you have hate in your hearts right now and do not come willingly to this test of faith. but today, each of you will become part of the new resurrection church. you must choose how you are served. you may join the living flock and spend your days serving with the resurrected. or your should taking the next step on their journey to eternal life. the time has come for you to choose. join me and walk among the living, or follow this blasphemer who thought he could oppose the righteous and now walks among the dead. now don't feel sorrow for the major, brothers and sisters. although we stood against the man he was, we take joy in his choice to join the resurrected! blessed is the path before him!"
with the psychopath's last few words, phoenix attempted to free herself from her binds, but found that not even her hands could produce fire. the only thing that they created was sweat. panic grew in her chest, and her speeding heart hammered against her rib cage.
'where the hell is tommy?' she thought, glancing frantically around the area. her search for her boyfriend was interrupted, though, by garnett's angry voice.
"what choice?" he growled. "to live with you lunatics or die and become a zombie."
the preacher grinned, which sent chills down phoenix's spine. "i don't know your name, brother. but i welcome you to the resurrection church. with us you will know everlasting joy and peace."
"there was peace here." garnett retorted. "joe williams, that man you just killed, gave you peace. this was a good place. this was a safe place. and it can be again. it's not too late. put down your weapons. let's live the way that people are supposed to. helping one another, working together. let us free, we'll help you. the resurrected aren't any closer to god than you and i are."
"i envy you, brother." the sight of the preacher pulling out a blade and starting towards garnett began to trigger phoenix's protective instinct. "the time for you to walk among the resurrected is near."
suddenly, without even realizing her actions, the girl raised herself from the ground with lightning quick actions and propelled herself towards the madman. but phoenix's plan ultimately failed as a man forcefully rammed the butt of his gun into her temple. she slumped back down the ground with a soft thud and a pained groan. stabbing pain throbbed throughout her skull, and she clenched her teeth together to prevent any other noises of suffering from escaping her mouth.
the blow to the girl's head only worsened her physical and mental status, and she found herself ebbing in and out of what felt like unconsciousness.
it seemed as if warren had the same idea, as phoenix saw the woman's body on the ground through teary and blurry vision.
"i'm gonna kill you, you psychotic bastard." she heard warren angrily say.
"don't you worry, sister. you won't be far behind your charlie. rejoice as both of you will walk before me on the road to everlasting life."
the preacher had his blade pressed threateningly into garnett's throat, causing another wave of fury to crash onto phoenix.
"listen, jacob. kill me. resurrect me. but spare the others." garnett whispered so quietly, that phoenix could barely even hear his voice over the increasing ringing in her ears.
"don't be afraid, brother." jacob said. "i send you to a better place. blessed is the path before him! i am the new resurrection and the life. whoever believes in me, though they die, shall he live."
and then, just before father jacob could drag his blade across garnett's throat, murphy's bellowing voice called out with an echoing "stop!"
phoenix craned her neck around to see the man slowly making his way to the front of the zombie cage. the z's cleared a path for him, as if he was someone of high esteem. and the most surprising thing? the zombies didn't even dare attack murphy.
"if you think the resurrected are one step closer to heaven then prepare to meet your new god." murphy declared, opening his jacket to put his several zombie bites on display.
"come, brother." jacob urged as many gasps could be heard from his followers. "step away from the resurrected. that's no place for a mortal human. come join our flock. all are welcome."
murphy took his time with exiting the cage and closing the door behind him. "join your flock?" he scoffed. "i am not one of your resurrected. i'm your messiah."
phoenix had to swallow down the laugh that struggled to climb its way up her throat. a messiah? that's what murphy was calling himself now? what a joke. but it seemed like he had a plan, so she tried to take the situation more seriously.
"that's blasphemy, brother." jacob said, in a nearly scolding tone. "we can all see you're one of the living."
"eight times!" murphy exclaimed. "i was bitten and did not turn. eight times i was infected by their bloody saliva! and yet here i stand before you. and i am here to tell you that he is a false prophet! for i am the true incarnation of the resurrected!"
phoenix was silently cheering on murphy in her head, because whatever he was doing seemed like it had some effect on jacob's crew.
"kill the blasphemer." jacob ordered one of his men.
"but the bites, jacob."
"he is a false prophet!" jacob shrieked, like a kid who didn't get the toy he wanted.
"i can prove it! i can prove that my words are true." murphy said, taking one step forward.
"tell us, blasphemer. how can you possibly prove this outrageous lie?"
murphy turned to the cage and opened the door, tugging out the zombified joe. sticking his finger in the zombies mouth, he turned to look at the group with a defiant expression. "i'll show you. observe, ye of little faith."
the zombie simply stood there, not moving and not trying to take a bite out of murphy's finger.
"jesus." garnett breathed out.
"no," warren said. "just murphy."
"okay, that's enough of that." murphy quickly pulled his hand out of the z's gaping mouth and shoved it back into the cage. "the resurrected will not attack me because they love and fear me. behold my flock. there's my proof, brothers and sisters! now let us go, jacob, before my flock resurrects all of you."
the man from before turned to jacob. "jacob, what if he's speaking the truth?"
"he's no messiah, i'll prove it. there's one more test for you to pass, blasphemer." jacob pulled out a pistol. "a bullet to the heart will reveal the truth!"
"no!" warren yelled, standing up and ramming herself into jacob just as he fired the gun at murphy. the scene seemed to unfold in slow motion, as garnett threw himself in front of murphy, the bullet piercing his heart. phoenix's mouth fell open, and her heart felt like it dropped down to her stomach.
"no..." she gasped, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "no, no, no..."
another gunshot rang out, hitting jacob's shoulder. all the shouts and more gunshots sounded muffled to phoenix, as she incredulously gazed at garnett's limp and bleeding form. she barely noticed that murphy grabbed jacob's blade and used it to cut her and the other's zip ties. the girl remained on her knees for a few seconds, until she was snapped back to reality by the zombies that pooled out of the cage. instinctively, phoenix raised herself from the ground and saw warren kneel down next to garnett. her worried voice bounced and echoed around the walls of phoenix's brain, and she wanted to go over to them. but her legs felt like lead and she couldn't move, although her mind and thoughts were running a hundred miles a second. all she could do was watch as warren held garnett and sobbed. a zombie fell limp in front of phoenix, but she didn't even notice it. neither did she notice the tears streaming down her face.
"phoenix, come on!" tommy yelled, grabbing his girlfriend's forearm and tugging her along behind him. the teen's legs moved along, but her brain seemed to go from working on overdrive to being put on pause.
tommy pulled her towards the truck, and she felt herself climbing into the bed and sitting beside him on the edge. she started blankly ahead, and her tears dried against her cheeks. the vehicle began moving, and tommy wrapped his arm around her comfortingly, pressing a small but lingering kiss on the top of her head. she moved closer to him and leaned into his warmth, clenching her eyes shut as she felt another series of tears begin to gather in her tear ducts.
warren shouted for the driver to stop the truck, so they did. the woman exited the truck and slammed the door behind her. walking over to tommy, and grabbed the sniper rifle out of his hands and aimed it towards the compound.
"charles garnett, i give you mercy." she pulled the trigger, and the zombified garnett fell to the ground. another shot, which hit jacob in the heart.
good. he deserves to rot.
phoenix sniffled softly as warren handed back tommy's gun, and the truck resumed its journey down the road.
'rest in peace, charlie.' the girl sadly thought. 'you'll be missed.'