The sun was beginning to set over the hills behind Haven as Hobbs helped me out through the front door. The bonds still held my feet together, so I steadied myself against Hobbs' arm as I️ shuffled to the edge of the porch. The air was hot and humid, but a cool breeze kissed my skin and eased the discomfort. Purple-flowered shrubs lined the porch wall and ran along a low fence that enclosed a small garden. The shrubs swayed in the wind, bathing me in their wonderful aroma.
"Parker may have been a hothead at times, but what a green thumb. When he was tending to his plants, he seemed at peace," Hobbs said.
"They're beautiful," I whispered. "Lilacs?"
He nodded. "Yeah. We each had our own way of dealing with the reality of life after the bombs—this was his," Hobbs replied quietly. "Come on. Steady as you go." He stepped down onto the stairs.
I watched the flowers for a moment, drinking in the scene before hopping down a step and following Hobbs' lead down the rest. When we hit the cement walkway, Doc appeared, walking along the narrow path towards us. A large, white, windowless van sat just outside the gate with a handful of armed men encircling it. Toro towered over the yellow muscle car that had brought us here; he leaned against the side, picking at his nails with my Sai.
"Your chariot awaits, my dear!" Doc said cheerfully, waving towards the van. "I️ do apologize for the—" he motioned at my hand wrapped up in the towel, "—injury to your hand. I lost my temper and fear I may have doomed you for your future...shall we say, cleansing?" He pursed his lips and rubbed his chin.
I️ looked to Hobbs; he kept his eyes towards the ground, avoiding Doc's gaze.
Doc smacked his own hand. "Look at me, giving spoilers away before the big reveal! How gauche."
Only the flowers swaying in the wind moved. Hobbs and I️ stayed perfectly still as Doc clapped his hands together. "Hobbs, so glad you'll be making the trip with us," Doc said, coming up and laying a hand on Hobbs' shoulder.
What was left of Hobbs' color evaporated. I could feel his hand begin to shake against mine underneath the towel.
"W-why do you need me to go? Shouldn't I stay here to make sure Haven's people—"
"Let me just stop you right there, Hobbs," Doc said. "I've got my own men here that will let me know if you are needed back, don't you worry. Like I told you before, the people here are still unaware of our presence. Scott here—" he pointed to a man outside the gate. He looked familiar, for some reason, but I couldn't place him, "—is...well, was, Parker's right-hand man. One of my best! He has the people of Haven's trust and will make it his top priority to keep them safe."
"And about Parker's disappearance?" Hobbs asked.
"It's a rough world outside these gates...isn't it?" Doc said, shrugging.
Hobbs sighed and reluctantly nodded.
"Good man," Doc said. "Now then..."
There was a click and Doc's other hand was no longer empty but was now holding a large pocketknife.
Hobbs' eyes went wide, "Doc, you just said—"
"What?" Doc looked to the knife. "Oh, this?" He threw his head back and laughed. "Easy, Hobbs. This is just so Phoenix doesn't have to do anymore hopping around."
They both turned to me, and, in turn, I looked at my feet. When I looked up, Doc was standing in front of me.
"May I️?" he asked, grinning and waving towards the ground.
My legs spasmed; it felt as if I️ was fighting against my own limbs, like a caged animal getting ready to be released from its imprisonment. Muscle memory identified this fucking maniac as a threat, and my lower extremities wanted to do bodily harm to the target in front of them.
I gave a slight nod, and Doc bent down and cut the tape around my ankles.
"There you are," he said, pocketing the knife and coming to stand at my side. "Hobbs, you'll ride ahead with Toro. We have a few people that need to be evaluated before the festivities, and I want to make sure everyone is in tip-top shape!" He put his hands out over the towel. "I'll make sure to keep adequate pressure so that the bleeding stops."
Hobbs' eyes darted between mine, Doc's, and the towel a few times before he finally spoke. "W-where are we going?"
I cringed as Doc and Hobbs' hands switched, with only the fabric of the towel separating us.
"Why, Phoenix can answer that!" Doc exclaimed, smiling at me, his fangs uncomfortably close to my face.
I blinked. "I can?"
He lowered his brows, pouting his lips. "Of course!" He put a hand on my shoulder and looked off into the distance. "Haven't you figured it out yet? We're going back to where it all began."
I turned to Hobbs, who looked exactly how I️ felt: confused and horrified.
Doc looked back to us and sighed. "Oh, come on, it's not fun when I️ have to spell everything out for you!" He let go of my shoulder and stood in front of me, pointing again. "What's that way?"
"Uh...west?" Hobbs replied.
"Correct!"
That is not the way home.... My eyes shot to where they were looking. "No..." I️ whispered.
Oh yes, he will take you farther away from your precious home, the demon spoke.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. The slithery voice dissipated, but when I opened my eyes, Doc was staring at me with a look of curiosity.
"Interesting," he mumbled.
There was an uncomfortable silence that lingered. Doc continued staring at me until Hobbs cleared his throat.
"So, what is out west?"
"Tell him, Phoenix." Doc moved over to Hobbs. "Think long and hard. Get it wrong, and Toro will break one of Hobbs' knees."
Hobbs gasped. "B-but you said I'm useful!"
"I️ didn't say I was going to kill you, Hobbs," Doc snapped back, gripping Hobbs' left arm and drawing him close. "You're perfectly capable caring for people with one good leg."
My body reacted then, and there was nothing my brain could do to stop it. My left foot shifted, moving behind me, while my right foot slid forward. I️ took my injured left hand from Doc's grasp and held it against my body and put my right hand up near my chest. I️ felt myself begin to bounce on the balls of my feet...but simultaneously I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Doc's men casually walking up the pathway, weapons leveled at my chest.
Doc laughed. "Now we're talking!" He twisted Hobbs' arm and Hobbs yelped. "There's fire in you yet, isn't there, Phoenix. Come on, show me the girl, no, the woman, who took out the Vamps. The woman who killed my sons! Let me see her!" When his men continued to come forward, he turned to them and roared, "Any of you fire a bullet, I will kill you myself!"
They stopped and lowered their rifles immediately.
Doc growled and turned back to me; the diabolical gleam in his eye was brighter than ever. "You want to rip me apart, don't you? Just like you did my sons." He yanked Hobbs' arm again. "Do it," he hissed, beckoning me forward.
For whatever reason, an image of Parker exploded into my head. I saw him, clear as day, inside Nate's house when I first met him. "I bet you haven't killed anyone along your peaceful travels either, huh? Just an angel passing through...pass through northern Texas at all?"
I stopped bouncing on my feet and dropped my hand to my side. The fight fizzled out of me; Parker's voice boomed inside my mind with the answer to Doc's question.
I tilted my head and said, "Amarillo."
Doc blinked, as if he was coming out of a trance. His demeanor once again shifted; the bloodthirsty, maniacal features were replaced by an almost warm smile that erupted onto his face.
He let go of Hobbs' arm and clapped. "Ha! See, boys?" he said over his shoulder to his men, "She was able to disarm me—" Doc looked down at Hobbs, who was rubbing his arm furiously, "—no pun intended, Hobbs. She was able to completely dissolve the situation by quenching my appetite for causing Hobbs here pain by simply providing me with the truth I was seeking." He wagged a finger at me. "All without further putting herself at risk of physical retribution! Well...for now, at least."
Doc bent down and helped Hobbs up.
"Now Hobbs, run along and get to—" he looked at me and winked, "—Amarillo. Toro will tell you everything on the way."
Hobbs looked back to me, his eyes full of uncertainty. "I'll see you soon, Phoenix," he said.
Doc shooed him away. "Yes, yes. Get going."
Hobbs kept his head down as he walked away. I️ watched him until he disappeared into Toro's car and the vehicle screeched down the road as they vanished out of Haven's front gate.
"He's a good man," Doc said, nodding at the vapor of dirt the car kicked up. "I️ didn't want him to witness what happens next."
My head snapped towards Doc. "What do you mean?"
Doc snapped his fingers, and the men remaining within Parker's front yard fell in around us. Doc took me by the arm, squeezing it gently and leading me towards the van. He pressed his lips together and frowned. "I️ may have been a bit...untruthful to poor Hobbs."
We got to the rear of the van and two of Doc's men opened the back doors. There were two benches, along either side of the back, like a police vehicle. Both of Doc's men jumped in, scooting towards the front.
Doc stopped me and held my injured hand in both of his. "You'll have to keep pressure on this yourself or ask one of these fine gentlemen for assistance."
His men chuckled, and all but one, the man he referred to as Parker's second, Scott, entered the van. I still couldn't place him, but I knew I'd seen him somewhere before. Before I️ could dwell on it any longer, Doc looked towards Parker's house and took a long, deep breath.
"I️ rather enjoyed this place, Scott," he said, nodding and smiling approvingly. "Everything is prepared?"
"Yes, Doc. All the crops have been harvested and are on their way to the Quarry. By my estimation, there is enough to last us at least six to eight months."
"Good." Doc raised an eyebrow, "And my special cargo?"
Scott reached behind him, pulling a small clipboard out. "One hundred and sixty-eight people were loaded up in the trucks and taken to the Quarry as well," he tapped the top of the clipboard with the pen he was holding, "leaving a little over hundred people here, just like you asked."
My stomach dropped. Doc wanted me to hear this. Wanted me to know what he was planning.
Oh, I can't wait to hear what's in store for who is left here.... The demon's voice sent a cold tingle down my back, like a finger was slowly caressing my spine; there was something very dark and ominous about Scott's words.
Doc looked to me and said, "I love it when that is said to me: 'just like you asked.'" He held a hand out and waved towards the van. "In you go."
I️ hesitated and looked back at Parker's house, to the lilacs still swaying beautifully in the wind, the numerous houses in the distance, the smoke billowing into the dusk—
My eyes widened and my nostrils flared at the smell of something burning, and within seconds, my ears were assaulted by the wails of people in the distance, crying out in terror.
"No!" I screamed.
My hands shot forward, my injury and safety forgotten as I reached for Doc's throat. But I was flung backwards into the van as both of his men inside grabbed me from behind. Doc reached for the van's doors, standing and grinning with sheer evil radiating from him. He didn't say a word, just slowly shut the doors as I watched the smoke and flames rise behind him as Haven began to burn.