And The Heavens Fell Silent by Maria Louise (beach read TXT) 📖

my heart skip a beat. His expression told me what his words did not.

     Hope and thankfulness was what he clearly felt. He was no longer lost in this dark abyss that people called a world.

     This was how we drifted to sleep. Face to face. Taking comfort in each others closeness. Sharing silent whispers. Speaking, yet not saying anything.

                                                                    *

  

Fire drenched my body in its burning depths. So much pain that is was almost pleasure. I knew I was burning alive, my skin melting off my body, but I could not help the moan that escaped from my lips at the tingling pain that consumed me entirely.

     A large bird flew at me, the color of fire. It was a phoenix I realized in awe, the bird of legends...

     The bird became closer, I could feel heat radiating off of it, yet I had no fear. The great phoenix changed. It’s feathers darkened, becoming black as night, its eyes shone hungrily, its long curved beak had red hair hanging from it. My hair. The bird was now a raven, the scavenger of death.

      I woke up reluctantly to Whiskey standing above us. I was curled up against Phoenixes chest his arms wrapped around me, his face peaceful and childlike. He was the cause of my burning body, sweating and restless with pain.

     “Wake up ladies!” Whiskey demanded while kicking Phoenix in the back for good measure. “We’ve got company.” 

     Her words instantly awoke me. A fierce clarity washed throughout my mind as if ice cold water had been dumped on me.

     I quickly pried Phoenixes fingers off of me in disgust and sprang to my feet.

     “Waaa?” Phoenix slurred incoherently.

     “Who's our company?” I asked cutting to the case, in no mood to make small talk. If it was my “father” I would march right up to him and demand answers. After not eating and being on the run for days, whoever our company was, they were good as dead. I was, least to say, not in the brightest of moods. I wasn't even a morning person when I was not starving and running for my life.

     Phoenix, however, sat up from the cold, hard, ground with a mile wide lazy smile on his face, acting as though he had the best nights sleep ever.

     When Phoenix looked up at us with the fool smile, two pairs of eyes looked down at him glaring.

     Phoenix cringed. So he knew what a glare was after all.

     “I will, uh, just go back to sleep then.” he said hesitantly and started to lay back down.

     “Oh no you don’t, Pretty boy! We gotta get our asses out of here!” Whiskey ordered and pulled him roughly to his feet.

     I was instantly aware of his chiseled nakedness. I felt a shock wave go through my body and I had to take a deep breath before gaining control of my wandering mind.

     I made a mental note to find him some clothes as soon as possible.

     “Who’s our company?” I asked again, trying to take my mind off of Phoenixes exposed flesh.

     “I’ll show ya.” Whiskey said shortly and started walking out of the tiny forest. 

     Did I even want to know?

     The second I stepped out of the cluster of trees a white horse head was thrust into my gut, knocking the wind out of my and sending me to my butt. Hosanna looked down at me, I swear, with a look of betrayal. I tried to get back up but with a flick of Hosannas head he nudged me back down.

     “Okay, I’m sorry boy.” I told him while scratching behind his ear, bribing him to forgive me.

     “Looks as tho’ yo horse don't like bein’ left alone.” Whiskey snickered. Still laughing she walked towards the black mare whom she untied from a tree. She grabbed a hand full of lush black main and swung on. Or tried to swing on. Before she even wrapped her leg around the mare's back, the horse turned her head around and bit Whiskey on her rump.

     “Looks like your horse doesn't like to be touched.” I teased back. Whiskey rubbed her butt and glared at me.

     “Damned mare!” Whiskey spat. “You ‘bout as dumb as Phoenix! Know one messes wit meh!” and with that she backed up then ran at the horse and jumped on be for the mare could bite her again.

     Whiskey smiled triumphantly. The mare hung her head low with ears flat on her head in defeat and annoyance.

     “Next time” Whiskey informed the black mare,“I’ll bite ya back.”

     “I really do not enjoy her company.” Phoenix whispered behind me. I whispered back rolling my eyes, “Well, if it helps, I don't think she likes you much either.”

     I then wrapped my arms around Hosannas neck and this time he forgave me and helped lift me upwards.

      I notice smiling, Hosannas ears were still pinned back in annoyance though.

     “You're not in the brightest of moods are you boy?” I asked and kissed his soft mussel. Hosanna snorted in response and bumped me in the face with bony head.

     “Bad boy, Hosanna!” I reprimanded, feeling a headache coming on. “You’d better watch it buddy because I’m not in the brightest of moods either!”

     I glared at my ornery horse and he flattened his ears back even further.

     “You better be good Hosanna, she was not teasing about being in a sour mood.” Phoenix told Hosanna rubbing his face, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

    A sudden urge to hit Phoenix flared in my veins but I quickly subsided it. I had never physically abused anyone and I did not want to start now. My anger was not easily conquered though, so instead I contemplated a new plan. I thought about how crazy Hosanna could be when riding him when he was grumpy.

     “Hey, Phoenix?” I asked wickedly. “How about you get on him first and ride in front this time.”

     Phoenix looked delighted about this and I felt a little pang of regret. A very little pang. Like tiny. Ant sized, really.

     Phoenix jumped up on Hosanna like he was born riding horses, Hosanna didn't even bite him.

     I wondered how uncomfortable it must have felt to ride in the nude...

     Grumbling to myself I hopped on behind Phoenix.

     Abruptly, Hosanna started wildly bucking, sending me flying off. Phoenix, however, had the better advantage and stayed on because he had both hands wrapped in Hosannas mane.

     “Betrayer!” I shouted heatedly at Hosanna while getting up off the slimy ground.

     Hosanna whinnied in a high pitched squeal that I swear was a laugh.

     Phoenix and Whiskey were both laughing hysterically as I jumped back on Hosanna whom was now acting like a angel.

     “Wolf food.” I threatened Hosanna. “If you do one more thing I’m feeding you to the wolves.”

     Hosanna gave a little jump, forcing me to hold onto Phoenixes waist. A burst of heat flared where our bodies met.

     Betrayer.

     At that moment I did not know who I disliked more. Hosanna who forced me to grab Phoenix or Phoenix who set my body aflame.

     After a couple minutes of riding, when my anger was cooling, I started to feel guilty. I am a rotten person in the morning.

     I was stroking Hosannas side, silently telling him I was sorry when I felt Phoenix pat my thigh, getting my attention.

     “What is i-” I broke off mid sentence and gazed across the valley in the direction of the City of Ruins. I was divided between two emotions. Building terror and stunned awe.

     There was a vast army of thousands moving towards us through the mud. They were far enough away so that I could not make out any details. The only reason I could see them was because of their unbelievable numbers.

     I knew in my heart that the army was driven by evil. It was not because of the way the gray sun fell across the great mass of bodies in a dead looking shadow, giving them the appearance of being blood stained. It was not the inhuman way they crawled, nor the smell of decay that wafted from them with the breeze. It was a gut instinct. A feeling that called to me, drawing me towards its dark power.

     That was how I knew the army was wicked. Because somewhere not that deep down, I wanted to join them.

Whiskey

 

Don’t jump on a man unless he's down-Finley Peter Dunne

Gazing upon the vast army again made my rage boil over until I was left as jumpy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. They were the creatures that devoured my tribe! I wanted to run at them and slaughter as many as I could, but I was a logical thinker and knew I would be dead before I even killed one. And plus, there was only one I really wanted to kill. The beautiful black haired man with eyes as red as blood and a soul even more wicked than my own. The man who murdered my father and mother. I had to control my blood lust and wait for the right time to strike.

     “That,” I said to Yram. “Is our company.”

     The blood in Yram’s face drained and she was chewing her lip again. A nervous habit I suppose.

     “We’d best be off. Unless o’ couse you’d like to invite them for a nice cup o’tea?” I asked humoring her.

     “Where do you think they are going?” Phoenix wondered in awe, ignoring my sarcasm.

     “Well, no place I’d like to be dat’s for sure!” I said. But I honestly had no clue. They were probably going to wipe out a christian colony, but that was a lot of creatures and I didn't believe there were that many Christians left, was there? With an army that great they had to have a large sum of people going up against them.

     “I know where they are going.” Yram said shockingly. “I should have known all along, but I guess it just seemed impossible.”

     “Where?” Phoenix urged, believing her completely. I on the other had was suspicious of her new found knowledge.

     Yram took a slow breath. “They are going to Zion, a type of christian colony...and we are leading them to it.”

      Ah, so now knew where we were heading. What Yram told me did make since. It was what I was thinking all along. Though I hated the the God of creation with a passion, I had a hatred even stronger then my deep embedded despise for him. I hated the savage beasts that killed my tribe. If we were leading the army to a colony, that meant war against the creatures, a perfect opportunity to kill them. Frankly, I did not care if it was a colony of lesbian nudists we were going to, I would fight by their side all the same.

     “Then what’r’ we waitin’ for?” I asked Yram. “Lead the way, Li’ll Red! Lets start this war!”

     Yram looked agasp as she said, “No! What