Page 62 of Redemption (Devil Dogs of the Apocalypse #4)

Dare

Last year...

“Good morning to you, good sir!” David announces as he walks excitedly towards me. “How’re you feeling?”

“Feeling good.” It was the truth. Being part of the community felt good.

Being able to help those who were mentally in a bad place felt good.

Along with my leg, I was healing. Both physically and mentally.

I felt better than I had since before the hordes took over.

My soul felt lighter, probably because I had a purpose again.

My life held meaning in the aftermath of the contagion.

But I wasn’t whole.

Something was missing.

I was a Marine for years. Fighting was a part of what made me.

.. me. Phoenix Rising held opportunities to join their security details but, after what occurred during my earlier days here, David was reluctant to give me a weapon.

It was fine, though. Especially when all I wanted to do was stand on the barricade and shoot deadheads all day until the zombie threat was completely eradicated from the face of the earth.

While it seemed a potentially efficient way to combat the influx, that line of thinking didn’t exactly bode well for a person on the brink of a mental breakdown.

Not when I could have turned the very same weapon I was using to protect the community on the individuals residing within.

The job I was assigned to wasn’t what I wanted.

But it was what I needed.

While it may not seem like it, helping people heal after they were welcomed into the community was a decent substitution for wanting to slaughter everything in my path.

It forced me to slow down and reflect, not only on my own setbacks and bouts of depression, but also on the world in general.

On how the remaining population needed to regress in order to survive.

With the electrical grid offline and pump-fed water lines running dry, we, as a people, had to start over and rely on practices that haven’t needed to be used in over a hundred years, reverting to a simpler time of community and camaraderie.

The simplicity I’ve since surrounded myself with gave me the chance to reset.

To realize that death wasn’t my only option.

That these people rely on me, even if it’s just for a short chat over a cup of poorly brewed coffee.

But now, after months of progress and mental clarity, learning the ins and outs of Phoenix Rising, and finding my place amongst its people, I’m finally being recognized as one of the top members of the community.

And, as such, they’re giving me a chance at a new position on their security team, tasked with not only keeping the residents and the town safe, but also to go on field ops in search of other survivors as well as any remaining supplies scattered amidst the surrounding towns.

I can’t wait.

“Wonderful! Because we’re gonna need your strong back more than ever today.” David smacks his palm against my shoulder blade, patting the area with barely contained enthusiasm. “It’s Ascension Day, after all!”

“Ascension Day?” I ask, genuinely curious and eager to learn more.

“The day we call forth a select few members—ones we deem fit and trustworthy of the promotion—to solidify themselves within our inner sanctum. That includes you and a handful of others who will go through a set of trials to make sure you are worthy to help run this here community. Think of it as a test for upper management or rank, if you will. You were in the Marines, were you not?”

“Yes, sir. For far too long, if you ask me,” I respond, laughing and bantering back and forth as he leads me through the cornfields.

At the far end, hidden deep in the back forty, there’s a cluster of massive, two-story, barn-like structures I’ve never been allowed into.

To be honest, I didn’t even know these were back here; the outer walls were painted with such intricate detail that they blended in with the woodland backdrop, camouflaged to the point of precision.

In addition, not only are they well concealed from prying eyes, but each is heavily fortified with security personnel.

Even the doors are reinforced, utilizing heavy steel with impressive locking mechanisms rather than the usual wooden entries one would expect on a barn.

It almost looks like what you would imagine a nuclear bunker to look like.

.. only above ground. Despite my excitement at a chance to elevate my rank and status amongst the community, I can’t help but wonder what the hell kind of secrets they’re keeping in there.

Undeterred by my obvious gawking, David walks us over to one of the buildings.

“Ain’t that the truth. Well now, shall we begin?

” He instructs me to cover my face as we step up to the doors, cueing one of the security guards to lift the latch and open it for us.

Upon entering, my hands instantly lift in front of me.

Despite the candles neatly placed throughout the room, it’s still dark.

I can hardly see anything. Minutes pass and I let my eyes adjust, but when I’m finally able to focus on what’s right there in front of me, my whole world turns upside down.

“What the fuck?”

“Ah, ah, ah. Language, my good sir,” David admonishes me.

“We are in the presence of the more delicate sex, after all. We need to remain gentle with them.” He turns to the women, shackled and caged, wall to wall, filling the entire back half of the room.

“Ladies, it’s your lucky night. Allow me to introduce you to someone.

” He indicates to me. “This lovely, handsome, virile, young gentleman will be attending the Ascension ceremony this evening.”

Their pale faces peek out from behind the metal bars, sunken eyes and gaunt collarbones shaded in the soft lighting. They’re clothed but just barely, with many only wearing a nightgown or a dress that has seen better days, torn and tattered from overuse and filth.

David walks over to a cabinet, the women’s eyes all tracking him as he makes his way across the room.

His polished shoes click on the concrete flooring with each step, echoing in the otherwise empty and cavernous room.

Opening the door, he gathers a few loaves of bread before throwing them in each cage as he passes by.

The women leap at the food, pawing at the inadequate loaves as they hit the ground before devouring them in seconds.

Starving.

These women are starving.

“Ascension is a day of rejoicing. A day of community. A day of... fertility.” He turns to face the restless eyes at the center.

“If we are worthy, some of you may bring the hope of a coming future, to rekindle the fire this tainted world almost vanquished entirely, and bring about a new beginning. This... is Phoenix Rising. This... is our purpose. Eat well, ladies, for tonight, your purpose comes to its fruition.” He smiles down at them, huddled on the floor of their wretched lives, hidden from all the world to see.

.. except for those inducted into the sacred inner sanctum.

Where I’m about to be inducted into...

“Right then.” He turns away from the women and sets his gaze upon mine. “Let’s get you prepared for this evening’s festivities. I guarantee, it'll be a night to remember. And, hopefully, one of great reward for all.”

∞∞∞

After his... presentation, I’m taken to a dimly lit back room in the same building and given a locker.

Inside, it contained a set of clothing I was instructed to change into—all of the same color—including a full-face ski mask.

I take a moment to look around at the others gathered in the small room with me.

Each of them has a similar set of clothes, only of a different color.

Unique yet similar in our burden.

Still perplexed by the entire turn of events, I say nothing and just do as I was told, putting the items on one piece at a time.

After David’s speech, I had a theory as to what was about to occur beyond these four walls but dreaded saying it.

The thought of such a thing existing disgusted me enough that I was on the verge of vomiting.

And to have it happening right under my nose.

Under everyone’s noses....

Disgusting. Despicable. Deplorable.

It all happens so quickly. Once we finish getting dressed, our group is immediately ushered out to a main viewing hall. At least a dozen others are present, cloaked in heavy, black robes, and lurking amidst the dark shadows of the building’s inner perimeter. The only places illuminated are...

My breath catches at the scene laid out before me: several low-rise tables draped in black linens form a line with women on their hands and knees positioned on the tops of each—not a stitch of clothing on any one of them—their backsides elevated for all those hiding in the shadows to see.

My vision turns red, fists clenched at my sides. I can’t believe I broke bread with these bastards.

My gasp, however, is taken for excitement, as David turns a gleeful look in my direction and then towards the rest of those gathered around me.

“Gentlemen, take your positions.” He looks to the man in front of me, dressed in nothing but army green sweats and a matching ski mask.

“Mr. Green, if you would be so kind as to take the place in front of this altar.” He moves to a marked space in front of a red-headed woman, already quietly crying.

“Yes, perfect. The rest of you, please fall in line with your designated areas. Once everyone’s situated, we can begin. ”

Stunned, we walk as a unit. The designated spaces are obvious as I find a matching square painted on the floor directly in front of one of the tables. In front of a woman who’s obviously scared out of her mind... on the... on the...

I refuse to call it an altar. These women are not sacrifices, and this place is the farthest thing from a house of religion.

Cult? Yes.

Religion? No.