The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire Read Online Free PDF Page A

the time. It wasn't until
after she finished the job that she realized how much of the day had
disappeared. She'd dug one hole for both bodies, thinking it would be fitting
for father and daughter to be interred together. There was no wood to make a
cross, but she was able to find a handful of wildflowers to place on their
grave.
        It
wasn't much, but it was all she had. Natalie was the only person who would ever
know this story, and she was content to put it to rest. They may have died, but
at least they were together now. That had to count for something.
        "I'm
sorry. I wish there was more I could do." The wind was whistling, and the
sun had started to go down. It had been a long day. Resting beside the mound of
freshly piled dirt, Natalie continued to talk aloud.
         "I
don't know if you can hear me. I've never really been one to believe in a
higher power, but it feels good to think that maybe you can. I just wanted to
tell you, I'm sorry about your daughter." At this, Natalie bit her lip.
Guilt had been gnawing at her for some time now about her part in his suicide.
        "I'm
sorry I didn't help you. I was just afraid. I didn't think I could do anything,
so I stayed inside. Maybe I could have made a difference. Maybe I would have
gotten myself killed. I can't take it back now, but I am sorry that this
happened the way it did." Her words trailed off, and she felt tears slip
down her face. It had been such a long time since she'd let herself cry, she'd
almost forgotten what it felt like.
        She
was frustrated, with herself and with the man whose name she had never known.
It felt like there were a thousand things she wanted to say, and no idea how to
start with any of them.
        Feeling
at a loss for words and exhausted from her day, she crawled back into the house to rest . The
smell coming from the mess she'd left in the living room was revolting , and both of the bedrooms upstairs felt
alien to her. Sleep in a dead girl's room, or sleep in the room her father shot
himself in. She settled on using a couch in the adjacent den, removed from the rest of the memories attached to this place.
        As
she was starting to get comfortable, her heart sank. Her journal was in the
other house. She knew there was almost no chance that anything would happen to
it, but going to sleep without it made her nervous.
        It
was still light enough to see, and it would only take her a minute to retrieve
it. She decided it was best to go now, then come back to sleep. Besides that,
it reminded her that she needed to pull the ladder inside when she wasn't using
it. She'd have to remember to do that when she returned.
        Finding
herself outside once again, Natalie couldn't help but notice that the little
cul-de-sac still looked cheery and unspoiled in the waning daylight. Jogging
across the street and up the driveway, she could almost forget all that had
happened, if it wasn't for the heavy silence that blanketed everything.
        The
world was never this quiet in the old days. Now, it was as if every creature in
nature knew that breathing too loudly could bring monsters crashing down around
you.
        Moving
as quickly as she could, she bounded through the broken entryway and up the
stairs to her old room. She grabbed her journal and was back at her new home
within moments. Digging through her backpack as a last thought to confirm she
had everything she needed, Natalie briefly glanced up from her work and found
herself face-to-face with a man who had just rounded the corner nearest her.
        Her
attention snapped neatly to his rifle, a serious piece of work complete with a
well-used bayonet, which was leveled squarely at her chest. The look of confusion on his face matched the one on her own. Apparently she
wasn't what he was expecting to find. Natalie was talking before she realized
it.
        "Woah
now, easy buddy. I'm human, and I'm not out to hurt anybody. I'm just getting
back into