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

my house." She vaguely pointed a finger at the ladder, and then
up toward the window. The man blinked heavily behind a pair of thick goggles
before chuckling, a light and casual response that did little to make Natalie
any more comfortable with the situation. His mouth and nose were covered with a
heavy cloth that appeared to have flecks of dark red spattered across it. She
didn't have to guess at what left the stains.
        Noting
her eyes fixated on the bloody sash around his mouth, the stranger reached up
and pulled it down so she could better see his face. To Natalie's surprise, he
was remarkably clean, with short-cropped black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee
of matching color. If she had to guess, he was in his mid-20s, maybe a year or
two older than Natalie herself.
        His
rifle dipped as he leaned back around the side of the house,
calling out in a low voice, " Eh, g uys. Not
a zombie. Actually found somebody alive out here after all." Having alerted
the rest of his gang to her presence, he returned his attention back to Natalie
and seemed to size up her appearance.
        She
didn't imagine she made the greatest first impression. She hadn't been able to
clean the filthy muck off herself as well as she'd have
liked, and with her swim goggles pushed back on her forehead combined with the
downright gnarly looking crowbar at her hip, she suspected he had more reason
to be wary of her than the other way around.
        "You,
uh... well shit, I guess there's no point in mincing words. You sane? You look
crazy, but I guess the world could do that to a person these days." He
said it with a hint of a smile on his lips, but his rifle had swiveled up just
enough to show it was a serious question.
        While
he finished speaking, two more men with matching gear came around the corner to
meet him. The guy who had found her first was clearly the youngest, with the
others each being a decade older than him at the least. Of the two newcomers,
one of them might have been the younger man's older brother, with matching hair
color and the same rich caramel skin tone. The last was significantly more
calloused, a bear of a man who looked like he'd made a living of going through
Hell. The leader, if she had to guess.
        Natalie
wasn't particularly fond of finding herself in the company of strangers, but
considering she was outnumbered and outgunned, she decided it was best to go
along with it.
        "Probably
not crazy, but definitely not a threat. If you guys want supplies, the houses
around here should have some, and I'm pretty confident they're clear."
Given that she was not in a position to fight if it came down to that, Natalie
hoped that maybe the promise of free spoils in the homes around her would
convince the strangers that she wasn’t worth their time. With her fingers
locked in a death-grip over her crowbar, she glanced at each of them in turn,
trying to get a handle on their intentions.
        They
looked professional, if that meant anything anymore, and the expressions on their
faces suggested they had approached her more out of caution than a hunger for
trouble. The one she believed to be the older brother spoke next. "You're
out here alone?"
        Natalie
was smart enough to know that was a dangerous question. She knew that when
somebody asks if you're alone, you never say yes. That's the universal trigger
for inviting bad news into your life.
        Unfortunately,
her hesitation in answering seemed to be enough for the men to confirm their
suspicions. The youngest shook his head with a dramatic sigh, releasing his
rifle and allowing it to swing back on its strap as he raised his hands in a
sign of peace.
        "Look,
you're scared, we're armed, I get that. But hey, believe it or not, we don't
wanna kill ya.” His wording drew a wince from his maybe-relative, and a deep
rumble of disapproval from the giant behind him. It didn’t seem to have any
impact on the young man, as he was either