The Phoenix Society

Chapter 4

I shuffled my body through the bustling streets, weaving in and out of the groups of people. The sun created a small cast of bright orange and reds as it was just beginning to rise over the tall skyscrapers. The morning air bit at my nose and cheeks making them sting. As I reached the end of the block, I stopped waiting for the light to change so I could cross safely. As much as I tried, I could not get those images out of my head. It made me sick to think that he did this. I knew before Banks had even said his name. I had seen him do it before. Monroe was known for his cruelty; it was how he kept us all working for him. None of us wanted to be his next target.

My body shifted as I stuffed my now freezing hands into the pockets of my jacket. The light switched and I took a step forward as the people surrounding me did the same. What I didn't understand was why he was killing again. It didn't make sense to me. He always said that killing someone was an unnecessary risk. There were too many things that could go wrong. So why was he risking it now? My feet stopped moving as I reached my destination. For a minute I stood there, questioning if I wanted to enter or not. I stood in front of the now deserted ally still crossed off by yellow police tape. I had to see if they left anything behind, any clues that could tell me where they were keeping my brother. I sighed taking a glance around me, then my body ducked beneath the tape as I entered the ally.

"That body better not be there." I spoke to myself. While I had been exposed to my fair share of obscenities while apart of the Phoenix Society, I'm not sure I would ever be ready to see a body that disfigured.

As I reached an opening in the ally, I gazed around. To the normal eye, it looked like any old, regular ally. Two large trash bins on one side followed by a pile of trash bags. My eyes studied the ground. Two feet in front of me lay a pile of dirt darker then the rest. The closer I looked, I could tell it was tainted with a deep red. On top of the dirt lay little pink, grey specks that I couldn't quite make out. My gaze went up, following the directional flow of the bloodied dirt, landing on the brick wall on the other side of the ally. I scrunched my nose as I found more specks.

Then the realization hit, I knew exactly what that was. I recalled the images, her face completely blown in. I quickly turned away as the bile rose in my throat. Now looking back at the ground, I noticed two different sets of footprints. One was larger, more heavy, and set further apart between each step, while the other was smaller and more delicate, belonging to someone younger.

"No, Lake, no..." I muttered, frowning at the possibility of the footprint belonging to my brother.

"You know its against the law to interfere with a federal investigation." A familiar voice said behind me. I silently scolded myself, I had been so distracted looking at the footprints that I didn't even hear them come up behind me. I turned facing them.

"Who says I'm interfering?" I crossed my arms. Banks and Elias stood at the opposite end of the ally, near the bloodied dirt. "Are you following me now?"

Banks chuckled, "Not hardly. It was only a matter of time before you came here. I knew you couldn't keep yourself away."

"Well, my answer stays the same." I told him as I bent back down examining the footprints.

"I was afraid you might say that." I heard the dirt shift as Banks took a step toward me. "I'm not asking anymore. Kya, you're going to come with us."

I scoffed as I stood back up facing them. "That's not going to happen."

"We have our orders." Elias spoke from behind Banks. "and from the looks of it, you're outnumbered."

"What, is this like the easy way or hard way type of thing?"

"No, no." Banks said taking another step toward me. I stepped back, reaching my hand in my boot, I grabbed my dagger. "Think of this as persuading you to come with us."