Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3) (14 page)

Pausing, she scanned the area for any signs of movement. Seeing none, and only hearing the faint sound of a vehicle or two on the main road, Teresa held the smoke between her lips and squatted next to the back tire. She barely had a chance to yank the pants back up when the sound of a vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed caught her attention.

Teresa flung the cigarette to the ground and jumped back inside the SUV. Headlights bobbed and weaved as a car careened down the road, heading straight toward her position. Teresa started the engine and shot forward, but not fast enough. The runaway car clipped the back quarter panel. The impact forced Teresa’s head into the steering wheel. On instinct, her foot stomped on the brake.

Dazed from smacking her head, Teresa couldn’t stop herself from watching the accident unfold in front of her eyes.

The car rolled down the hill at full speed, only stopping after it smashed into a clump of trees. Smoke plumed from underneath the crumpled hood. Two bodies crashed through the windshield, flying through the air at least four feet until they each landed with a sickening crunch on the ground.

“Holy shit!” Teresa muttered while rubbing her forehead. “That was close!”

Teresa put the SUV in park and stepped out to assess the damage. She didn’t even glance back to see if the occupants of the car needed aid. Even if either of them survived being ejected from the car, their injuries would be too much for her to do anything about. She had no medical supplies, no training, and honestly, no interest in helping people who just damn near killed her.

“Well that’s just fucking great! Hope there’s another tire in the back.” Teresa shook her head. “Who am I kidding? I don’t know how to change one, anyway.”

The crunch of dirt behind her from footfalls caused Teresa to spin around. Cooper and Mason ran toward the creek. The stupid men were actually going to see if they could help, and perhaps risk injuring themselves in the process! They’d be back soon enough, once they realized the mission was pointless.

Teresa made up her mind to ask for assistance changing the tire, then get the hell out of the eerie mountains. If Cooper Hollingsworth and Mason Hall wouldn’t willingly help, she’d give them some incentive in the form of a gun pressed against the old man’s head.

Stepping back to the driver’s door, Teresa leaned in and grabbed a gun.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

The three gunshots made the hairs on Teresa’s skin stand erect. Looking up, she peered out the passenger window, but couldn’t make out much in the dark.

“Shit! I missed them! Get back to the vehicle! Now!”

“What’s going on?” Teresa yelled.

“Zombies heading your way. Come on, follow us!” Mason screamed as he ran past the front of the SUV, Cooper right on his heels.

Teresa looked back toward the accident scene. Sure enough, two corpses were heading her direction.

Fast.

Teresa’s instincts kicked in, blocking her misgivings about Cooper and Mason. Snatching her purse and gun, she left the broken down SUV and followed the two men to their own. Though she ran with everything she had, pushing her muscles to their limits, Teresa sensed the creatures were only steps away.

They made it to the SUV with mere seconds to spare. When Teresa shut the door, the first corpse slammed into the metal door, cracking the glass. The vehicle shook with the impact.

“Hurry the fuck up! Go! Go! Go!” Mason screamed.

Cooper cranked the engine to life then gunned it. “Hang on!”

Teresa watched with shock and disbelief as the second zombie launched itself into the air, landing on top of the roof. It pounded on the glass of the sunroof, trying to break through.

“Do something, Cooper!” Mason yelled.

Cooper didn’t say a word. He responded by slamming on the brakes. The maneuver worked, and the monster flew from the roof, tumbling over the hood to the ground. Teresa looked out the back window. Her stomach clenched as the other one grabbed onto the back bumper.

“Fuck this,” Teresa muttered. She raised the gun.

“Wait!” Mason yelled. “Don’t shoot! There’s gas cans in the back and we need that window in one piece!”

“I won’t get torn apart by that foul thing!”

Teresa didn’t have a chance to shoot. Cooper tromped on the gas, throwing her off balance. She bounced around the back seat like a ragdoll as the vehicle did donuts.

“It’s gone! Go!” Mason yelled.

The roar of the engine as they fled the rest area sounded like music to Teresa’s ears. She resituated her body in the seat and looked behind them. The corpses tried to keep up, but the speed of the SUV won out.

“Wow, I had no idea they were so fast,” Teresa whispered. “How can they move like that? Their bones were broken! The ones in Phoenix didn’t move that quick! Then again, the ones I saw didn’t just crash through a windshield, either.”

“Welcome to Hell. Anything’s possible here,” Cooper answered.

For the next ten minutes, no one said another word. Teresa stared out into the dark night, convinced she’d finally gone insane. As the adrenaline rush wore off, the shakes set in.

“Teresa,” she finally whispered.

“Why don’t you get some rest, Teresa. I’ll need you to take over drivin’ duties soon. That is, if you wish to continue on with us. Like I said before, I promise we won’t hurt you. We’re headin’ back to my hometown in Arkansas. My kids are there.”

“Are you two related?” Teresa asked.

Mason turned around in the seat. “No. Actually, we just met yesterday in Steamboat Springs. Cooper’s a cop, or, well, he was. He’s good people. He saved my life; tried to get me back to my family.”

“Tried?”

“Santa Fe’s gone. Along with Denver, Steamboat, and probably every other big town. Nothing left but piles of smoldering rubble. Seems the government’s response was to simply carpet bomb infected cities. Looked like people tried to flee, but they didn’t make it. The roads were impassable. That’s when I decided my best chances of surviving rested with him.”

Teresa let the words sink in. It wasn’t just contained in Arizona. “Phoenix is, too.”

“Damn,” Mason muttered.

“Bombed, you mean?” Cooper asked.

“Yes. I was trapped inside a building when those men found me.”

“Ah, now I understand your apprehension. You thought they were helping you, but they turned out to be monsters of another kind. Right?” Cooper asked.

“Yes, and I knew them. You two are strangers.”

“True, but sometimes, strangers turn out to be a blessing,” Mason said. “I’m living proof.”

“You mentioned you were trapped in a building?”

“Yes, I was. Roof collapsed on me when the bombs exploded.”

“There’s a first aid kit back there somewhere if you need it. Also, there’s a suitcase with some of my wife’s clothes. Probably too big, but at least they aren’t covered in blood, and didn’t belong to monsters.”

Teresa heard the hitch in Cooper’s voice. She considered asking about his wife, but decided she really didn’t care why Mrs. Hollingsworth wasn’t around. Instead of asking, she reached behind her and felt around for the suitcase. The thought of wearing Tomas’ pants any longer than necessary made her skin crawl.

“Any broken bones you need help with?” Mason asked.

“No, but I do have a deep gash that could probably use some antiseptic and a bandage,” Teresa answered, looking around. She spotted the white kit on the floorboard behind Cooper.

“Need some help?”

“No. Well, yes. Hold the flashlight for me, Mason?”

“Sure thing.”

Teresa dug out the light from her bag and handed it to Mason. It took her several minutes, but she finally managed to clean and dress the wound. “Thanks,” Teresa said, holding her hand back out for the flashlight. “Appreciate you both keeping your eyes on the road while I change.”

Mason gave it back, smiled, then turned around. “Now that you’re patched up and in fresh clothes, like Cooper said, you should rest.”

A prickle of worry eased up Teresa’s back as she tugged off the jeans. “Why don’t you just take over when your friend tires?”

Mason chuckled. “Oh, I would, but there’s one little problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know how.”

Teresa stared at the back of the kid’s head, wondering if he was lying. She didn’t get the vibe he was. After putting on a warm pair of sweat pants and a thick sweater, she asked, “You’re serious? Jesus, how old are you? Twelve?”

“Seventeen, thank you very much. I had strict parents. They bought me a car for Christmas. Was going to take driving lessons after the first of the year.”

Teresa shook her head. Mason was just a young, spoiled rich kid.

Just like she’d been.

Both of them were frightened, maybe even more than Teresa. They’d been on the road quite some time, if their original starting point was in Colorado. They’d probably seen—and perhaps participated in—a variety of disturbing events. Yet through all the horrors they’d surely endured, Teresa sensed their kind spirits. After all, they did warn her when the zombies were coming. No one else she knew would have. They would have simply run away and let Teresa be the bait.

And they’d just saved her life. Teresa decided, just for the time being, she’d trust them.

“Okay, I’ll drive when it’s my turn, but I’m not tired. Too much going on. Got some reading to catch up on,” she muttered.

“Oh, good. Glad I’m not the only geek in the vehicle. Hope you’re reading something happy, because every fictional horror novel just became nonfiction. Just one more question, though? I want to see if I’m right.”

“About what?”

“Your accent. You’re originally from El Salvador, correct?”

“How did you know?” Teresa answered, shocked the kid was on target.

“My dad worked for a pharmaceutical company, and one of his co-workers was from San Salvador. They were working on a big deal to manufacture some kind of pill that helps with erectile dysfunction, and the meetings had to be in person. One of Dad’s interns went too. His name was Daryl Riverside.”

“Is there a time when this story answers the lady’s question?” Cooper asked.

“Sorry. Mom always said I should’ve been a writer, because I like to set the scene. Anyway, one summer, about seven years ago, my family went on a trip to San Salvador. For my dad’s work. You know, he was working most of the time, but Mom and I had a blast. The beaches were stunning. Mom begged Dad to put in for a transfer permanently the first few days. Of course, all that changed after Daryl disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Cooper asked.

“Yeah. Thought my parents would have heart attacks before we got back to the states. Dad said the authorities concluded Daryl had been kidnapped by a drug cartel ring, run by some guy named Alvarez. No, that’s not right. Alva…Alvarado. Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, after that happened, we high-tailed it back to the states. But, before Daryl vanished, I loved the place. Your accent is beautiful. I’m surprised I seemed to remember it well.”

Teresa’s heart fluttered in her chest, glad she’d only given her first name earlier.

Holy shit. Daddy’s legacy, even in the middle of this nightmare, still lives on. I can’t believe he knew Daryl Riverside! I remember him! Tall, lanky, ugly American. Daddy brought him to the manse once. Pft! Daryl Riverside certainly hadn’t been kidnapped. He’d come willingly. Those two days he spent at the estate, holed up in secrets meetings with Daddy—oh, the irony. I’m in the middle of nowhere, on the run from walking corpses, and bump into someone with ties to my past. Unreal.

“Well, you were right. I’m originally from El Salvador. Now, do you mind?” Teresa whispered, holding up the journal.

“Oh, sorry. Sure thing,” Mason muttered.

Teresa blocked out the murmurings of Cooper and Mason as they gabbed in the front seat. She’d trust them, but not enough to fall asleep. Instead, Teresa grabbed the flashlight and Roberto’s journal from her purse and started reading.

Teresa hoped she’d find account numbers, passwords, locations, to all the money Roberto had stashed around the world. Surely, whatever Hell was happening in the United States wasn’t occurring everywhere! Maybe she’d get lucky and find some in the Caymans, or Bahamas. Going to Arkansas with the two men wouldn’t be such a bad idea, since it would put her closer to the ocean…

All Teresa’s thoughts about money, finding a new home in a warm, tropical location similar to El Salvador, vanished, after she read the last two months’ worth of entries.

Oh. My. God.

Roberto, Benito—you bastards!

Maria. My sweet, naïve, blind Maria. Now I know why you were at the slaughterhouse! He used you as a mule, and Roberto knew of the plan! I…oh, Jesus! I can’t believe it! For days I wept, begging Benito and Roberto to do something to find you—and they knew all along!

Roberto Sanchez—I hope you aren’t dead. I hope you are a walking cadaver, doomed to forever roam in search of food, yet never find any!

Maria. My sister. I knew I should have brought you with me to the states! Away from that crazy San Salvadorian!

Benito San Nicholas—if you’re alive, you better start praying. Ask the Virgin Mary to let the dead get to you before I do. Because I swear, I will do whatever it takes—kill whatever stands in my way—to get back to El Salvador and find you.

When I do, you’ll beg me to end your suffering. I won’t, though. I won’t. I’ll make sure you feel all the pain you caused my sister. And me.

All of it. The road to your personal Hell will be paved with blood and pain.

Lots and lots of excruciating pain. You took away my reason for living, yet provided me with a new one. Revenge, Benito. My focus, my entire being, is now controlled by revenge.

Teresa closed the journal and stared out the window, any semblance to her old life completely obliterated from her thoughts.