Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3) (17 page)

THE JOURNEY - Wednesday, December 24
^th
– 8:15 a.m. – Central Standard Time

“Promise me you’ll be careful. No heroics. I need you to come back in one piece. So does Jesse.”

“Promise,” Reed answered.

Jane hugged his neck. “I know the trip is necessary, but—”

“Yes, it is. Especially since Bailey and Allsop might not return back with us. While we’ve got the extra hands, we need to grab what we can. Losin’ Shaun last night wasn’t only an emotional blow, it affected our safety, too.”

Jane shook her head. “I still can’t believe Shaun’s dead. Thank God he didn’t turn into one of those things and bite anyone else. Poor Bailey. He hasn’t said a word since. He must feel awful. Tried to help his friend, and only ended up killin’ him. Twice.”

“Yeah, he looks rough. I think he’s already crossed the bridge over to Insanity Town. His mistake cost us all.”

“Bullshit. Put the blame where it belongs—which is directly on the shoulders of those who started this mess. Any of us might find ourselves in a similar situation and make the same mistake. Firin’ a gun and hittin’ a target ain’t easy, especially in the heat of things.”

“For someone who’s never been in combat, you’re rather perceptive,” Reed laughed.

“My daddy taught me how to shoot when I was little, remember? I did just fine when there weren’t any distractions. Hit the target every time. But, when he started makin’ noise, jumpin’ around, screamin’, yellin’, well, I couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”

“Yeah, real life certainly ain’t portrayed correctly in movies. People panic, miss, make stupid choices.”

“If it comes to that for me, Reed Newberry, you know, if I get bit or somethin’, you better put me down. I don’t want to be—”

“Don’t talk like that, Jane. Don’t.”

“Like Walt said the other day, it’s harsh reality. I mean it, Reed. The thought of bein’ one of those monsters, well, it ain’t how I want to go out. Promise me, right now, you’ll do it.”

Reed sighed. “Of course. Same goes for me.”

Jane shuddered and changed the subject. “It’s Christmas Eve day. We should count our blessin’s Jesse didn’t slip the other day, or she’d be one now, too.”

Reed turned and looked over at Jesse, who was about thirty feet away, sitting on the floor next to Turner’s cot. “I know, and I’m grateful. You and that girl are the only things keepin’ me from eatin’ my gun.”

“Reed!”

“Sorry, that was an internal thought that slipped out,” Reed whispered, grinning. Pulling Jane closer, he kissed the top of her head. “What little filter I had is long gone.”

“You never had a filter. That’s one of the many things I’ve always loved about you. You just let your thoughts fly.”

Pulling away, Reed moved to the cot and laced up his boots. “You just said you loved me, Jane Richmond. Two words that haven’t crossed those lovely lips since high school. Thanks for waitin’ to say it until we’re inside a place with no privacy. I’da preferred to hear them when you were naked underneath me.”

“Hey, at least I said it, right?”

“True. I love you, too, Janie-girl. Never stopped. Timin’. Life’s all about timin’. My clock’s always been off. I shoulda come back home sooner. If I had, we’d be hitched right now.”

Jane smiled. “Was that your weird way of proposin’ to me, Reed Newberry? If so, talk about hearin’ things at the wrong time!”

“Hey, love is in the air, courtesy of Turner and Jesse. Guess it rubbed off. When any minute might be your last, you say what’s on your mind.”

“How romantic, Reed. I’m swoonin’ over here,” Jane sighed. “Bein’ married wouldn’t change our current situation, anyway. We’d still be livin’ in a freakin’ cave, hidin’ out from walkin’ corpses. God, that just doesn’t sound right, does it? Hidin’ out from the dead.”

Reed nodded. “Jesus, it figures all this shit was caused from drugs. They’ve been a plague of their own for years. Ruined so many lives, and special moments, like right now. God, I can’t count how many times we busted people at the border. We barely scratched the surface—missed most of the shipments. Drug cartels were always findin’ new ways to sneak shit across. Guess the only good thing about all this mess is the war on drugs is over.”

Jane studied the face of the man she’d loved since sixth grade. Reed’s hair was thinner and white instead of dark mahogany. Age spots dotted his forehead, nose, and hands. The skin on his face was deeply embedded with wrinkles from working outside for many years. Jane didn’t care. Not one bit. Reed Newberry had always been the kind of man who could have made his living in front of the camera. Rugged. Strong. Lithe and full of swagger. Clint Eastwood’s body meshed with Sam Elliot’s looks. The first time she saw him on the playground, she was hooked.

Other than his physical appearance, Reed hadn’t changed much since high school. He was still the same brash, cocky man he’d always been. A typical southern boy who loved his country, his family, and doing what’s right, no matter who disagreed with his stances.

When she’d heard he was back in town, Jane felt like a giddy eighteen-year-old again. The rush of seeing him after nearly thirty years was overshadowed by the guilt she’d buried deep inside her soul.

Instead of exposing either of them to more heartache, Jane steered clear of Reed Newberry. A few times, she’d spotted his truck in the hospital parking lot when her shift ended, quietly sitting a few rows from her vehicle. Their high school romance had been ripped apart after Jane informed Reed she didn’t want to continue their relationship while she went to nursing school.

Jane’s words broke Reed’s heart. She still recalled the shocked look on his face as she said them inside his truck. The wounded look on his face haunted her dreams for years, even after marrying Russell Cotton, a doctor at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Little Rock. Fifteen years of marriage spent next to a man she thought she knew—a stable one with similar interests and ideals—ended after Russell left her for another woman. Jane had been sad, yet oddly, not heartbroken. After the divorce was final, Jane left Little Rock and went back home to Malvern. In the back of her mind, she secretly craved for Reed Newberry to still be there, pining over her after years of being apart, only to discover he’d left and moved to Texas right after graduation.

On instinct, Jane’s hand brushed across her stomach. Her uterus had only housed a child once, and only for a very short time. The child conceived with Reed Newberry their senior year only made it to the end of the first trimester. Jane was young, scared, and didn’t want to become a parent at eighteen like her mother. She’d gone to Little Rock and had an abortion, and then broke up with Reed a few days later.

The abortion wasn’t done properly, and the procedure damaged Jane’s reproductive tract. Though she and Russell tried numerous times, spent thousands of dollars on specialists to help, she’d never been able to get pregnant again. Every visit to the doctor’s office, every penny spent to treat her infertility, Jane kept the real reason of her inability to conceive from her husband.

The only person she’d ever told the shameful secret to was her mother, Ethel, years later after yet another unsuccessful round of medical procedures. Her mother’s response cut Jane to the core: “God’s punishment is upon you. You murdered your child and lied to the father.”

The painful words spoken from the lips of her judgmental mother kept Jane from reconnecting with Reed when he moved back to Rockport. Thankfully, he never gave up pursuing her, and after months of trying, Jane couldn’t fight the temptation to be with him again. They’d been seeing each other for months before the world collapsed.

While staring at him, wondering if she’d ever see him again once he left on the supply run, Jane contemplated telling him the truth. Let him know she’d never stopped loving him, thought about him for years. That he’d done nothing wrong in the relationship, like he’d assumed, and the breakup was her fault. Not his. Apologize for hurting him, leaving such a wound to his heart he never trusted or loved another the rest of his life. Tell him how her actions had stolen a chance for him to love again, all because of a decision made at the spur of the moment.

The words perched on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t do it. There was no reason to fill his head with painful truths of the past. Reed didn’t need extra mental baggage to carry around. Not while exposed to the horrors he’d encounter on a trip to help their small group survive.

The secret would die with her, no matter what.

Shaking the past from her mind, Jane said, “Saw a lot of the side effects at the hospital, too. Accidents caused by people who were high; overdoses; domestic violence when one or both parties were wasted. Worked a few rotations in the neonatal unit, until my heart couldn’t stand lookin’ at another baby born addicted. Poor things stood no shot at livin’ a normal life. And that was back before this started. In a weird way, it almost seems like this was the natural progression of things.”

Reed chuckled. “Now you’re startin’ to sound like Walt. You usually ain’t so cynical.”

“Times change, Reed,” Jane turned her gaze toward Jesse. “She hasn’t said much since Walter dropped the news.”

“No one has. Can you blame them?”

Jane shook her head. “So much information to take in, plus mournin’ the loss of Shaun. We all thought we were safe here. Knowin’ some of those mosters were lurkin’ about, so close to our location, smacked us back to reality. To find out we were wrong, well, it’s scared us all. Especially since y’all are leavin’.”

“I know, babe. I know. Hopefully, the two were from that jet crash, like they said. Plus, that doc is workin’ on a cure. Maybe he’ll come up with somethin’ soon. At least we know this shit ain’t airborne. That’s another blessin’.”

“I don’t want you to go. I’m scared, Reed. Leavin’ us here, with only Lamar Wilson as protection? We’re sittin’ ducks.”

Boots on, Reed stood and took Jane’s hands in his. “We’ve already gone over this a hundred times, Jane. Lamar’s survival skills, knowledge of the area, how to track, will serve the group better with him here. Besides, I’m a better shot than he is, and I know how to drive a semi. Lamar doesn’t.”

“My head gets that. My heart doesn’t. I can’t lose you again, Reed. I can’t.”

Reed let go of her hands, his strong fingers cupping Jane’s face. “You won’t. Promise. We’ll be back in two shakes.”

“That’s a load of—”

Reed’s lips crushed the words of protest from Jane’s. She clung to him, drank in every bit of his essence, imprinted his smell and taste. For a few electrifying seconds, Jane pushed all of the worry from her mind and let the rush of emotions take over.

The sound of someone clearing their throat ended the magical moment. Reed pulled away, his eyes full of love and passion, before turning his gaze to the voice behind them.

“Sorry to interrupt your little love-fest, but it’s time to head out.”

“Let me go say goodbye to Jesse first, Walt. I’ll meet y’all topside.”

“We leave in five, so make it quick. Have you seen Kyle?”

“He went out about twenty minutes ago to check on Shaun’s remains. Wanted to make sure they’re gone, and that the fire’s out.”

“Oh, okay. Don’t forget to grab some extra rounds before you head up.”

“Walt, can’t this wait? There’s snow on the ground. Roads will be dangerous,” Jane asked.

“In a perfect world, yes. In this one? No. Bailey and Allsop are leavin’ today, and we need their eyes and ears to make this run successful. Sorry.”

Jane nodded, tears filling her eyes. “I know, I’m just worried.”

Walt patted her shoulder. “Then y’all have plenty to talk about with my wife. Already had the same discussion with her earlier. I’m sure our ears will be burnin’ the entire time. Thank God divorce isn’t an option anymore, or I’m afraid I’d be single.”

Walt and Reed both left Jane standing in the middle of the room. With tears clouding her vision, Jane watched Reed interact with his niece. As they clung to each other, Jane noticed tears streak down Jesse’s face.

God, please. If you’re there, please let them make it back safely. Jesse can’t handle losing another loved one so quickly.

And I would fall apart. Reed’s been gone for too long from my life. Now, he’s back, and even though we’re in the middle of a nightmare, I don’t want to lose him again. Please?

Kyle stared at the smoky remnants of what used to be Shaun Kilpatrick. The smell of burnt flesh still hung in the heavy morning air. Though the majority of his bones remained, the flesh was gone. Memories of all the years they’d known each other, all the cases they’d worked together, made Kyle’s heart heavy with sorrow. Shaun was another friend lost, and Kyle didn’t have many left to lose.

Glancing around to ensure he was still alone, Kyle whispered, “Damn you, Mike Bailey. If you can’t handle this, can’t control yourself in the midst of a crisis—how in the hell did you make it through the academy? It’s beyond me. Musta paid someone off, or sucked a few dicks. I’m glad you’re leavin’ because I don’t want to spend my remainin’ days trapped underground with an idiot. Or be the next person you blew a hole through. Bastard.”