Tainted Reality (The Rememdium Series Book 2) (22 page)

Jesse swallowed hard, forcing her tears back down. She whispered, “I never knew that. Could’ve lived the rest of my life without knowin’, either.”

“You needed to hear it. Use it as strength to stay clean. You know, I get why you want to take somethin’ that will make the pain go away. Believe me, because I’m right there with you. But, we aren’t in a world that allows us the luxury of escapin’ from reality. Not even for one minute.”

Shame at almost slipping twice in one day made Jesse’s cheeks burn. The tears came, hard and fast. If anyone knew the depth of sorrow she did, it was Shaun Kilpatrick. “I’m…so sorry about your wife…and baby. And…thank you for savin’ Mom that night.”

The big man’s face crumpled and he started to cry. Shaun dropped the satchel and turned away. “I…we…said some nasty things to each other recently, me and Marian. I didn’t know the baby was mine,” Shaun mumbled.

Unsure what to say, Jesse moved closer and rested her hand on Shaun’s trembling shoulders. “Doesn’t change what happened in the store.”

“No, it doesn’t. I thought the mess out at my deer camp was bad enough. This was…way worse. I can’t deal with it, and I’m a grown man. A tough cop. Can’t imagine how you must feel, which is why I understand you wantin’ to burn the images out of your head with drugs. Now, I finally understand how Craig felt.”

“Who’s Craig?”

Shaun sniffled and wiped his hand across his face. “A friend of mine. One who struggled with an addiction to cocaine after his wife died.”

“Do you mean Craig Jackson?”

Turning back around, Shaun said, “Yeah. You know him?”

Jesse shook her head. “No, but my mom did. She worked his wife’s accident on I-30. When she came home after notifyin’ him she’d died, it was the first time I’d seen Mom take a drink in years.”

Shaun nodded. “Yeah, it was a rough scene. Traffic accidents between a car and a semi always are.”

Silence fell between them as they both were lost in memories of a world no longer existing. Instead of talking, Jesse and Shaun turned to stare at the sunrise. For five minutes, they watched the vibrant colors spread across the sky.

“When I was runnin’ earlier, I was pissed for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is because I wouldn’t be able to bury my mother.”

“I hear you. That’s one of the reasons I got up and came outside. Well, actually, I was followin’ you like I said, but wishin’ I could have a service for Marian and our child was somethin’ I pondered while walkin'.”

“What were you gonna name her? Marian never said.”

Shaun cleared his throat. “April. April Dawn Kilpatrick.”

“That’s lovely. So, how about we have our own memorial service, right here, just the two of us?”

Shaun smiled. “Great idea. I agree with what your mom said earlier. It’s your heart that will keep you goin'.”

Jesse ignored him and bent down to gather some sticks and rocks. She formed a makeshift cross from the wood while Shaun made two circles with the rocks. Jesse handed one cross to Shaun and in tandem, they placed them in the center of each circle.

“Would you like to say somethin’?” Jesse whispered.

“I can’t. I’m a big baby. You go ahead.”

“Lord, we don’t know what’s goin’ on, why, or how we’re supposed to deal with all this. What we do know is our loved ones aren’t here, and we miss them like crazy. Please, if you’re there, take care of them. Mom…I love you so much. You were my world, and I miss you so much it hurts. Thank you seems a pathetic way to say how much I appreciate and respect what you did for me. For Shaun. For Marian and April. Until we meet again, Amen.”

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?”

Jesse and Shaun both jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice behind them. Shaun’s thick arm wrapped around Jesse’s back in a protective embrace.

“Put your hands up. Right now. I won’t ask twice.”

“Do as he says, Jesse,” Shaun whispered.

Leaves crunched behind them. Jesse’s anger flared, pissed at being interrupted during her last goodbyes to her mother. “Jesse Parker and Officer Shaun Kilpatrick. What we’re doin’ here is sayin’ our final goodbyes to my mom and his wife. Who the fuck are you?”

“My, but aren’t you a spitfire? Got any weapons?”

“If I did, I’da already put a bullet in you. Let me guess: you’re another piece of shit military man. You guys don’t give up!” Jesse spat back.

“One in my holster,” Shaun replied.

The man groaned then moved in front of them after yanking out the weapon from Shaun’s hip. Jesse’s stomach tightened at the sight of him. He was big, full of rippling muscles, his body covered in dirty fatigues stained with what she assumed was blood.
Another military man. I knew it!

“How’d you end up here, in the middle of nowhere?”

“As the young woman mentioned, we’re sayin' out last goodbyes to our loved ones,” Shaun replied. “Ones who died savin’ our lives.”

The man lowered his weapon and sighed. He handed back Shaun his gun. “That seems to be a problem all of us are facing nowadays. You look pretty rough. You weren’t running from him, were you?”

Jesse shook her head. “No, of course not. Now, we told you our names. What’s yours?” Jesse asked.

“Kevin Warton.”

“Well, Mr. Warton, are you gonna kill us just like the others planned on?”

“Others?”

Jesse lowered her arms, sensing the man no longer posed a threat. “Yeah, others. The men and women sent by the government who hunted us down, determined to carry out their orders to terminate all those who haven’t been tested?”

Kevin backed up and motioned for them to stand. “I’m ex-military and take no orders from anyone, so no. I can’t handle any more death. Not today. The only thing I killed today was already dead.”

“Fair enough. So, what are
you
doin' out here? I didn’t hear you prayin' for lost loved ones. Kind of rude to just storm over,” Shaun replied.

“Trying to survive like you two are. Decided to seek refuge in an area with few people. I was, uh, walking some stress off. Had to kill my best friend earlier. That’s his bag you’re holding. Do you mind?”

“Oh, sorry,” Shaun said, handing the satchel back. “We didn’t know.”

“I…uh, tripped over it earlier. Spilled some of the stuff inside,” Jesse muttered, covering all bases in case the man was aware of the drugs inside.

Kevin’s demeanor shifted in a flash. He furrowed his brows and backed up several steps and raised his rifle. “Spilled or snorted? Don’t lie to me.”

“Spilled, I swear, though I was gonna snort it up before he stopped me,” Jesse answered, motioning toward Shaun. “I lost my mom today and thought I’d just, you know, slip away for a bit. But I didn’t take any, I promise. If you don’t believe me, go look over there. You’ll see. Geez, calm down. In your former life, you musta been DEA or somethin’. Old habits die hard, right?”

Kevin lowered the rifle and stepped closer, examining Jesse’s face. For some reason, it reminded her of the times she’d been pulled her over and given sobriety tests. At least this time, she’d pass.

“See? My eyes aren’t dilated and I can cross them. Satisfied?”

“Guess it’s your lucky day,” Kevin said. He backed away and walked down the path in the opposite direction. “Stay safe. And don’t do drugs.”

“Nice meetin’ you,” Jesse remarked, the comment heavy with sarcasm.

“Are you tryin' to get us shot?” Shaun whispered.

“Dude’s on serious edge. Worse than me,” Jesse replied. “Just tryin’ to lighten the mood. Mom always said I had a smart mouth.”

“Better learn to censor it a bit better. Like you said, people are on edge. The longer this goes on, the edgier they’ll become.”

“Hey, people who use humor in stressful situations tend to live longer. Knocks others off balance.”

Not ten seconds passed before they heard Kevin yell from behind them. “Wait! I’ve got some questions I need to ask,” Kevin said, running to catch up. “You mentioned orders were given to terminate all those untested? What did you mean? Where are you from?”

“Malvern. A group of soldiers came in and took over the town. Tried to round up all the residents for testin’. They did test some, but then decided the better option was killin’ us all. We escaped and came here,” Jesse answered.

Kevin let out a low whistle. “Glad Uncle Sam isn’t my employer any longer. Malvern? That’s a long haul through some big towns. What’s it like out there?”

Jesse shook her head. “You sure you want to know?”

“Nah, just making polite conversation.”

Jesse snorted. “Not necessary. Social conventions are no longer needed. Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll be on our way.”

“You got a camp close by? Any others with you?”

Jesse continued to walk, trying to keep the fear from her voice. “We aren’t alone if that’s what you mean. Our…people will be worried if we don’t show up soon, so have a nice day, Kevin.”

“Seriously? That’s your response? Have a nice day? Uh, nice days are over since the dead started walking around.”

Shaun pushed Jesse behind him and rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “If you don’t want to join them, then leave us be. We mean you no harm, so just let us go. We’ll all pretend this conversation never happened. Chalk it up to a rough, last forty-eight hours.”

Kevin snorted. “You’ll be changing that tune when you’re hungry and thirsty. By then, I’ll be long gone.”

“We’ll take our chances, thanks,” Shaun muttered.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders and walked away after slinging the pack over his shoulder. Shaun and Jesse exchanged worried glances.

“Can you walk any faster?” Shaun whispered.

“I’ll try,” Jesse replied. She took two tentative strides before pulling up. “I’m afraid my back and hips won’t let me.”

“Then I’ll just carry you. You can’t be any heavier than a buck.”

Before Jesse could say a word, Shaun picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. He took off at a light jog, heading back toward to the cave.

“Wait…he’s gone. Put me down. This is killin’ my back,” Jesse grumbled.

“You sure?” Shaun asked, easing her off his shoulder.

“Yes. It’s okay. Mom said I was tough, and I guess it’s time to prove her right.”

In silence, they trudged back through the bright woods. Jesse glanced up once into the morning sky, wishing the lovely dawn was the beginning of a beautiful, new day.

It’s a new day, alright, but what horrors will the light illuminate?

Walt Addison lowered his rifle. He’d had the man who said his name was Kevin Warton in the crosshairs during the entire, strange conversation with Shaun and Jesse. Holding his breath, body froze in place, Walt watched Jesse and Shaun head back to the cave.

When he woke up earlier and saw Shaun go outside, he almost turned over and went back to sleep. He’d scanned the room and noticed Jesse was gone, too, so he’d follow them both in case they needed protection.

Assuming they both needed some air to clear their heads after watching their loved ones die, Walt followed without giving his presence away. He gave them enough room to let out private tears before catching up.

When Jesse took off running, Walt realized she thought she was alone. His original plan was to cut back and circle in front of her before she hurt herself or ran into trouble. Stupid junkie was outside with nothing on but a tattered coat and unarmed. Unwilling to announce his presence, fearing there might be a hungry corpse lurking in the shadows, Walt kept quiet as he darted through the forest.

Shaun beat him to Jesse, so Walt crouched in the shadows and watched their interactions, keeping an eye out while the duo consoled each other for their recent losses.

Anger rumbled around in his chest while watching. Walt sensed a bond forming between the two. Though part of him understood—realized it stemmed from their mutual losses—another part worried what the connection might lead to. Anger turned to fury when Jesse slipped back into her old habit—or almost did—had Shaun not stopped her.

Once a junkie, always a junkie. Jesse Parker is a liability. Unstable.

When Kevin Warton appeared, Walt felt a strange mixture of fear and satisfaction. Fear at the realization they weren’t alone, just as he suspected, and satisfaction his gut instincts about the bag belonging to a government goon were on target.

The things the man said made the hairs on Walt’s arm stand erect. Even in the dim light, Walt could see the type of man Kevin Warton was. Military for sure, though he lied when questioned about it. Walt had already made up his mind to keep quiet and follow the man even before he flipped his lid when the mention of drugs came up.

What’re you doin’ up here, Mr. Warton? I doubt it was just you and your friend. Who else are you with? And why?

Walt remained still until Jesse and Shaun passed by. Once they were about two hundred yards ahead, he slipped out of the shadow of the trees, careful to keep his steps quiet, and stalked Kevin Warton as though the man was a trophy buck.

My mountain. My family. You need to leave, but not before I find out why you’re here. I killed my friend without batting an eye. A stranger will be a piece of cake.

The man he’d tried to bury—the old soldier who’d killed many people during deployments overseas—was beginning to take over Walt’s mind. The first appearance happened on the rooftop when he’d shot Curt.