Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3)

by Ashley Fontainne

  For a few seconds, Jesse worried one—or all—of them would put up an argument.

  They didn’t.

  All of them, with the exception of Dr. Berning and the two soldiers tied up and out cold by the front door, seemed to accept the plan was the best course of action to take. Jesse grabbed the rifle and a flashlight. Jane did the same.

  Turning to face Dr. Berning, Jesse motioned for Lamar to tie his hands. “No offense, Dr. Berning, but just to be safe.”

  “You needn’t worry about me. I’m a scientist, not a soldier. Besides, either way this works out, we’ll have the map, which is crucial to our survival. Doesn’t really matter to me who takes me to get it, as long as they’re armed.”

  “Well said, Doctor,” Jesse responded. She hugged Turner, Martha, and Lamar, whispering her love before pulling away. Martha handed her a set of keys to one of the Humvees. “We’ll be back soon. Lamar? Keep an eye on those men. Don’t you dare fall asleep.”

  “On it,” Lamar replied.

  Without another word, Jesse led the trio topside, flicking on the flashlight. She jogged at a brisk pace, hating the sensation of being outside, in the dark, as they ran.

  We can do this. We have to do this. We will do this. We will continue on.

  ALTERNATE ROUTE - Thursday, December 25th – 4:15 p.m. – Central Standard Time

  “Should we say something?”

  Cooper tamped down the last pile of dirt over Walter’s grave with his boot. “I’ve already said the Lord’s Prayer in my head, Mason. Don’t need to speak for words to be heard.”

  “Did you know them, I mean, like, were you all friends? Or just neighbors?”

  “Known Walter for years. Yeah, we were friends. Walter Addison was a good man. A damn good man. Reed Newberry and I went to high school together, but we lost touch when he moved away after graduation. He came back two years ago, but only had the chance to catch up a few times. Reed was a good man, too.”

  “I still can’t believe this. We drove for hundreds of miles without seeing any signs of life, then run into people you know. Unreal. Good thing I was smoking and the window was down, or we wouldn’t have heard the shots, or Kyle yell.”

  “I would have. Recognize that boy’s voice anywhere. He’s been on the force for years. Kyle’s my best officer. Come on, let’s go find out what they were doin’ way up here.”

  “It was nice of you to be the one to bury Walter and Reed. I think Kyle’s done for the day. He looks rough.”

  Cooper wiped his dirty hands on his pants and turned around. Kyle hadn’t moved from the blood-soaked ground next to where Walter and Reed passed. He just stared at the pavement, overwhelmed by the events, and the fact he shot Walter. Cooper recognized the look—utter devastation. He’d felt the same thing only days before in Colorado.

  “Guess I’ve put off long enough talkin’ to him. Best go hear what he has to say.”

  Mason handed Cooper back the gun and followed behind him. Cooper nodded his thanks, surprised the kid had stood outside with him while he buried the dead. Then again, Mason had surprised him by jumping out of the SUV with Teresa’s gun, shooting at the zombies while running. He doubted the moment of heroics was to impress Teresa. Mason was tougher than Cooper gave him credit for.

  “You afraid he’s got bad news about your hometown?”

  Cooper nodded, unwilling to say the words out loud. Deep down in his heart, that place in a man’s soul rarely visited, Cooper already knew what he was about to hear. Yet, as long as no one else said them, they weren’t real. He decided to add a few more minutes to what he assumed would be a heartbreaking conversation with Kyle, by talking to Mason.

  Stopping for a moment, Cooper used the visual aide of all the dead bodies to bring his point home. “Mason? You steer clear of Teresa. I mean it. She’s only out for herself, and that certainly didn’t start when the world ended. Women like her are the kind who use men to get what they want. Back in the old world, she’d use her charms and looks to snag a rich man. Now, she’ll use them to keep herself alive. If you let yourself get tangled up with the likes of her, you’ll end up just like those corpses.”

  “You’re wrong, Cooper. She’s just—”

  “I’m not wrong, Mason. Want to know what she was thinkin’ while you were passed smooth out on the highway? She was tryin’ to convince me to pass the time away by screwin’ her, that’s what. Of course, her little act wasn’t because she wanted me. She wanted what I had, which was the key. She said we should just fill the tank with the remainin’ gas and leave you behind. That’s the kind of woman she is, Mason. Cold. Callous. Willin’ to do or say anythin’ to get what she wants.”

  The look of shock on Mason’s face made Cooper feel bad for hurting his feelings, but it couldn’t be helped. The boy needed to be aware, and if he still opted to pursue the woman, Cooper wouldn’t feel guilty if things turned out bad.

  “That bitch,” Mason muttered, looking toward their SUV. “You promise you aren’t bullshitting me? You don’t have eyes for her, do you?”

  Despite the horrors of the last two hours, and the fact Cooper knew he was about to find out news no father ever wanted to hear, he laughed. “Son, that could be the last snatch on earth and I’d still walk away. My Johnson would rather die lonely of old age than get shredded to pieces.”

  “If you don’t trust her, then why in the world did you let her come this far with us?”

  “Because that’s just who I am. Besides, we needed an extra set of eyes on the road. Now, I’m done talkin’ about her. Let’s go check on Kyle.”

  Dodging the dead on the ground, Cooper and Mason walked across the parking lot toward Kyle. He didn’t flinch or give any indication he’d heard them approach.

  “Kyle? Come on, get up. It’ll be dark soon. It ain’t safe outside.”

  “It ain’t safe anywhere, Chief.”

  Steadying himself, Cooper asked the question burning a hole in his heart. “What were y’all doin’ up this far north?”

  Kyle swung his gaze up at Cooper. The look on his face made Cooper’s heart clench. “Because we had no choice, Chief. Malvern’s gone. What the dead didn’t destroy, the government did.”

  “Oh, shit,” Mason muttered.

  “All of it?”

  Kyle stood, readjusting his rifle. “Yes. Only a few of us escaped. Walt took us to a cave near Blanchard Springs, and we’ve been holed up there ever since.”

  Cooper forced the words out. “My children? Did you see—”

  “We tried, Chief. Tried to save them. We were hunkered down in Walmart. Charlie and Charlene were there, but when the soldiers attacked us, everyone panicked and scattered. They didn’t make it out of the parking lot.”

  He tried to hold back the tears. Tried to remain strong and tough, suck up the crushing sorrow. It didn’t work. Cooper’s sobs of anguish filled the quiet parking lot.

  “All this way…I made it all this way…for nothin’.”

  “That’s not true, Cooper. You saved me; Teresa; and Kyle. You’re a hero in my book. God, I’m so sorry, but please, don’t give up now. We need you. I need you,” Mason whispered.

  “So do I. Because Martha Addison is gonna kill me when I tell her I let Walt die, if Jane Richmond doesn’t get to me first. Jesus H. Christ! I can’t believe this shit!” Kyle spun around, kicking the tire on the Humvee.

  The sound of feet running made them all turn their heads. Cooper and Kyle raised their weapons. “More coming this way! Run!” Teresa yelled.

  Looking behind her, Cooper saw a handful of the dead less than twenty yards behind Teresa.

  “Humvee! Now!” Kyle yelled.

  All three men jumped inside the vehicle, Kyle behind the wheel. Mason held the back door open, screaming for Teresa to hurry.

  “Start, you piece of government shit!” Kyle yelled.

  “Hurry, Kyle. They’re closin’ in fast!”

  Teresa burst inside and Mason slammed the door. The engine coughed and sputtered before startin
g. “Hang on!” Kyle yelled, right at the same time several of the creatures slammed their dead bodies into the side doors.

  Kyle gunned the engine. The Humvee bounced over the corpses like they were burnt speed bumps. Tires barked as he turned onto the highway. Cooper watched the mangled, deformed bodies fade into the distance.

  For the next several miles, no one spoke. Kyle finally slowed down as the road grew curvier.

  “Looks like you got a lot of supplies,” Teresa commented while poking through the boxes in the back.

  “Which I’d gladly trade for the lives of my friends. We’ve got people to deliver them to, so hands off until we get back to the cave.”

  “Cave? Are you kidding me? You’re taking us to a cave? That’s your safe house?” Teresa whined.

  “Yeah, I am. Unless you’d prefer I drop you off at one of these empty ones above ground on the way? Let you have free housin’, senorita?”

  “Okay, let’s all take a minute to breathe here,” Cooper said. “Let the adrenaline rush wane.”

  “Easier said than done, Chief. Been livin’ off an adrenaline high ever since this mess started! God, this is the second trip to the store that cost me people I care about. And, it seems, human munchers ain’t our only enemies! Walt was right about animals, and he didn’t even know it.”

  “Yeah, I thought my eyes were playin’ tricks on me when I saw them. They looked like hellhounds. You said second trip. What did you mean?” Cooper asked.

  “It means I lost the woman I love in the first one, and two great friends today. All because of fuckin’ drugs!”

  “Regina’s gone, too?”

  Kyle nodded. “Yep. Saved our lives by givin’ up hers.”

  “You said drugs. Is that what caused all this? Drugs?” Cooper asked.

  “Yeah, want to know why we’re in this mess? Get this shit,” Kyle grumbled.

  For the next two hours, Cooper, Mason, and Teresa sat in stunned silence as Kyle talked nonstop. By the time he finished, Cooper’s mind couldn’t take any more.

  It was all over. No hope left. Nothing for Cooper to keep on living for. His entire family was wiped out. His hometown was gone. Most everything was gone. There wasn’t a reason to keep fighting, keep struggling, while watching the few remaining people he knew die as well.

  He’d wait to end it all until Mason was safe with the others. Then, he’d head out into the woods and put a bullet in his brain. Join his wife and children on the other side, rather than roaming around in an undead shell, eating other survivors.

  “How far do we have before arriving?” Mason finally asked.

  “About five minutes. Then, we’ll hike for another few miles.”

  “Joy,” Teresa muttered.

  “Hey, I can always stop, remember? There’s plenty of illegals in this part of the state. Maybe you’ll run into one of your relatives. Shack up with them instead of us gringos. I’m not in the mood to listen to a whiny, bitchy woman, so if you want to keep ridin’ with us, shut the fuck up.”

  Cooper turned his head and stared out the window, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Yep, Officer Kyle Pender was the best man on the force; able to sniff out trouble in seconds. He’d pegged Teresa as a problem right from the start.

  Wish I’d done the same thing. No, I wish I was still next to Karla’s warm body, dreaming. God, this just can’t be how the world ends.

  Can it?

  Teresa felt sick to her stomach, and it wasn’t just from barely escaping from the dead again.

  Listening to the words from the lips of the obnoxious bastard named Kyle made Teresa’s heart pound. For the first time since she woke up in the basement of her home in Phoenix, everything made sense. Sick, twisted, out-of-this-world sense.

  While Cooper drove toward Arkansas after rescuing the stupid kid, Teresa occupied her time by reading more from Roberto’s journal. The words confused her, most written in a combination of phrases and drug dealer lingo she wasn’t entirely familiar with. What she gleaned from the pages was a new batch had been created, a big shipment was coming, and Benito seemed to have made some sort of pact with other drug cartels.

  Now, everything was crystal clear. Teresa didn’t know anything about science, or chemical formulas, how drugs were distributed, but she knew enough. She understood how Maria turned; why Roberto fled without her; how the world collapsed so fast.

  Drugs were everywhere. People from all walks of life indulged. Their addiction is what had kept Louboutin’s on her feet, Dior and Chanel in her closet; what paid for the sprawling, six-million-dollar mansion in Phoenix.

  And the one in El Salvador.

  There was no doubt in her mind how the nightmare started, and where.

  I’ve got to figure out a way to get back to El Salvador. Keep my mouth shut, not anger these rednecks, or I’ll end up on foot. Once we get to this cave, I’ll wait until everyone falls asleep. Slit Kyle’s throat, take the keys to this Humvee, and head to the coast. I’ll do whatever necessary to find someone with a boat. Surely these creatures can’t swim! I’ll get to El Salvador. Find Benito. Then, I’ll cut pieces of flesh from his bones, and feed them to the dead.

  While he watches.

  Whatever it takes, I’m going home.

  They pulled into what looked like a campground. Another Humvee sat by a trail leading into the dark forest. Teresa hated the outdoors, but kept her opinions to herself.

  “Shit.”

  “What’s wrong, Kyle?” Cooper asked.

  “One of the Humvee’s is missin’. We only took two.”

  “Maybe one of the others took it? Went to look for supplies like y’all did?”

  Kyle shook his head. “No way. Turner Addison broke his leg and can’t walk. Martha would never leave his side, and I doubt Jesse Parker would, either. That leaves Jane Richmond or Lamar Wilson. The only reason either of them would leave is either Turner’s taken a turn for the worse, or someone else got hurt—bad enough Jane can’t patch them up. No talkin’, and keep your eyes and ears open. Hurry!”

  Everyone jumped out and followed Kyle up the trail.

  “Ladies’ first,” Cooper said, pointing at Teresa. She sighed and fell into step behind Kyle, with Mason and Cooper behind her.

  “Turn left there. Then, will go about six miles. The road ends at his driveway.”

  “Gotcha,” Jesse answered.

  “God, I can’t believe you just ran them down! I’m so glad you’re drivin’,” Jane said. “I’da freaked out and probably crashed into a tree or somethin’. How many was that last one? Eight?”

  “Twelve,” Everett said. “I agree with your friend back there, Jesse. You’re driving skills are quite impressive. Did you have aspirations of becoming a race car driver?”

  Jesse’s laugh was bitter. “Better them than us. And no, my mom taught me. She was a cop.”

  “She did a fine job.”

  “Regina was an amazin’ woman,” Jane said. Everett heard the heavy sadness in her voice. “If it weren’t for her sacrifice, Jesse and I wouldn’t still be alive.”

  “Not now, Jane, I don’t want to think about my—oh, shit!”

  Everett’s head slammed into the passenger window. He felt the Humvee spin; heard Jane scream from the backseat.

  “God, they’re everywhere!” Jesse yelled. “Hang on!”

  Everett’s bound hands clung to the seat while he forced the bile burning in his throat back down. Now was not the time to have a bout with car sickness. A corpse bounced off the hood and into the windshield. Thankfully, the glass didn’t break, but it was full of small, spider-web looking cracks.

  Bam!

  Everett’s attempts to keep from vomiting, failed. The bloody creature’s face smashed against the glass, leaving chunks of flesh behind. Bending over, he puked all over the floorboard.

  “Jesse! To your right! Look out!” Jane screamed.

  “Hang on to that rifle, Jane! Doctor, can you use a weapon?”

  “I’m familiar, yes. Any good?
Afraid not.”

  “You best figure it out, because if I can’t get past them, we’re gonna need all the firepower we got! Jane? Untie him!”

  Everett heard the engine roar and rumble as Jesse pushed it to its limits. She drove through the mass of corpses, running into them as though they were sacks of mud. Jane reached over and cut the rope binding his wrists, then handed him a handgun.

  “Don’t you miss,” Jane instructed. “Don’t you miss!”

  “You said there’s a fence surroundin’ this place? Gated?” Jesse yelled.

  “Yes. We aren’t far. Maybe half a mile?”

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  “Metal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’re just gonna drive through that shit like it ain’t even there. Can we get inside? You said it was locked.”

  “Break the fuckin’ window!” Jane offered.

  “There! I see it!” Jesse said, pushing her foot all the way down on the accelerator. The Humvee groaned in protest.

  Everett looked behind them, noticing they were putting distance between the vehicle and the undead. He did a few mental calculations. The results made his stomach lurch again.

  “We’ve got maybe two minutes from the time we pull up, if you maintain this current rate of speed.”

  “I’m sure not slowin’ down,” Jesse replied while glancing in the rear view mirror. “If that’s all the time we’ve got, then you better run like hell the second we stop.”

  “What…what are you saying?” Everett stuttered.

  “I’m sayin’ we’ll pull up, you go in, get that fuckin’ map, and run back outside. If any of those things beat your estimated time table, we’ll shoot them. Give you a chance to make it back in one piece.”

  Everett’s mouth gaped open. “I…no way. I can’t run. Old injury.”

  “No excuses! Just do it! Grab somethin’ and hold on. Goin’ through the gate!”

  The impact of hitting the thick wrought iron made the Humvee shudder. The grating sound of metal on metal made Everett’s ears hurt. A weird, grinding noise filled the cab as Jesse maneuvered the vehicle up to the front door.