Tainted Reality (The Rememdium Series Book 2)

by Ashley Fontainne

  “And leave all these people here to fend for themselves? Are you crazy? Why did we just risk our lives to save them, only to turn tail and run?” Martha admonished.

  “We aren’t gonna be safe here, Ms. Martha. Not for long,” Lamar added. “What choice do we have? I agree with Walt. Let’s gather as much food and medicine we can carry and get the hell outta here before Walmart becomes our final restin’ place.”

  Turner moved closer to Walt and stared out into the parking lot. “They still seem sorta stunned. We need to make our choice before they snap outta their funk.”

  Martha grabbed Walt’s arm and squeezed. “Walter—we can’t just let the others stay here alone. Let’s get them out back and into the vehicles. We’ll head to the hospital. Needed to get there anyway, since Marian Kilpatrick is in labor.”

  Walt stared at the tufts of pink insulation hanging from the rafters. The building creaked and groaned as chunks of ceiling tiles and plaster cascaded onto the floor. The structure was heavily damaged and he doubted it would remain standing for more than an hour.

  Backing up, Walt signaled to the others to do the same. “Whatever we decide, we need to do it fast. This place is a tickin’ time bomb.”

  “Help, please!”

  All of them froze at the sound of a man’s voice from the outside.

  “That’s Shaun!” Kyle whispered.

  “Dammit!” Walt muttered. He turned and faced the remainder of the group. “Get back inside and start gatherin’ supplies. I’ll catch up. Get those trucks filled up. Have a feelin’ we’re gonna need them soon.”

  The others left while Walt crept through the debris. He reached the destroyed entrance, keeping in a groan of irritation. The soldier Lt. Pack tried to gut earlier sagged in Shaun’s arms.

  Without a word said, Walt grabbed the man’s feet and helped Shaun carry him back inside. Blood seeped from the abdominal wound, oozing through the soldier’s clenched fingers.

  He ain’t gonna make it. Why are we even tryin’?

  DESCENT INTO MADNESS - Saturday - December 20th – 3:15 p.m.

  Jesse forced herself not to cry at the sight of her mother's limp frame on the blacktop. Blood soaked the ground around her body, the front of her torso covered in dirt and debris. Bending down, Jesse grabbed the gun resting near her mom’s hand and stuck it in her pocket.

  “Grab her legs,” Reed said when they stopped. “On the count of three.”

  In shock and unable to speak, Jesse nodded. Grabbing her mom’s feet, Jesse had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing out loud when her mother groaned. She’s alive! Thank God! Momma, hang on! Don’t die. Please? You can’t leave me—I need you!

  “One, two, three!” Reed said.

  Pushing her body, calling upon strength she didn’t think she possessed, Jesse helped hoist her mom from the ground. She ignored the sharp pain in her back while they semi-jogged back inside.

  They were less than five feet away from the smoldering hole in lawn and garden when another explosion made the ground quake underneath them. Jesse nearly lost her grip on the slippery, soaked material of her mom’s pants, yet somehow, managed to hang on.

  “Head to where Marian and Jane are. We’ll need plenty of cloth to stop the bleeding,” Reed urged.

  Stumbling over the chunks of the damaged building on the floor, Jesse shut out the screams of others, the sound of gunshots, the yelling. They wormed their way through the aisles. They passed several people who’d given up on Walmart being a safe haven and ran to the back of the store, yelling advice to others to do the same.

  “I’ve got room for three!” one yelled.

  “Got an SUV that can fit eight! Come on, it ain’t safe here no more!” screamed another.

  “I ain’t dyin' here! Goin' home to get my dog and hunker down,” yet another muttered. “This was a huge mistake!”

  A frazzled looking woman, one Jesse vaguely recognized, ran up beside her. Mounds of knotted red hair framed her face. “Tell your mom we appreciate what she did, but we aren’t stayin’. We’ll pray for her.”

  Had Jesse been able to form words, it wouldn’t have mattered. The harried woman turned and disappeared into a throng of others scrambling to reach the back of the store, arms full of whatever they could carry.

  Thankless bastards.

  Continuing forward, they rounded the corner to the aisle where Jane sat hunched next to Marian Kilpatrick. The woman made the hee-hee, hoo-hoo sounds Jesse heard on television by women in labor.

  “Jane! Need some help here,” Reed shouted over the noise.

  “Oh, shit! Wait, let me spread out somethin',” Jane said. She jumped to her feet and yanked off the plastic covering a thick comforter. With one swoop of her arms, numerous white pillows fell off the shelves. Jane moved quickly and pushed the pillows together then covered them with the frilly, pink comforter.

  Looks just like the one on my bed at home. God, what is wrong with me? I’m thinking about things that don’t matter when my mother is bleeding right in front of me.

  “Ease her down, nice and easy,” Reed instructed.

  “What happened?” Jane queried.

  “She took a bullet in the thigh and was too close to the explosion. Knocked her back about twenty feet,” Reed said.

  The second her mom’s head touched the pillow, she groaned again and opened her eyes. Jesse’s shattered mind snapped back to the present. Setting the gun down, Jesse scooted over to the side, grabbing her mother’s cold, blood-soaked hand. “It’s okay, Mom. Jane’s gonna fix you right up.”

  “Did we get ’em?” Regina mumbled.

  “Yeah, we did. All those military fools are gone,” Reed said.

  Jesse grabbed a pillow case from the shelf and wiped away the stream of blood oozing from her mom’s mouth. “Don’t talk, Mom. Save your strength.”

  “Oh…God…another…one’s…comin’!” Marian said through clenched jaws.

  Jesse felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “Honey, let me tend to your momma. I need to bandage her leg. You don’t need to see that, so just go offer a hand for Martha to grip.”

  Jesse didn’t budge. “No. I’m not leavin’ Mom’s side. I can help you patch her up.”

  “Do as Jane says, Jesse,” Regina whispered. “I’ll be fine. It’s okay, Marian. Just remember to breathe. Ain’t nothin’ more natural to a woman’s body than givin’ birth.”

  “Not…like…this, hee-hee, hoo-hoo, and not now! Please…get…this…thing…outta me!”

  Watching a woman struggle to bring life into the world while another clung to keep from dying, Jesse felt sick to her stomach. All the chaos, the stomping of feet against the floors as people scrambled about, the whimpering of children and screams of adults—it was too much. The racket made Jesse’s vision blur and hands shake.

  “Move, now. I need to stop the bleedin',” Jane urged.

  On autopilot, Jesse moved over and held out her hand to Marian. Something warm and wet coated her cheeks. It took a few seconds for Jesse’s brain to register the wetness was from her tears while watching Jane work on her mom.

  “Reed, I need several things from the pharmacy. Here. Hold this pillow right there and press down with all you’ve got. I’ll be right back.”

  Jane stood and took off, zigzagging through a horde of panicked residents while making her way to the other side of the store. Jesse lost her in seconds when the crowd swallowed Jane up.

  Jesse looked back over at her mother, then turned away from the sight as Uncle Reed pressed down. Her mother groaned again, this time, louder than before. The sound sent chills up Jesse’s spine. She’d never seen her mother in any other light except as a tough, headstrong woman. Seeing a new, weak side made Jesse’s heart clench in agony.

  Her mother whispered something, but Jesse couldn’t make out what she’d said over the ridiculous racket coming from Marian. The woman’s grip was strong. Jesse felt the bones crunch together and tried to pull away before the stupid woman broke her hand.

&nb
sp; Marian let go and leaned back against the shelf, sweat pouring from her red face. “I can’t do this. Can’t deliver here, in the midst of all this! God, why now?”

  “Yes, you can, Marian. You must. Your little one needs you,” Regina said.

  “Mom? What’s wrong with your voice? It sounds funny.”

  “Nothin’. Just got the wind knocked outta my sails, that’s all. Marian—what’s your baby’s name?”

  Just like Mom. Ignoring her own discomfort and pain to help another.

  “I don’t want it,” Marian whispered. “Not now. What if somethin' happens to me? Who’ll be left to take care of her?”

  “Marian, stop it. Of course you want her. Nothin’ is more precious in this world, even this fucked up one, than a child. You’ll never be more filled with love than the first time you set your eyes on her. That’s a promise. Children are everythin’. They make all the pain of livin’ worth it. Besides, you have Shaun to help you.”

  “Shaun ain’t here, just like always. Too busy out playin’ in the woods with his stupid friends!”

  “Girl, you gotta learn that’s how men get rid of their anxieties. Right, brother?”

  “She’s right, Marian. Huntin' is just a male version of a hen party.”

  Marian waved her hand in the air. “Whatever. You two don’t know Shaun. He doesn’t love me. We’re only gettin' back together because of this monster in my…oh, shit! Another one!”

  Jesse flinched when Marian reached out and latched onto her hand.

  “Reed? Need a place to put him.”

  Ignoring the pressure crushing her bones together, Jesse looked up. At the end of the aisle was Turner’s dad, along with Shaun Kilpatrick. In between them, they held the limp body of a soldier covered in bright, red blood.

  “Sorry, can’t let go,” Reed said.

  “I’ve got it,” Jane yelled from behind them.

  In seconds, the men deposited the man next to Jesse. The floor was covered with the blood of her mother and the man. Jane bent down next to him and did a quick assessment. Jesse could tell from the look on her face things were bad.

  “He needs surgery right now to stop the internal bleedin', and I mean immediately.”

  “Then let’s get him to the hospital!” Shaun said. “I’ve got keys to a Humvee.”

  “Shaun!” Marian yelled then let go of Jesse’s hand. “Oh, Shaun…our baby…”

  Trading places with the man, Jesse stood and let him squat down next to his wife. Removing his weapon from around his neck, he set it down near Jesse and grabbed Marian’s hand.

  “It’s okay, sweetie. We’ll take you, too. Right?” Shaun said, looking over at Walter Addison for confirmation.

  “We can fit them both in the backseat,” Walt answered. He turned toward Regina. “Plenty of room in that gas-guzzler.”

  “Good!” Regina whispered. “Marian, you and I can ride together. See? It’s gonna be okay. Your little one can wait a few more minutes. We’ll make the trip together.”

  “Regina? Stop talkin'. Right now,” Jane instructed. “Jesse? Come over here and hold pressure. Reed, I need to talk to you and Walt. Now.”

  “What? Why?” Jesse asked.

  “Do it!” Jane yelled.

  The sound of fear in Jane’s voice made Jesse jump. She swapped places with her uncle, forcing herself not to gag as her fingers pressed down on the bloodied material. Unwilling to look at the oozing red from the wound, Jesse focused her gaze on her mother's face.

  “It’s okay, honey. Let them talk,” Regina whispered.

  Nodding in agreement, Jesse watched the trio move to the end of the aisle, Jane’s lips moving a mile a minute.

  What the hell is going on?

  “He’s not goin' to make it, even if he was on the operatin' table with a skilled surgeon workin' on him. I give him five minutes—tops. All we can do for him now is make sure he’s comfortable, and not let him die alone,” Jane whispered.

  “That’s a no-brainer. Knew it the minute I laid eyes on him. People usually don’t survive bein’ gutted,” Walt said.

  Reed felt his stomach drop. He knew from the tone of Jane’s voice the life span of the soldier wasn’t why she’d pulled them away from the others. “It’s Regina, isn’t it?”

  Jane nodded, the look of anguish on her face was all the confirmation Reed needed.

  “Yes. That wheezin' in her voice that sounds like she’s talkin' through water in her throat? It’s because her lungs are punctured and fillin' with blood and bodily fluids. I went back to the pharmacy to look for somethin' to open her up with and use as a drain. There wasn’t anythin' usable. People already picked it clean.”

  Reed closed his eyes, heart pounding in his chest. He nodded for Jane to continue, wishing he was home, in bed, and could wake up from the worst nightmare he’d ever had.

  “She’s got several broken ribs on each side. However, the mortal injury is from the gunshot. The bullet tore through her femoral artery. The moment we let off the pressure, she’ll bleed out in seconds. How she made it this far is simply a miracle.”

  “Jesus. This isn’t happenin',” Reed replied. He shoved his trembling hands into his pocket in case Jesse was watching. “I knew that bastard Curt was unstable. We should’ve hog-tied his ass before he had a chance to shoot her. Stupid fool. He had no idea what she was plannin’!”

  “Take some comfort in the fact he won’t ever hurt another,” Walt added.

  Reed shifted his weight, unable to stand still. “Why are we standin’ here discussin’ this? Shouldn’t we get her to the hospital? It will give her a chance to…” Reed’s voice cracked. He fought—and lost—the battle to control tears from forming.

  Jane put a warm, comforting hand on Reed’s arm and continued. “It won’t. The reason she’s so sweaty and pale is because, in my opinion, she’s at Stage 3, if not Stage 4, of hypovolemic shock. Regina’s simply lost too much blood, internally and externally. I’ve seen the same scenario hundreds of times over the years from traffic accident victims.”

  “Since we’re droppin’ bombs of good news here, let me add another. That missile did some major damage in terms of our security. There’s a gapin’ hole with no way to seal it in lawn and garden. Even though Shaun swooped in and took out all those grunts, and quite a few of the dead, we didn’t get them all. Once they realize there’s a way in here, this place will turn into one giant smorgasbord, with us as the main course.”

  Reed bristled. “Are you suggestin’ we just leave the injured behind and run away like cowards?”

  “Of course not. What kind of monster do you think I am, Newberry? No, I’m suggestin’ we extract ourselves from this breached haven and get all of us to the hospital. If both that grunt who tried to help us outside and Regina aren’t goin' to make it, we can at least sleep tonight knowin’ we tried until the very end,” Walt said. “Plus, we’ll get that pregnant lady to the right place to deliver a baby.”

  “Jesse’s going to…” Reed couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

  “Look, here’s the deal. My wife, Turner, Lamar, Kyle, and others are loadin’ up supplies as we speak. They know, because we already discussed this after viewin’ the remains of the garden center, the next step is to head to the hospital. Half of those we brought here earlier already left, and I hate to say it, but maybe them warm bodies leavin’ will distract the dead still lurkin’ outside long enough for us to get out safely.”

  “Then it’s settled. Let’s stop wastin' time and get them…”

  Gunfire erupted from the end of the aisle, drowning out the rest of Reed’s response. Spinning around, Reed’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the dead descend on a group of people across the store.

  And several close to his sister, with Jesse about six feet away, firing into the throng, missing more than connecting.

  Regina screamed, “Jesse! Shaun! Run, now!”

  Oh, my God. We’re too late.

  Regina knew she only had minutes, if n
ot seconds, left. She could feel her strength diminish with each faint heartbeat. Every breath was torture, sending white-hot pain rippling through her body.

  She tried to keep a strong face on for Jesse. Regina figured the words she’d said earlier to Marian hadn’t soaked through the haze of hysteria in Jesse’s mind yet, but one day, they would. Her daughter would smile when remembering the sneaky way Regina conveyed her love through the conversation.

  Regina wasn’t afraid of dying like she’d always assumed she would be when the time rolled around. A strange sense of peace and warmth flooded her mind. She wondered if that was due to lack of blood or simply coming to terms it was her time to join her husband on the other side.

  “Mom? Mom?”

  Licking her dry lips, Regina struggled to open her eyes, which she hadn’t realized were closed. “Just…restin’ my eyes, baby.”

  “No, you weren’t. You passed out. Please, Momma, stay awake. We need you. I need you.”

  From the corner of her eye, Regina noticed Shaun stood and headed toward the others at the end of the aisle. Marian took a deep breath and shifted her position on the floor. Blinking twice, Regina focused her gaze on Jesse’s worried face. Her baby girl was still dressed in pajamas, yet finally with a coat on. Jesse's hair stuck up every direction, but it didn't matter. She still looked like an angel. “Have I told you how much I admire you?”

  A few tears slid down Jesse’s face. “Admire me? What in the world for? I’ve done nothin’ but cause you grief—”

  “Wrong. You’re stronger than you know. Tougher than me. You kicked a habit that usually kills most. You beat the devil at his wicked game. That’s strength. That’s heart. That’s what makes you special. Heart.”

  Jesse dabbed her sleeve on Regina’s mouth, wiping dribbles of blood away. “Stop that, Mom.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Talkin’ like you’re dyin.’ I won’t listen.”

  Regina winced as she took another breath. “I am, and you will. For Turner. For your uncle. The world’s gonna need strong women to help rebuild it. Now’s your time to shine.”