The Reset Series | Book 6 | Striking

by Greene, Kellee L.

  There was a girl, not much younger than I was, sitting on the sofa. She had no idea we were there as she stuck her fingers in the peanut butter jar. Our peanut butter jar.

  I finished my descent, holding the knife out in front of me. It wasn’t until I reached the last step the girl looked up and screamed.

  “Shh!” I said worried someone might hear her.

  The girl dropped the peanut butter jar on the floor. Her eyes locked on the table near the front door. A gun.

  Jenna had moved fast but not as fast as the girl. She picked up the weapon and held it up in her shaking hand.

  “Don’t shoot!” I said holding up my hands without dropping the knife.

  Jenna’s hand shot forward and she quickly disarmed the girl. She took a step back and aimed it at her.

  “That was our peanut butter,” Jenna said.

  “I’m sorry,” the girl said. “I didn’t know anyone was here. Please don’t kill me.”

  Jenna’s anger was apparent in her unblinking eyes. “You can’t just go into a house and steal people’s food.”

  “I’m sorry,” the girl repeated. “I’m so hungry.”

  “Get out of our house,” Jenna shouted. Her arms were stiff and there was no trembling in her hands.

  The girl covered her face and whimpered. Suddenly she dropped her hands and took a quick step forward.

  “Fine,” the girl said. “Kill me. Go on then. Get it over with. I can’t do this anymore.” She dropped to her knees. “I just can’t do this anymore!”

  8

  Adam

  Heather cheered when we stopped and waved her over. She hugged us both repeatedly.

  “Thank you so much,” she said reaching out to me again.

  I smiled and held up my hand to stop her. “Whoa, okay, okay. You’re welcome.”

  She clasped her hands to her chest and hesitated. The second I lowered my hand, she lunged forward and hugged me again.

  “Sorry. I can’t help it. I’m just so happy and thankful,” Heather said. “It’s quite possible you two have saved my life.”

  “It seems as though you forgot we left you behind,” I said.

  Leah shot me a look so sharp it felt it stab the center of my chest. I winced and Leah shifted her eyes forward.

  “It’s okay,” Heather said. “I get it. You don’t know me or anything about me but I’m a good person. You’ll see.”

  We’d walked for miles without talking. The rain falling and plopping into the mud was hypnotizing.

  I was tired. We were all tired but we pushed forward toward a beat-up gas station, or at least what remained of it, in the distance.

  The ground was slick. My foot slipped slightly and I flopped my arms around to regain my balance.

  Heather covered her laugh. Leah didn’t bother.

  “Mud skating?” Leah asked shaking her head.

  She took two steps before her foot skidded and slipped out from under her. Leah fell heavily to the ground.

  “That’s what you get for laughing,” I said crouching down next to her.

  Her brow wrinkled as her hand stretched forward to the side of her leg. She rubbed her hand back and forth.

  “Ow,” she said with a painful grimace.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Leah shook her head and rolled up the leg of her pants. “I think I’m bleeding.”

  She started shaking her hands. I looked down and noticed a rusty piece of metal sticking out of the mud.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” Leah said sucking in quick breaths. “It burns.”

  Blood was gushing out of the cut and into the mud. I leaned in closer. With the amount of blood coming out of the wound, it was hard to tell exactly how bad it was but I could see it wasn’t good.

  “Let me take a look,” Heather said kneeling down beside me. She placed her bag in the mud and pulled open the flap.

  My eyes flicked to the side, unable to stop myself from glancing into her bag. She had bottles of medicine, gauze, and all sorts of medical supplies. A small pharmacy all in one place.

  Heather splashed on some liquid before quickly placing a thick strip of gauze over the wound. She wrapped tape around it and frowned. Her eyes met mine for a quick second before she quickly closed the bag.

  “I’m sorry,” Heather said. “I’ll do a better job once we get inside. Can you stand?”

  “I think so,” Leah said. The muscles in her neck popped out as she clenched her jaw. “Hurts like a… like a lot.”

  Heather reached into her bag and pulled out a white bottle. She twisted the cap off and took out two orange pills.

  “Take these,” Heather said.

  “I’m not really sure I should just take pills from strangers,” Leah said.

  Heather raised the bottle. “Pain pills. Name brand.”

  “Well, you could have just put them in that bottle,” Leah said.

  Heather shrugged. “Would you feel more comfortable if I took some too? Seems wasteful, though.”

  “It wouldn’t help,” Leah said.

  “Okay,” Heather said holding out the bottle. “Put them back then.”

  “Never mind,” Leah said. She looked at me and cocked a brow. “Wish me luck.”

  Leah popped the pills in her mouth before I could say anything. Hopefully, whatever Heather had given her really was pain medicine.

  Heather and I helped Leah traverse the slippery mud. It wasn’t easy but we made it to the gas station.

  “Wait out here,” I said taking out my gun.

  “What are you doing?” Leah asked.

  “Making sure it’s safe,” I said.

  Leah sighed. “And if it’s not, what are we going to do? I can’t run away. If someone is in there, we’re screwed either way.”

  “That’s depressing,” Heather said puffing out her lower lip.

  Leah took out her gun. “Let’s go in.”

  It didn’t take long to check the small, stinky gas station. No one had been around in a while. There was dust on the shelves that still held a few items.

  “Pack up what we can,” Leah said sitting down on the floor. She placed her hand on her leg. “Why do I smell hot dogs?”

  On the counter near the register was an old hot dog warmer. Thankfully, it was empty.

  The front of the gas station was a large, cracked glass window. Anyone passing by would have been able to see us inside. There was a bathroom and a back office, which we decided to hide in while Heather took another look at Leah’s leg.

  “Why do you have all that medicine?” I asked as I sat down in the squeaky office chair behind the desk.

  Heather shrugged. “My mom was a nurse. I had a bag with food but that’s gone now. My uncle probably has more medicine, which we might need. I don’t know much but we want to make sure your cut doesn’t get infected. I wish I knew how to stitch you up.”

  “You think I need stitches?” Leah asked blinking slowly.

  “Probably,” Heather said with several quick nods.

  “We’re lucky you followed us,” I said.

  Leah’s head bobbed. “Really lucky. Things could have been much worse. I don’t think we have anything other than maybe a couple bandages I was able to get from the resort. I can’t believe I was so careless.”

  “That piece of metal blended right in with the mud,” I said. “There wasn’t anything you could have done differently.”

  “Really?” Leah asked sharply. “You and Heather didn’t slice open your legs.”

  I looked down.

  “Sorry,” Leah said. “I’m mad at myself. Not you. I just don’t know what we’re going to do. We can’t stay here long. That big window makes me nervous.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned back in the chair. It squealed like a baby pig being pulled from its mother when I tipped too far back. I waved my arms wildly as I leaned forward to stop myself from tipping.

  They both ignored my clumsiness. I cleared my throat, pretending I hadn’t just nearly fell over.


  “Only one door in and out too,” I said.

  “Right,” Leah said sighing as she pulled the bottom of her pant leg up to her knee. Blood had already soaked through the gauze. “Dammit.”

  “We should go to my uncle’s place,” Heather said. “He could probably help you. Better than I can for sure.”

  Leah frowned. “What if I can’t make it that far?”

  My stomach twisted. Leah was tough. If she was questioning her ability to continue, well, then things were worse than she was letting on.

  “No one knows about the place,” Heather said. “If we can make it there, we’ll be safe.”

  I looked into Leah’s eyes. “What do you think?”

  She looked down at her leg and then back at me. I thought she was going to give me the answer but she just shook her head.

  We never thought we’d be with anyone else again, yet here we were with Heather. And not only that but Heather wanted us to go join her uncle.

  How could we trust her? After everything we’d gone through, how could we trust anyone?

  Heather could have kept what was in her bag a secret. She didn’t have to help Leah but she did.

  “I should change your bandage,” Heather said.

  Leah nodded.

  I watched as Heather carefully removed the gauze, applied an antibiotic foam, and then wrapped her up again. She was careful. Delicate.

  “You’re really good at that,” I said.

  “My mom was a good teacher. She wanted me to be a nurse too,” Heather said closing up her bag. “It was my parent's plan for me but then this all happened. My mom helped people after everything. My dad too. They were good people. I miss them.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I miss my parents too.”

  Heather quickly wiped away a tear. “I don’t like to think about it too much. It’s easier when I don’t.”

  “I get it,” I said.

  I could relate. Of course, I didn’t bother to tell Heather that my father was murdered in front of me. The feelings were still probably very similar.

  “We should go,” Leah said getting to her feet. “I don’t like it here. We need to find somewhere else and put in a few more miles.”

  “A few more miles?” I looked down at her leg. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure as hell going to try.” Leah smiled. “Hell, if I’m going to let a little scratch stop me.”

  We didn’t walk for long before we came upon a small shed. There were a few hours before it would be too dark to walk but we stopped anyway. I could tell Leah was struggling but I yawned and said I needed to rest.

  It wasn’t a lie. I did need to sleep. But stopping in the shed wasn’t going to help me get any sleep. I wasn’t sure if anything ever would.

  During the night, Leah was resting on my shoulder. Her entire body vibrated against mine.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Leah’s teeth chattered. “I’m so cold.”

  9

  Stevie

  I dropped down to my knees and put my hands on his chest. I had no idea what I was doing but I kept touching his warm body.

  Gage leaped over his legs and was on the other side in seconds. He lightly shook his body. “Mr. Quinn… Jake. Are you okay?”

  He took his limp hand and held it, his fingertips moving around his wrist.

  “He has a pulse,” Gage said.

  “I’ll get Kieran,” Shawn said.

  His loud footsteps echoed as he ran through the house. I lightly tapped my palm to Jake’s cheek.

  “Wake up, Jake,” I begged. “Please, wake up.”

  The man’s eyelids fluttered. He groaned as he tried to open them but they barely budged.

  “Jake!” I said. “Hey, we’re here, okay?”

  “I’ll get him some water,” Gage said hopping over him again.

  “What happened?” I asked keeping my hand on Jake’s shoulder.

  Jake tried to speak but he couldn’t find his voice. Gage returned with the water and we helped him take a small drink.

  Kieran came into the room with Shawn behind her. She was soaked and out of breath.

  “Oh, Mr. Quinn,” she said taking his hand into hers. “What happened?”

  Jake cleared his throat. “Let me get up.”

  There was no way he’d be able to get to his feet on his own. Of course, Jake Quinn wasn’t the type of guy that would ask for help.

  Kieran and I helped him to the bed. He laid down and gripped his chest. Jake controlled his breathing.

  “Oh, Mr. Quinn,” Kieran said with worry stretching her face. “Please, tell me what happened.”

  “It’s my damn heart,” Jake said. “I need my medicine.”

  I looked down at my feet.

  “Every day has been getting harder,” Jake said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Kieran asked.

  Jake grinned. “Oh, I wasn’t going to bother you with my nonsense.”

  “Your heart issue isn’t nonsense,” Kieran said. “Is that all that’s been bothering you?”

  “I’ve been retaining water. My legs are swelling,” Jake said. “My pulse is low but none of it really bothers me. Just takes me by surprise if I get up too fast.”

  “I’ll see if I can find anything that might help with those things,” Kieran said squeezing his hand. “Can I get you anything else?”

  Jake’s eyes brightened. “I like that flatbread you make.”

  “I might have some left,” Kieran said as she stood and made her way to the door. She stopped, flashing a smile over her shoulder. “And if I don’t, I’ll make a special batch just for you.”

  Jake’s cheeks reddened a pinch. He cleared his throat and put his normal scowl back on before anyone else noticed.

  Shawn met my eyes before leaving the room. It was his way of letting me know that he’d be escorting Kieran back to our house.

  “You’re all making me nervous hovering around like pesky mosquitos.” Jake waved his left hand in the air. “Go on about your business.”

  “We’re just worried about you,” I said.

  “No one needs to worry about me,” Jake said.

  I touched the back of his hand before jerking my chin toward the door. Everyone scuttled out of the room.

  “I’m going to have someone sitting at your window whether you like it or not,” I said quickly holding up my hand so he couldn’t argue. “Just until you’re back on your feet.”

  “I’ll be good again in no time,” Jake said.

  “I know you will,” I said. “Until then, someone will be at the window.”

  I didn’t bother to tell him I was going to check on him as often as I could. It would just make him angry.

  On the way back to the house, I thought about how badly Jake needed his medicine. Hell, he probably needed to be seen by an actual doctor but that obviously wasn’t an option.

  Kieran stepped out of the front door when she saw me. “Stevie, I’m going to stay with Jake.”

  “I’m not super comfortable with that,” I said noticing the small bag over her shoulder. “And what about Lucy? We need you here.”

  “I’ll come back often,” Kieran said. “But someone needs to be there with him… just in case. We’ll sleep in the basement. There’s a sofa down there and I’ll sleep on the cot.”

  I opened my mouth but she held up a finger.

  “Don’t argue. I’ve already spoken with Lucy about it,” Kieran said.

  It wasn’t like she had much time to talk with Lucy. She probably told Lucy what the situation would be. There likely wasn’t any discussion on the matter, much like she wasn’t allowing me to have.

  “We’ll be safer that way,” Kieran said.

  “What if something does happen?” I asked crossing my arms.

  Kieran cocked her head to the side. “I’ll do the best I can to help him. He’s a good man, Stevie and we all need more men like him.”

  I couldn’t argue with her. Jake Quinn was on the grumpy side but he was e
asily a good guy. He would have done anything to help us. In fact, he had tried, and he barely even knew us.

  “I’ll be back to make all the meals,” Kieran said. “Staying with him won’t get in the way of my duties.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’m doing it whether or not you like it or he likes it,” Kieran said. “And I’m sure we both can guess what he’s going to say when I tell him the news.”

  I smiled at the thought. “Well, if you think it’s for the best, then I trust your judgment.”

  “You do?” she asked.

  “Shouldn’t I?”

  “You definitely should but I know you haven’t been thrilled with me since the day my husband left,” Kieran said.

  I waved my hand. It was a topic I definitely didn’t want to discuss. As far as I was concerned, Kieran likely shot or chased off her husband with the gun. One way or another, she was responsible for whatever had happened to him out there.

  At the same time, I couldn’t blame her after what he’d done.

  “We don’t need to talk about that,” I said.

  “Okay, then,” Kieran said. “It’s settled. I’ll be staying with Jake and if anyone needs me, you let them know where I’ll be. I’m sure Lucy blabbed it to anyone that would listen already.”

  “Good luck,” I said.

  She shook her head. “Oh, honey, I’m going to need a lot more than luck.”

  I chuckled as she jogged past me down the road. I watched until she safely arrived at Jake’s house.

  Shawn stepped out onto the porch and gestured for me to come inside. “Stevie!”

  “We have to do something,” I said barely turning.

  “What?” he said stepping up beside me.

  Either he hadn’t heard me, or he was worried about what I was about to suggest. “I have to try to find his medicine.”

  10

  Joss

  I stepped up beside Jenna and placed my hand on top of her arm. A long breath escaped between my lips as I pressed down, forcing her to lower the weapon.

  “We’re not going to kill you,” I said.