Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

really happened to your parents, son? Seems to me they wouldn’t have gone to a show, knowin’ the world was fallin’ apart.”
    Mason’s cheeks filled with blood. “You figured that out, huh?”
    “Took me longer than normal, but yes. Cop, remember?”
    Pulling out a crushed cigarette, Mason stuck it between his lips. “They did head into town, like I said. But, it was early mornin’, right after the President’s news conference. They decided to go get extra food and water so we could head back to Santa Fe. I didn’t go because I was too busy puking. The altitude sickness part was true. Sorry about your wife. Really. I wanted to help, but I was too scared. After it all went down, I thought, you know, you’d need some time to grieve before I let you know I was here.”
    Cooper felt a twinge of sadness for the kid. He was a grown man, pushing hard on sixty’s door, and he was well past the point of sanity. Mason was just a boy, really, so he couldn’t blame him for being scared. “Well, I’ve got two rules you’ll need to follow while we make this trip. One, no smokin’ unless you roll the window down. That rule changes if any of those things are around.  Then, the window stays shut, and smokin’ ain’t allowed.”
    “And the second?”
    “Don’t ever lie to me again. I’ve got a feelin’ we’re gonna run into some major shit as we get closer to big cities. I need to know I can trust you. Liars can’t be trusted.”
    Mason nodded and smiled. “Done. Listen, thanks for not freaking out and kicking me to the curb. Or taking me to task for not helping. Sorry I’m such a wuss. Computer nerd, you know?”
    Cooper returned the smile. “Break one of the rules, and I will. Now, stop yappin’ and keep quiet, Geek Squad. I’ve gotta concentrate on drivin’.”
    Mason chuckled. “I’ve had worse nicknames. Call me whatever you want, I don’t care. At least we’re both still alive to speak, and hear.”
    Cooper didn’t respond and just kept driving. The question is, Geek Squad, for how long?
     

NEXT STEPS - Monday, December 22 nd   – 6:15 a.m. – Central Standard Time
     
    Reed Newberry awoke to the sounds of an argument. Though the two grumbling voices were barely above a whisper, he heard the anger and fear in both. Before opening his eyes, Reed listened long enough to determine Turner and Jesse were in the midst of a heated conversation.
    “You can’t do that again, Jesse. Ever. It’s too dangerous to go outside alone. You should’ve woke me up.”
    “Turner, I’ve already apologized twice and promised not to do it again. Besides, I wasn’t alone. Shaun was with me.”
    “Only because he followed you! When you left, you thought you were alone.”
    “That’s enough. Forgive me for not thinkin’ straight! You didn’t see your mother kill herself in front of your eyes. I did. Would’ve been hard enough to handle under normal circumstances. We ain’t anywhere near close to normal anymore. Drop it, Turner.”
    “I won’t drop it! You’re right—we ain’t close to normal. What if one of those things was wanderin’ in the woods? Or you ran into some military thugs my dad said are lurkin’ outside? Shaun said you weren’t even armed! Look, I get why you’re upset. Really. And I’m so sorry about your mom. I can’t even begin to understand how you must feel. All I know is I don’t want to experience the same kind of pain from losin’ you.”
    Reed heard enough. After glancing over at Jane, who was still in deep sleep, he rose from the cot. It was time to intervene before Jesse snapped and woke everyone up from yelling at the boy. The cave was dark, illuminated by only a few candles strategically interspersed along the ground leading to and from the latrine. He wished they were scented because the cave reeked. He figured they were beeswax or some other non-toxic material. As careful as the Addisons’ were about everything else, he doubted they’d risk their lives by burning