Tainted Reality (The Rememdium Series Book 2) Read Free Page B

Regina almost laughed at the absurdity.
    Welcome to Walmart. Get in and hunker down as the world ends! That should be their new motto.
    Regina scanned the area. Very few cars were parked in the spots. Even without all the crazy shit happening, it would still be eerie to see the vast expanse of blacktop so empty. The only other time she’d seen so many available spaces was after the building suffered major damage from an F-3 tornado in 2003.
    “Mom?”
    “Yes?”
    Jesse leaned forward and peered out the window. “I think we’ll need to use the back bay door in automotive.”
    Regina slowed the Humvee down to a crawl. Following Jesse’s gaze, she honed in on the glass doors. Inside the first set were countless bodies in various states of dismemberment. A throng of at least fifteen creatures gathered around the pile, ripping and chomping their way through the bloody mess.
    Susie screamed.
    Regina’s heart skipped two beats when the ghoulish diners turned their attention to the noise. “Hush, Susie!” Regina whispered.
    Jesse climbed into the backseat and cradled the terrified girl in her arms, trying to quell her fears. The gesture didn’t work. Susie continued to scream at the top of her voice until Jesse clamped her hand over the girl’s mouth.
    Regina tromped on the gas pedal and jerked the wheel. Zigzagging through the parking lot, she headed for the back of the store.
    “Hurry, Mom! Look! Only one bay door is open!”
    Seconds later, Regina pulled into the spot, thankful all the other doors were shut and no one was inside. She jumped out of the Humvee and whispered, “Stay put.”
    In a few steps, she was at the bay door. As she grabbed the latch to pull the roll-up metal door down, Regina felt a cold shiver race up her spine. The sounds of feet running and the disgusting, mewling grumbles grew louder. Refusing to look and see how close the horde was, Regina focused all her attention on securing the bay door. The second it was shut, she stole a peek through the small, dirty window. Her mouth went dry when she saw the mob of dead less than twenty feet from the door.
    Spinning around, Regina eyed all the remaining doors. Though closed, they weren’t locked. She took off, head pounding and heart racing, until all the metal doors were sealed tight. While jogging back to the Humvee, the weird mixture of Jesse cooing gibberish to Susie and the primal gurgling of the dead made her head swim.
    Yanking the side door open, Regina latched onto Susie’s trembling arm. In a low voice, she whispered, “Susie? Susie! Look at me. Stop cryin’, we’re safe. I know this is terrifyin’, and believe me, I’m scared just like you. Now isn’t the time to fall apart. We’ve got to get inside and make sure others who are just as frightened have a safe place to go. Okay?”
    Susie clamped her eyes shut, her frail body shaking. Regina felt the tension in her muscles, the racing pulse. At the same time Susie’s eyes opened, so did her mouth, gulping in a huge intake of air.
    Regina knew what was coming next. She’d witnessed panic attacks happen to Jesse hundreds of times throughout the years. Over the din of the clanging, grunting monsters pounding on the metal doors, and the fear of any inside the building within hearing distance, Regina had no choice. She balled up her fist and caught Susie right under the chin, knocking her unconscious.
    “Glad you never did that to me when I freaked out,” Jesse muttered.
    “Always the comedienne. Stay here with her until I secure the waitin’ area inside.”
    Jesse’s eyes were wide and full of fear, her pale cheeks tinged in red. She nodded once and moved closer to Susie’s limp body, adjusting her head to a comfortable position against the backrest.
    Shutting the door after retrieving the rifle from the passenger seat, Regina mouthed I love you to Jesse then locked the doors. She had to force herself to calm down and control her labored breathing. Blood from the cut on her head