Along came Reid

12. Regrets

Three days passed before Barron was finally well enough to endure the journey from the 7th floor to the 1st. Even with his renewed mobility, he still walked with a soft limp and often took breaks between floors to rest. Rather than push him beyond his limits, Jamie allowed Barron to set the pace. Afterall, they were in no danger since the hotel was secure from any deaders courtesy of Reid.

As a final parting gift, Reid graciously annihilated every deader within the vicinity. Jamie wasn’t sure if she should feel grateful or horrified. When they made it to the hotel lobby, Jamie was met with the sea of corpses left by Reid.

Hundreds of bodies lay slain with only a walkway dividing the carnage. Presumably, the cleared path was Reid’s work too. Despite her resolve, Jamie found herself second guessing her decision. A humorless grin lifted her cheeks as she meandered along the cleared path.

Jamie considered herself to be a very decisive individual. Rarely did she ever second guess any of her decisions. However, where Reid was concerned, more often than not she found her resolve wavering. “I’m a wreck.” she murmured, glancing back to her furry companion.

Barron snorted and butt his head against her leg, egging her to keep moving. It was still early afternoon, but like him, Jamie just wanted to go home. “What are we going to tell the kids?” she breathed with a chest heaving sigh.

After several wrong turns down several streets, Jamie finally found her bearings and navigated back to her hideout. Despite the hours of thought, she still was at a loss as to what to tell Courtney and T.J. She was at even more of a loss when Courtney excitedly greeted her with open arms after she and Barron returned home.

“Jamie your back!” Courtney exclaimed, dropping the metal bat in his hand to squeeze her tightly. “What happened?”

“I-uh... I had a talk with Reid.”

“Yeah, he said you guys had a bad fight.” Courtney informed, sheepishly stepping away to rub the back of his neck with his hand.

Taken aback, Jamie blinked several times in surprise. “Reid was here?”

“Yeah.” he agreed in a softer, saddened voice. “He’s gone now. For good.”

“Did he say why?”

Courtney shook his head no. “No. He just said that you two had a disagreement. He said you’d keep us safe and that we should listen to you.”

“What else did he say?”

“That was about it. He left not too long ago.”

“Where’s TJ?” Jamie asked with a frown.

Courtney took a saddened deep breath, turning his head in the direction of their room. “TJ’s really upset. He’s in the room right now.”

Jamie’s heart sank at the news. Of course the boys would be hurt to see Reid go. Both of them looked up to him like a big brother. Even with her resolve, Jamie found herself yearning for his antics to lift the solemn mood. Such desires however were unhealthy.

The relationship Reid wanted was unhealthy. It was no different from a man lavishing his mistress with fine food and gifts. The thought of bartering her blood for favorable treatment and protection did not sit well with her.

“I’ll speak to him later.” Jamie sighed, walking toward the kitchen to grab a water. Barron hobbled past her towards TJ’s room. Knowing he’d go and comfort the distressed youth warmed her heart. “I need to talk with you first though.”

Courtney nodded and followed her into the kitchen. After grabbing her beverage. Jamie sat across from him at the kitchenette table. “Courtney, I’m going to need your help.”