I could feel I was moving before I even opened my eyes. It was the gentle, swaying cadence of a car on the highway. Instead of coming awake slowly like I preferred I bolted upright in a panic. Kimber was driving and she didn’t look away from the road.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“No.”
“I was…“ I was starting to remember what had happened on the mountain. “I’m- I’m sorry.”
Kimber didn’t respond.
“Did I walk to the car?” I was sure I knew the answer, but hoped I was wrong.
“No. You were dragged to the car.” It was actually impressive that she could drag a full grown man through 200 yards of snow. I was constantly underestimating Kimber.
“Look…” I rubbed my face and realized my hands were like ice. I laid them over the heaters on the dashboard. “I mean, the good news is that Borrasca is gone and no one is suffering anymore.”
“No one?” She yelled. “Me. Me, Sam, I’m suffering!” Her voice was scratchy; it was obvious she had been crying, and judging by the current time, probably for hours.
“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” I said.
“You don’t fucking get it. If Borrasca is gone than that means my source lied. He lied. Not just about Borrasca, but about everything.”
“Yeah, K, but we knew that was always a possibility.”
“A possibility, yes, but I still had hope. Hope that he was right about everything. Hope that there was a chance Kyle would come back!”
“Look, we need to accept the facts, okay? Borrasca is gone, dismantled. It clearly hasn’t been there for years. So either your source doesn’t know actually know anything or he’s trying to trick you for some reason. But either way, Kimber: he’s lying to you.”
She slammed her hands on the steering wheel and openly sobbed.
“I’m sorry, K.” I said quietly. “I should have realized Borrasca was gone, with the town gone to shit and everything. Why did he even want us here, this guy? Who is he?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Kimber’s voice cracked.
“Yes it does; it sure as fuck matters to me. Who was your source, Kimber?”
She shook her head but said nothing.
“Goddamn it, Kimber why don’t you trust me? I was fully prepared to die at your side today but you still don’t trust me!”
“I trust you, Sam. I do. I know you would never intentionally hurt me. But you have completely given up on everything – your life, yourself, and on me. You’re irrational and unpredictable. If it was just my life at risk, I would tell you everything he told me. But this is about Kyle, too.”
“And what else did he tell you, Kimber? What other promises did he make?”
She shrugged and wiped the tears away from her face. “He said he had seen some medical records and that he could get them for me. Medical information for some of the Borrasca born babies in town, and my mom, and- and Kyle.”
