Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 14

Never Heroes

Act I

XIV: Remedies

It was a pure miracle that Walter survived as long as he did. Two days passed without much incident. Even conversation was sparse. Together they traveled along the river until they came upon a small town, where they decided to rest. When they woke up to continue on, they found that between Chip and Walter's condition, they wouldn't have made it very far. Between the four of them, they only had enough for one night in the only motel in town, so the end result mean the second day was spent on the streets.

On that second day, Doug, feeling rather guilty about Walter and getting increasingly worried about Chip's constant vomiting, set out to find a hospital. No matter whom he asked, they all said there was no hospital within walking distance. Not a single one of them dared to offer this strange man a ride, either. Frustrated, the group decided to spend one more night there, even if it meant needing to sleep on the streets.

Fortunately, they found an alternative. A twenty-four hour laundry mat that never seemed to have an attendant provided a damn good spot to lie down and get some shut eye. By this point, everyone was so exhausted that any thoughts that tried to plague them were squashed the moment they closed their eyes. Only one person even entered the laundry mat, and they appeared to not be all that concerned about a few outsiders sleeping there.

Still, they had to keep moving. Once day broke, all four got ready to move out. Chip, whose strength was slowly leaving him, needed to let out another round of stomach fluid, so he rushed out the doors before everyone else. Concerned, Emily followed him. Doug and Walter watched through the window as his body recoiled with each attempt to vomit, although very little came out.

Doug, apparently uninterested in continuing the spectacle, made his way toward the public restroom that was there. Walter made the choice to stay in the laundry mat and wait for Doug. It would be a bad idea to leave him alone.

The TV that played endlessly was giving out the local county's morning news and the weather report caught his attention. They needed to know what kind of conditions they would need to face. A high chance of rain with strong winds were forecast for the next week - not exactly what he wanted to hear. The weather changed to the top headline that morning.

"A local deputy's body was found in the brush last night, apparently having been shot to death..."

His mind stopped functioning. Of course Doug had to be successful at the only thing that would totally screw them over in the end. That was just their luck and that was just Doug's destiny. There was always the chance that it wasn't going to be linked back to them...

"The suspects include Walter Sebastian Ray..."

"You look tired."

A woman's voice broke his trance on the TV. Beside him stood a stranger about ten years older than him, her long brown hair done neatly in a bun, her thin lips lightly painted a faint pink, and her blue eyes never once making direct contact. Walter eyed her for a moment, convinced he knew her from somewhere but he wasn't sure where. A small smile threatened to appear on her lips, as though she could sense his misgivings.

He sighed. Of course he looked like complete and utter s**t. All the color in his body was gone and in its place a sickly pale hue had taken over. There was little doubt his hand was infected. The dirtied, bloodied bandages were so tattered they were barely holding on. A red rash peppered along his forearm and purple skin poked out from under the old gauze. The shoulder that had been shot failed to function properly. Shadows had formed underneath his eyes and stubble covered his face, making him appear much older and much dirtier. Food was scarce and he had barely eaten.

"It's been one helluva week, ma'am," his hoarse voice said. Not talking much had made doing so difficult. Afraid she would notice the news report and turn them in, Walter moved a few paces away from her and turned away. His ears focused on any movement she might make but heard nothing.

"Do you mind if I look at your injury?" she asked.

Walter jumped. Somehow, she'd sneaked up on him and was close enough that when she spoke, her voice tickled his ear. He spun around to face her, yet she still refused eye contact. So totally done with everything at that point, Walter didn't even care whether she looked or not. He held out his mangled hand and said, "Be my guest."

Gently she unwound the bandages, each layer being peeled back painfully slow. As she focused on his injury, he focused on her face, still convinced this was someone he'd met in the past. His eyes moved toward his hand once he felt the coolness of the air touch his swollen skin. Unable to stare at his ruined finger for long, his hazel orbs went back to her face.

"Um, not to be rude, but have we met?" he decided to ask.

The question was ignored. "There is an immediate need to heal this," she said.

"Uh, yeah. I know. Look... did we work together? Because not to sound like a creep but - "

He was silenced when her thumb was pressed against his forehead. All motor functions ceased. Each beat of his heart was heard like a pounding drum in his head; every new breath of air felt like new life entering his tired body. There was a moment in time in which every particle of dust that touched his skin felt like a rock. It was but a brief second, but it seemed as though it lasted a full minute.

When her thumb was removed, he gasped for air. It seemed impossible to properly fill his lungs up. It felt like he just recovered from drowning, and each sudden, sharp intake jolted his entire core. Strength left him and he collapsed to his knees. Shivering as a strange chill overtook his body, he held his torso and grimaced as the pain of the last few seconds finally left his body.

The woman joined him on the floor. On one knee, she bowed to him and said, "I apologize, Grand Master."

"It's... you... so that was real?" he said, finally able to speak again. Talking really hurt his throat and took a lot of oxygen. He swallowed, suddenly feeling weak, and realized tears and formed in his eyes from the immense ache his body had just suffered. Curious, he looked at his hand. While the damage was still there, the skin had been repaired and the infection was gone. s**t's officially weird, he thought to himself, unable to believe what he saw.

"I have spent the last few days trying to reach you. Unfortunately, things are complicated in my Kingdom right now. It has been difficult," she explained.

"That's alright," he said. Finally, his voice sounded even again. Still, he remained on the floor with her. Although he couldn't recall a single detail about her - except, maybe her name. Tahere, right? - he felt very comfortable near her. A sense of being protected washed over his being and he relaxed for the first time a long time.

Still not willing to give eye contact, she shook her head and said, "No, Grand Master. You are my priority. I will not leave your side again."

"Whoa, brought one of your escort girls all the way out here, huh?" Doug teased.

Walter shot him a look from the floor. A playful smirk was smeared across his friend's face as he watched the two kneeling in front of each other. It surprised both of them to hear Tahere say, "I remember you being a fool but not quite this irritating."

Confused, Doug could only, "Huh? Have we met?"

"Unfortunately," she said. Walter stood and motioned for her to follow; she did as he ordered. She said, "You need to be informed of the situation before we continue any further."

With that, they followed her out of the laundry mat. Chip was blessed with her healing powers as well, and a bit of strength returned to him. Regardless, they all needed food, so they pooled together enough money to get a bite to eat at the only restaurant in town. Concerned their faces would be recognized as the cop killers, Tahere told them not worry. Based on what she'd already shown, they decided to trust her.

Once seated, Walter spoke before she had the chance to say a word. "Hey, can you look me in the eyes occasionally? It kind of weirds me out that you don't."

"I cannot abide that request, per my Church's instructions," she said.

"Yeah, look lady, I'm not religious, so you can screw off with this church business. We just want to know what the flying crap is going on around here since apparently what we thought we were dreamin' was actually real," Doug said, essentially voicing everyone's thoughts but in a rather rude way.

Tahere's voice command their attention and respect. She explained, "The Church is essential to my being. It is almighty. My abilities are due to the Church's blessings. I must follow a strict doctrine, one which includes I follow all orders by the Grand Master, sans eye contact."

"But why?" Walter inquired.

"It is disrespectful, Grand Master. You are above me. I have no right to look at you that way," she said.

"And if you break this? Then what? They take your powers away?" he asked.

"My powers cannot be taken away. I would suffer retribution from God," she said.

"If I remember right, the Church is the most powerful organization where you come from. Heck, all laws, all changes of leadership, and even all marriages have to get the blessings of the Church," Chip said.

"Correct. You remember everything so well, but they do not. It appears as though the Church's powers over your memories were broken. The death of Sister Sarah must have been harsh for you," she said.

"It was harsh for all of us," Walter said for Chip. Everyone at the table nodded or mumbled in agreement. He asked, "So then, all of this he goes on about - about facing Interfector - all that's true then?"

"If you wish, I can take you back there," she said.

"Yes!"

"f**k no!"

The conflicting cries of Chip and Emily went unheard to her. She waited only for Walter's command. It took him a moment to realize this. When he did, he thought carefully about what that meant. It required a lot of trust and faith in this woman that was essentially a stranger to him. Yet he also knew that without understanding the past fully, he could in no way prep for their future.

With a strong, fierce, determined nod he said, "Okay. Show us."