The Runaways

Chapter Eight - Someone Has some Explaining To Do

"REMY!"
"REMY!" I call as me and Corban run up to him and Reece. We've all been sprinting for almost twenty minutes now. I feel like I'm gonna puke or pass out or both. My chest hurts and it's hard to breathe. Corban doesn't look to good either. Remington and Reece stopped a few yards ahead did us in the middle of a field. Remington was lying on his back panting while Reece paced around with her hands on her head as she tried to get in air.
"REMINGTON!" I yell as I stand over him panting, "What the hell-- was that? What did you do?"
"They got the wrong guy... I've never associated with those dickbags," Remington pants.
"OH BS!" I exclaim.
"Elias shut up!" Corban whisper yelled.
"They're gonna hear you!" Reece added in a horrified voice as tears streamed down her face.
"They know your name Remington! I'm pretty sure it's you! Now cut the bullcrap and tell me the truth!" I scold. "I'm sick and tired of your lies! TELL US THE FUCKING TRUTH!"
"Alright! Alright! Fine, I made a trade deal with one of them ONE TIME alright, maybe I didn't exactly pull threw with what they paid me to do but--"
"YOU WHAT?!" I exclaim.
"You... You worked for them?" Corban asked as his panting began to simmer down.
Reece stares at Remington with a heartbroken gaze as tears stream down her face, her eyes reflect off a look of pure fear.
"Look guys it was one trade--"
"You helped them... Do you have any idea how much I've had to run from them as a kid?!" I ask after cutting him off.
"I needed the money okay? It was one small trade, I hadn't eaten in days it was the dead of winter I needed the money okay? I'm sorry. It was years ago I haven't made a deal with them since alright? Believe me I wouldn't want to help them anymore than you would." Remington says this while staring me in the eye, he looks sincere and serious, a rare sight to see from him.
Something about this situation still doesn't feel right to me.
"How could she recognize you so well then? If it was one small trade and it happened years ago? And how could she even know? Because I will be damned if she was the exact same person you made that trade with that day, the Syndicates have so many members so how could she--"
Before I can finish my sentence I watch as Corban lunges at both of us and pushes us to the ground. Threw the tall grass I look up and see lights coming from the forest. The Syndicates had managed to follow us.
Reece is still crying as we all lay still in the grass trying not to be seen, Corban is trying to calm her down but it's not working. Reece has to cover her face with both her arms to keep her sobs muffled. Something must've really set her off. The topic of Syndicates always makes Reece uneasy, as it should for anyone, but her reaction is more... panicky, than others.
"Reece," Remington whispers as nicely as possible, "Please you gotta try to keep it down,"
"Their... Their gonna... their gonna find me..." Reece whimpers as she sobs.
"Sh-sh-shush Reece it's okay, just stay quiet and we'll be okay," Corban whispers.
I look up again and watch as the lights begin to walk back in the direction of our camp, "I think their leaving, we just need to stay down for a bit and we'll be fine,"
Reece looks up at me as she swallows down her sob staring at me with a worried look, "Are you sure..?"
"Yeah their heading back the way we came," I whisper.
"See," Remington says as he puts a hand on her shoulder, "We'll be okay kid,"
Reece nods and wipes her face as she begins to settle down while we lay in the grass for a bit longer. It's weird when someone in the group cries or starts panicking like that. It's usually just Reece and Corban, but I'm not afraid to admit I've been caught crying myself too. It's awkward for everyone and since we more see each other as coworkers or something like that comforting each other isn't what we're best at.
I've never seen Remington cry though, well at least when he's sober. I've never actually seen him cry about something serious or while in a serious situation. And putting that along with some of his other self destructive traits really makes me think, how disconnected is he from his own emotions and morals. Because to me, it seems his connection is long gone.
"What are we gonna do for tonight?" Corban asks as he fiddled with a piece of grass in between his fingers.
"Yeah, what about camp? Are we gonna go back?" Reece sniffles.
I shrug and look over to Remington. He usually is the one to make decisions.
"Well we obviously can't go back yet and we can't sleep out here in the middle of nowhere..." Remington paused as he thinks, he then stands up and looks around before crouching back down in the grass with us, "It looks like there's a small town just west of here, maybe we can find a place to camp out for a night or two. Worst comes to worst we break in and tie the owner up and stay there for a bit before hi-tailing-it back to camp,"
"What if we break into the wrong house, what if there's more people there than we thought, what about if there's kids what--"
"Corban, listen," Remington says as he cuts him off, "I just stole a gun off of one of those Syndies' it's better than that crap pistol I've been carrying around plus we've got amo left in it too, with this thing we can't be beat by some family of four."
"He has a point," I add, "Plus I'm exhausted  and I wouldn't mind sleeping indoors for a change,"
"Yeah, that'd be nice." Reece whispers.
"Alright, than into town we go," Remington says as he stands up and begins leading the way over to the small town across the field.