Water Read online

  Prologue

  A woman slides two children and most of her belongings into a battered pickup in the cold night air. The daughter moans, cuddling into the rough side of the faithful dog who lies curled up on the seat. Her son wakes up and watches in silence as his mother packs the rest of the vehicle. “Where are we going, mommy?” His small voice makes her turn quickly and press a finger to her well-formed lips.

  “Mommy is going to take us somewhere safe, alright, James.” The child nods, leaning back against his older sister and relaxing in the knowledge that his mother is taking care of them. She lays the last two bags in the back and ties them down with a well-worn rope. Climbing in, they sit there for a couple of minutes while she looks at the old cabin, with a hint of regret, before pulling away in a whine of tires scraping on the mud. A man staggers out on the porch, dropping his bottle onto the ground and attempting to chase the vehicle. His foot slips in the mud and he collapses, unconscious, in the puddle.

  Thirty miles away, a man trudges down the road with the rain spitting in his eyes. It had been two days since even a trucker had passed by in the lonely farming country. Food had consisted of the two granola bars stuck in his pocket - the last had been consumed by the morning fire. In the army, he’d survived on far less for a week, but it had nearly finished the reserves of strength in his body. Exhaustion and cold were also taking a toll on his body, since there had been rain for the past few days which prevented a good night’s rest.

  A truck came rushing by, ignoring his hand and throwing up gravel in his face, swerving towards him. Staggering back, the man’s foot slipped on the wet grass and slid violently to the right. His hand grasped wildly for something to catch hold of, closing on thin air. It threw his body backward down into the ditch, slamming his head onto a pile of sharp rock. He lay there hidden from the road’s view in the wet grass and mud.

  1

  A whine came from the back seat, making the weary mother nearly yell at her children. “Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom now!” Sighing heavily, she pulled it over to the side of the road and led the two of them leap out into the grass. She rubbed a hand over her eyes, smearing the makeup over her cheeks. Muttering underneath her breath, she climbed out to get in a back on the left side of the car. Two steps around the hood, her eyes were caught by the sight of a man lying in the ditch. Oh, my goodness. Not a dead body, please. I can’t call the police, he’ll find the children. Her mind was in a turmoil, struggling to make a decision. Hesitating for a moment, she slowly slid down beside him and placed two trembling fingers against the vein in his neck. He’s alive, what in heaven’s name shall I do with him? The ambulance will make us file a report. We can’t be found. But I can’t just leave him here. Maybe, we can just get him to the nearest hotel and drop him off to the manager. There were no other tangible options in her mind, so she began attempting to drag the man up the bank before giving up and sinking down onto the wet grass by his side. Can’t wake him up. It’ll just cause more problems, but he’s so heavy. There’s no way that I can get him up into the truck, even with the children’s help. Her children came bounding down next to her and looked at the unconscious man with wide eyes. “What are we going to do with him, mommy?”

  “Keep your voices down, children.” His hand moved attempting to reach for his head, then losing its ability halfway and collapsing back onto his chest.

  “Where...help…” He muttered as his eyes fluttered open and focused on the woman with a plea for help in them. I can’t leave him here. Not on this road, there hasn’t been another vehicle for miles. Besides, he looks so helpless. Her motherly instinct was fired up and her arms suddenly wrapped around him, assisting him into a sitting position.

  “Come on. Help me get you into the car.” Although he was still not entirely awake, the man struggled onto his feet and up the hill before losing most of his energy. “Don’t give up on me. Three more steps into the cab.” Another tremendous struggle and she let him fall back against the seat in exhaustion. “Alright, children, let’s get going before the storm reaches us.”

  “A’isha?” The words were breathed out in pain, but the blue eyes of the man were staring at her in recognition.

  “Ssshhh, now, just rest.” She used her calming voice to lull him into a state of unconsciousness before beginning to think about lodging for the night. We’ll need a place where there is a manager who won’t ask questions and an early checkout station. If I leave this man there, there can’t be a search for us until later in the day. As they passed through a small town just a couple miles down the road, the truck began to complain forcing her to pull over. It was overheated and from experience, she knew that it would not be ready to drive until morning.

  A young girl sat behind the hotel desk, her little hands wielding a pencil on a sheet of paper filled with mathematical figures. “Can I help you?” Her little voice barely reached the poor mother’s ear it was so low and quiet.

  “I need two rooms for the night. How much will that be?” A man suddenly tramped into view from the back, his breath reeking of alcohol.

  “Two rooms’ll be sixty bucks.” The woman sighed in distress before looking back out at the vehicle where her children and the man were sitting. Guess he won’t be too much trouble - need to be careful about the money. Can’t be spending it on a stranger without a cause.

  “Fine, we’ll have one.” She handed the cash to the man, taking the key before slowly walking back out to the car. Tears were stinging her eyes; this cost had set her back for a couple of weeks of food. The man was awake again, attempting to sit up before sinking back in pain. “Alright, big fella, let’s get you inside.” One step out onto the pavement and his leg buckled underneath him, sending them both to the ground. It brought back the humor into the situation for her and she began to laugh, before the tears streamed down her face. His face registered extreme confusion and made her laugh even harder. “Oh, children, help me.” Then the exhaustion just broke her and the tears flowed down her face, sobs shaking her shoulders. It’s too much. These children won’t survive without me. How could I just leave? Our lives may have been a hell on earth, but at least we had enough to survive on. I need help from somebody, anybody, even this stranger. He pulled her into an embrace, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder. They sat there for several minutes, the only sound was her sobbing low intermingled with moans of grief. Finally, she used his bulk to stand up before trying to help him up again.

  This time the man stood with his own strength, his head’s intense throbbing slowing down for the moment. Inside the hotel, the four of them went into the room before the questions began. “Who are you?” The woman began helping the children into dry clothes as she spoke, eyes avoiding his face.

  “Nobody of importance.” She saw a shadow cross his face and a panicked look came into his eyes for a brief moment. Oh, god, why can’t I remember? “I…uh…can’t remember, must have hit my head harder than I thought.”

  “You must remember something, anything to find your family?” The boy slid backwards off the bed and began to pull things out of the drawers with a mischievous smile.

  “I don’t remember a bloody thing.” The words fell on the room like a weight, silencing even the children.

  2

  It was midnight when the man was jolted awake to the sound of the window smashing as a rock flew through it. A large misshapen hand reached through the broken glass, aiming for the door handle. The man without a name stepped forward and brought his own broad hand firmly down on the wrist. It withdrew quickly, while a string of expletives broke the silence of the night. “Oh, goodness!” The woman joined him at the window, clinging to his arm tightly for protection. “That’s my ex-husband, he’ll kill us.” The children! It was the only conscious thought in her mind in the cha
os.

  “Not if I can help it.” As the door came swinging back against the wall, he stepped forward and met the intruder with an uppercut to the jaw. Two steps forward, following it up by jab in the chest with his massive elbow. Although the drunken man staggered back, he managed to hold his feet and swing wildly at the nameless protector. His fist connected harshly with the man’s jaw, sending him crashing back into the arms of the woman.

  “Wade!” Her scream sent the children scrambling under the bed in terror, followed closely by the dog with its tail between its legs and a whimper of fear. He can’t get the children! Wade looked at her with his weepy grey eyes which held such intense anger in them that it sent a chill down her spine. The man scrambled onto his feet and used his head to send Wade crashing to the floor. Gripping the inebriated man by the collar, he dragged him out into the rain and into the hotel lobby.

  “This man has been damaging your property, sir. I’d advise you to inform the police immediately.” The manager leaped to his feet, the stool following over in the violence of his shock. Without asking any other questions, he immediately grabbed the telephone off the hook and dialed the number. When he looked up from the desk, the only figure left was the unconscious form of Wade and a squealing of tires alerted him to the fact that the man had left.

  There was silence in the truck as it sped down the highway, the woman trembling and the children still sobbing in the back. He drove as a man possessed, eyes dead ahead and breathing hard before finally exploding. “What were you doing with a man like that? He’s a dog of a fellow, not fit for a…begging your pardon…woman like yourself.”

  “I…uh…it was long time ago before the war. Wade was a man with a vision, dreaming of traveling the world. But then…he was drafted and came back a wreck of a man. The children and I had moved on, thinking that he was dead. He showed up on the doorstep, drunk and angry. That was when I knew that it was over. Then the murder trial came up and they convicted him as an accessory. Three days ago, he showed up again. So, we ran. Were running when we found you.”

  “Let me help you, get away from him.” Their eyes met for a brief moment while she read the truth behind his word, saw into the clear blue guiles depths. This is a stranger you picked up on the side of the road. She began to talk to herself. You don’t know where he came from. But the children are safe because of him. Time to play it safe, let’s figure out his history before the children are hurt. Again, silence fell on the vehicle, the only sound the tires on the wet pavement.

  “Who are you?” The question made him tense as great sadness came into his eyes and nearly made him bow his head. I can’t remember a bloody thing. She must think that I’m some kind of vagrant, but something compelled her to help me. I’ll just be honest with her.

  “All I can remember so far is that I was in the British military somewhere in the east, a kind of desert. No family. Although…you remind me of someone. But, no name, sorry.” She listened with her head tilted toward his direction, analyzing him like a careful art dealer. Decently built with short cut brown hair and clear blue eyes, nothing to indicate a dangerous man. Even his tone had been respectful from the beginning, reassuring her that his character was a good one. She spoke on an impulse, suddenly moved by pity and a wild hope that it might compel him to defend them until the danger had passed.

  “May I call you, John? I had a brother who died of pneumonia whose name was John, he was like a father to me.”

  “Of course, thank you.” Why is she being so nice? I’m a perfect stranger who could be conning her into thinking that he lost his memory in order to murder her and the kids. Bugger! The vehicle began to complain, forcing him to pull it over and get out to check under the hood. Eager for freedom, the dog bounded out and disappeared into the field, despite the attempts of Amber to stop him. The man’s head throbbed, but he saw that the engine was shot beyond his powers.

  “John?” He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into her eyes, before being thrown into another world. Hot sand struck in his face and the sun beat down on his head, forcing him to his knees. In front of him sat a small house that was enveloped in flames with a woman holding a baby in the center. Her screams made the needles in his head stab further in his mind, hearing his name over and over. “John!” The sound brought him back, looking into the eyes of the woman beside him, rain running down her face. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine, it was just…” He stopped speaking as a vehicle pulled over, an old couple stepping out with concerned looks on their faces.

  “Can I help you, son? You have some car trouble?” John nodded as the husband walked over and took a look under the hood. “This truck isn’t going any further without a decent mechanic, but we could give you a lift to the next town to get a tow truck to come back.”

  “Are you sure that isn’t too much trouble?” The woman spoke, suddenly hopeful even in the icy drenching rain.

  “Oh, no, we’re always happy to help.” The wife stepped forward allowing the moon to light up her shiny white hair, giving the appearance of ethereal beauty. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Amber Waters, this is my…” She trailed off looking up at him, mind scrambling with words to describe their relationship.

  “I’m John, John Waters.” Both of the young people looked very uncomfortable, but thankfully their helpers had turned back to their car and didn’t notice the struggle going on behind them. John walked to the truck and lifted both children out, tenderly, as though they were fragile flowers. Amber watched, shivering in the freezing sheets of rain, but stubbornly trying to keep distance between her and the man who had just given these people the impression that they were married. How dare he? Wouldn’t friends have been sufficient? Could I have been mistaken about his character? Is he just trying to help? Conflicting thoughts ran through her head until they were in the safety of the suburban and speeding down the road.

  “You a military man, son?” The old man’s question threw John off for a moment, the reply crafted careful in the brief moment he took to smile.

  “Yes, sir. Left about a year ago to experience some of that freedom that I fought for over there.”

  “Rangers or marines?” A blank look met this inquiry, as the young man attempted to think of an answer without sounding like the amnesiac he was.

  “Neither, special forces.” The answer came in a flash of mental light as the shouting screams of the officer sounded closer than was comfortable in the vehicle. It also brought back the memory of a blonde woman with the title of “colonel” and an authoritative attitude. He remembered that she had broken him in along with about thirty other new recruits on the first day by sending them all underneath the barbed wire fence, then picking them off one by one with the blanks in the sniper rifle. Strange, the memories going back in time were readily available, but starting ten years ago it was a black abyss of nothing. The old couple let them off at the local hotel, waving as they pulled away.

  “You…can’t just tell people that I’m your wife!” Amber exploded the exhaustion overcoming her normally reserved exterior and letting out all the thoughts hidden behind the mask. Anger that she’d kept inside for so long was bursting out, as though through a leak in the dam of hidden emotions that had been her protection for years.

  “They were just driving us five miles, we’ll never see them again. We’re trying to avoid questions about your husband just now. It seemed like the best option to me…I’m sorry though if it upset you.” The final sentence froze the harsh retort on her lips. Never since she’d been over the age ten had a man apologized to her like this man was doing right now. She was already regretting her outburst, fearing he would strike her for the audacity she had shown. “It never occurred to me that you might have a problem with that.”

  “Let’s just get the kids back into a bed for the night, then we’ll talk.” She flashed him a tired smile before leading the way into the hotel lobby. What kind of man is this? He has the clothes of a vagrant, manners of a c
ity slicker, and skills that saved our lives. Maybe…he can get us away from Wade – once and for all. But I need to be sure. We can’t go through this again, the children don’t deserve a life like that. Once they were in the room, John lay the children in the bed – a sad look in his eyes as though there were memories that were haunting him. “John…you have to tell me who you are.” His head snapped back, eyes meeting hers in a pleading expression.

  “I can’t remember. All I know is that there was woman and a child, they died in a fire. I was in the special forces, no, wrong. I was also a detective for the military.”

  “Military Police?” She turned to get a drink from the small fridge in the room, using the back of a chair leg to open the bottle.

  “Yes.” For the first time since that morning, he was confident in his reply and strangely calm in knowing that was all he knew. He didn’t need to know more. Maybe, maybe he didn’t want to. It was war after all.

  “Then we trace your information by having someone scan your fingerprints or dental work.” She saw the pain pass across his face, then sank down in the chair. He doesn’t want to find out. What could have damaged him so bad that his own past is something to fear? Police…they are supposed to keep people like me safe…maybe, this once I’ve made a right decision. John leaned against the door, using the two fingers on his right hand to move the curtain to the side and peering out into the darkness. His entire body was tense, knees bent to resist any force that might attack him. “What?” Amber stood, making her way to his side suddenly aware of how tall he was.