He pulled the comforter off of her and noted how wide her eyes were, caught in a thousand yard stare. He could only imagine the terror she felt as she listened to her mother scream…at least, he assumed the older female was her mother.
Who could know for sure?
He coaxed the child off of the floor and he wanted to cry at the condition she was in.
Stinky had no idea what possessed him, but he threw caution to the wind. He scooped the child up and carried her to the bathroom.
He set the child carefully on the edge of the tub, her little filth covered feet inside, resting on the rubber flowers glued to the bottom. He rummaged through the bathroom and found a washrag. He turned on the sink and groaned when only a bubbling sound came from the faucet.
He stood up and stared at the back of the child’s head. “It’s okay, darlin’. There’s other sources.” He lifted the lid on the toilet tank and dipped the rag inside. He squeezed most of the water out and began at her head, softly working the chunks of dirt and filth from her scalp. He cringed as what little tufts of hair she had left came off with his gentle scrubbing.
“Some people look good bald.” He spoke softly and evenly as he continued to scrub her skin. “You’d be purdy either way.” He stiffened and looked cautiously at her. “Not that I…I mean….” He swallowed hard, unsure if she even understood him. “You do know that wasn’t me that hurt your momma, right?”
He leaned close and tried to look in her eyes. “I’d never do nothing like that. Ever.” He carefully wiped the months of filth from her skin. “I’m Trevor, by the way. That’s the name my ma gave me. That asshole that was here, he calls me Stinky, but you can call me whatever you want.”
He lifted her tiny hands and scrubbed the dirt from between her fingers and wiped her palms clean. He could feel a sadness forming deep in his chest that he couldn’t explain. Hell, he couldn’t explain why he’d spared this girl, much less anything else he’d done.
He continued to dip the rag in the toilet tank and wring it out in the bowl. Even in the darkness of the bathroom, he could tell that the water was nearly black.
He lifted each of her feet and scrubbed as much dirt from them as he could before scrubbing down her legs. He paused just above the kneecap and looked to her face. In the dim light of the moon, she still had that far away stare. He reached out and turned her little face to his. “I wanted to get you cleaned up and put some clothes on you, but…” He shook his head. “We don’t have to wash no further if you don’t…”
His words were met with a vacant stare. He pressed the rag into her hands. “Do you remember how to do it?”
He let go and her hands loosened, dropping the rag. He let a low groan escape then pulled her to her feet. “This ain’t nothing, okay? I’m just…we’re cleaning you up.”
He swiped gently at her skin then called it good enough. The child had been running around wearing an inch of dirt. A slight layer in her private parts wouldn’t kill her.
He lifted her frail little body from the edge of the tub and paused as he noticed the dark brown streaks running toward the drain. He shook his head as he carried her to the bedroom and set her gently on the mattress.
“Please tell me you got some clothes around here.” He looked at her, praying for some form of acknowledgement. He shrugged as he spun a slow circle. “Is this even your house?”
He pulled open the drawers and found various kid’s clothes. He held them up to the moonlit window and tried to guesstimate the size. “Sweetheart, I have no idea if these will fit. We’re just gonna have to try them.”
And so it was that Trevor Daniels spent the better part of the evening cleaning and dressing a ten-year-old infected girl. The entire time he couldn’t understand, or perhaps admit why. His rattled brain kept telling him that it was a wasted effort, but in his heart, he knew then what he had to do.
Chapter 10
Will Stanton inspected the section of wall that the men had cut out and approved of the footing they had poured. He found a man in the group that had worked one summer as a bricklayer’s apprentice; that was better than no experience at all, so he was put in charge.
“In this new world of ours, any work experience is a plus,” Will stated.
Hatcher nodded. “We’re lucky we have such a diverse group.”
“Definitely.” Will pushed his glasses up on his nose then turned to watch as the men installed the last of the solar panels. “We’re waiting on the concrete to set on the fence poles. In the meantime, we’re putting the solar panels into service.”
“Your progress is remarkable.” Hatcher was truly stunned at the pace the workers had set.
“Each man has his own motivating factor.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Most just want it to be over with so they can get on with living.”
Hatcher grunted. “Like there won’t be more work once this is done.” He turned and pointed to the strings laid out for the nursery. “You plan to use one of those arched greenhouses with plastic over it?”
Will nodded, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. “To begin with. I hope that we can construct a more permanent structure as time allows.”
“With the hydroponic thing?”
Will shook his head. “No, Mr. Hatcher, that will be a separate entity unto itself.” Will pointed at the far wall. “I’d like to construct it either along that wall or on the other side of it.”
Hatcher’s brows rose. “The other side?”
“We can either extend the wall or…” He
