Simon glared at the man but he did shut the blinds. He marched back out to the living room. “Take my bike. Keys are in it. Go to the Cagers’ place and see if you can spot Stinky anywhere. Find that cow Donna and if his nose ain’t up her ass, get right back here. It’s almost dark.”
“You got it, boss.” Shooter bolted through the door leaving Simon to stew in his juices.
“I should have shot that bastard when I had the chance.” He kicked the ottoman over then fell into the recliner. “Where the hell is my bottle?”
Trevor lowered his head to peer out from under the bridge. He nudged Patricia. “Hey kiddo, it’s almost dark. You should probably wake up and eat something.”
He dug through his pack and pulled out a small canned ham. He pulled the tab on the top and peeled the lid off. He set it in front of her as he went for a can of peaches. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his trusty P51 can opener. He motioned toward the canned ham. “Go ahead kiddo. That’s for you.”
She continued to stare at him as he worked on opening the peaches. “Don’t tell me I’ve spoiled your appetite for meat by giving you canned fruit?” he chuckled to himself.
Once the lid was off, he set the peaches aside and picked up the ham. He waved it under her nose to let her get the scent. “Go ahead. It’s pretty good for canned meat.”
She followed the can, her nose working overtime sniffing it. He made a motion with his hand, hoping she would pick up on it. “Come on, Patty. Just stick your hand in there and pick it up.”
He sighed and pulled out his knife. He stabbed the cooked ham and lifted it from the can. The gelatinous goo dripped from the pink meat as he shook it off. He pulled the chunk of meat from his knife and held it out to her. She stared at him with wide eyes.
With a sigh he took her hand and opened her fingers. He placed the slippery ham in her grip and let go. She never broke eye contact with him as she slowly raised the meat to her mouth. Suddenly, her face changed. He watched her all but inhale the small chunk of pork. She licked the jelly from her fingers in a very unladylike manner.
Trevor reached for the can of peaches and held it out to her. She stared at him but made no move to reach for the fruit. Once again, he had to take her hand and wrap her fingers around the tin. “This is for you. Go ahead.”
She continued to hold the can and stare at him. Trevor fought a wave of frustration as she seemed painfully unaware. She could seem so smart at times; why would she not feed herself?
He was about to give up then realized she had been living with other Ragers. Maybe there was a hierarchy when it came to food and eating?
He pulled the can toward himself and pulled a sliced peach from it. He slipped it into his mouth then pushed the can closer to her. “Those are yours. I’m done.” He held his hands up and smiled at her. “Yum.”
She continued to stare at him blankly.
“Doggone it, Patricia. What do I have to do?” He took the can from her and pulled out a peach slice. He rubbed it against her lips and she quickly opened her mouth, snapping at the fruit in his hands.
Trevor yanked his hand back and stared at his digits. “No snapping like that, kiddo! You coulda bit me.” He handed her the can again and stuffed her fingers inside.
She stared at him then pulled her fingers out, licking them clean. He motioned to the peaches. “Come on, baby girl. Feed yourself.”
She slowly lowered her face to the can and drank greedily from the syrup inside. He watched her as she tilted the can and sucked the peaches out, chewing them slightly before swallowing.
“I know, it ain’t fireman liver or the heart of an Amway salesman, but trust me…you’re much less likely to get shot eating this than people.” He reached over and scruffed her head. He froze, having forgotten that she had no hair, but the look on her face brought a smile to his. “You like that?”
He reached out and scruffed her head again. Slowly, a crooked smile began to form on her face and Trevor wanted to cry out with joy. He scruffed her head again and she broke into a toothy grin. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “You just made me so happy.”
He pulled back from her and saw her smile again. He had to sniff back a tear as he pulled her close. “You’re pretty awesome, kid.” He scruffed her head again then hugged her. “Just like your old man.”
Chapter 13
Candy stepped beside Hatcher and poked him in the ribs. He jumped then turned on her. “You could just say hi.”
She nudged him with a smile. “It’s funner to watch you jump.”
Hatcher pulled his gloves off and turned to face her. “You want something or you just like being a pain in my ribs?”
“Both.” She handed him a clipboard. “Vic and I worked on it.”
“What’s this?” He held the clipboard out to read it better. “I don’t get it.”
“I had the list of newcomers and what they did before, so Vic and I went through our first group and found out what talents and interests they had. Then we put it all together.” She pointed to the list. “We put the people with military or police experience in this group. People who like to garden or farm in this group. Over here are the folks who like—”
“Yep. Got it.” Hatcher handed her back the clip board. “So what are you thinking?”
“We let people do what they do. We
