“Exactly,” Wally said softly. “But…you know. What if?”
“Don’t.” Hank pushed himself across the floor of the cab and slid out to plant his feet on the track. “We can’t go down that road.”
“I know, but I’m just saying, what if?”
Trevor raised his voice. “If they were screaming and coming at you, you had every right to drop them where they stood.” The look in his eyes told both men that he believed every word. “Patricia, she ain’t like them.” He lowered his voice and turned his gaze back outside. “Neither was her mother.”
Hank turned and gave him a quizzical stare. “I thought you didn’t know her before all this?”
Trevor shook his head slowly. “I didn’t.” He swallowed hard and glanced back at Patricia. “I found her in a house. She was holed up with her folks. They were all Ragers…well…infected, anyway.” He lowered his eyes and ground his teeth. “Simon…he…” Trevor’s voice cracked as his mind replayed the events of that night.
“What happened, bro?” Wally asked, stepping closer.
“We were raiding houses. We noticed movement; Simon said we had to kill them.” Trevor stood straighter and squared his shoulders. “I found her in her room, hiding.” He glanced back at her. Either she wasn’t listening or didn’t understand his words. “She was so scared. She knew something bad was about to happen.”
“And?” Hank asked.
“I covered her with a blanket. Told her to be quiet.” Trevor sniffed back a tear. “Bless her little heart, she did exactly as I told her.”
“Simon killed her folks?” Wally’s voice was barely a whisper.
Trevor snorted a derisive laugh. “Hardly. I mean, yeah, he killed them. But not until he had his fun with the mom.” He swallowed hard again, the events threatening to shatter him. “He made me tie the mom up and he…he…” He looked away. “He did things to her that should never happen to anybody.”
Hank and Wally both stared wide-eyed, their minds not quite comprehending the brutality.
“When he was done, he shot her in the head. Finally put her out of her misery.” Trevor blew his breath out hard. “The first chance I got, I snuck back upstairs and saved her.” He glanced back at Patricia, who was still slowly spinning on the stool. “We’ve been together since.”
Hank looked at Wally and saw the big man’s eyes welling with tears. “But she…heard it all, didn’t she.”
Trevor nodded slowly. “I only pray that her mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening.”
Hank felt the rage rise within. “I’d love to get my hands on that son of a bitch right about now.”
Trevor nodded. “Me too.”
Wally nudged Hank’s shoulder. “I think we’re done here, man.”
Trevor turned and gave them both a crooked grin. “Just in time. The sun’s about to come up.”
“I guess we lucked out tonight.” Hank slapped the dirt from his hands. “I’m surprised we weren’t attacked.”
“Their numbers are thinning,” Trevor stated flatly. “They’re slowly starving.”
“Why do you say that?” Wally asked.
“When that Rager cornered us in the shop at the RV dealer? They all looked like skeletons with skin stretched over them.” He glanced to Patricia again. “I don’t know how she got them to stand down, but she did.”
Hank nodded in appreciation. “She’s pretty special.”
Trevor turned and clapped his hands at her. She slipped from the barstool and ran into his embrace. “You can say that again.” He looked to the pair as Patricia hugged him. “So if your guy in charge gives me any kind of grief about her, we’re just going to keep going. No looking back.”
Wally stepped closer and placed a large but gentle hand on the girl’s nearly bald head. “I can’t say that I blame you.”
Patricia looked up at the large black man and Wally gave her a toothy grin. “We won’t let nobody hurt you. I promise.”
Neither man could be sure if she understood or was simply parroting their actions, but she smiled back in return.
Chapter 11
Hatcher stood at the front gates, his eyes searching the horizon. “Are you sure they didn’t come back without checking in?”
The sentry shook his head. “We’re keeping that log like Candy said. If they had come back, somebody would have checked off their names.”
Hatcher sighed heavily, kicking himself for not even knowing which rooms Hank and Wally had taken. He kicked at the stones near his feet and swayed in the early morning chill. “Send somebody to get me if they come back, will ya?”
“To let you know they’re safe?”
“To chew their asses for not taking radios.” Hatcher turned and followed the scent of food. He really wanted coffee, but the ladies who worked the cafeteria had a way of making anything taste palatable; it was like magic.
He grabbed a tray and was scooped out some powdered eggs, now scrambled. A hockey puck that looked like a biscuit was quickly drowned in instant gravy. “Did we bring this from our stores?”
The portly lady shook her head. “Most of it was already here. We’re saving the good stuff for later.”
Hatcher grabbed his coffee and took a seat near the entrance. He found himself leaning to the side to peer through the foyer to the main entrance. His stomach was in knots and he knew he wouldn’t be able to eat until he knew Hank and Wally’s fate.
He didn’t notice when Roger sat across from him and set his tray down. “I’ve never been one to do drugs, but I think I could mainline about half a pot of coffee.” He gave Hatcher a crooked smile. When the man failed to respond, Roger tapped the side of his mug. “Earth to Hatcher, come in.”
Hatcher gave him a confused look. “I’m sorry, man. We got a couple of guys who didn’t come back last night. I’m just worried.”
Roger took a drink of the coffee and nodded. “Who was it?”
“Hank and Wally.”
“Oh yeah. They’re working on that dozer that was left in the field across the way.” Roger grinned broadly. “You should see the crap
