worry. I'll come back and take care of her. That's too much work for a little girl like you. You just leave it all to me."
Another yawn. This time she didn't even bother to cover it. Instead she let her eyes drift shut.
"Stay here in the truck. I'll be right back." Adam left her half asleep and walked around to the back door. Another spring lock, cheap and easier to pop than the one at Darrin's place.
The stench of ammonia was worse inside. The woman and man didn’t stir. He walked down the hall, keeping his knife at the ready just in case, and entered the small second bedroom. Sally's room had no bed, just a mattress on the floor. There were a few toys, all well loved, and tons of drawings on every kind of paper imaginable: old newspaper, brown paper bags, wrapping paper, packaging. A KFC bucket was filled with crayons, their wrappers torn off, some worn down to tiny stubs.
A few plastic milk crates formed a pseudo-dresser. Beside them was a pink Hello Kitty backpack. Adam took it, shoving clothing, barrettes, a hairbrush, and a few Barbie dolls, coloring books and a handful of crayons inside. Then he added a pair of sneakers. He grabbed Sally's coat, pink fake fur, along with her blanket and pillow.
He'd get her new crayons tomorrow. No way in hell she was ever coming back here.
When he returned to the main room the man and woman were still sound asleep, one of them snoring. He walked past them, crunching a meth pipe beneath his foot. A pair of nice black leather cowboy boots stood beside the end table. Hanging from the back of one of the kitchen chairs was a matching leather motorcycle jacket with padded insulation. Adam slid the jacket on and tried the boots on for size. A little loose, but better than his sneakers.
He left the sneakers in their place. Then he raided the kitchen, using Sally's pillowcase as a bag. Other than the ingredients to cook meth, there wasn't much. But now with two mouths to feed, he'd need more than what was stashed at the cave. He grabbed a box of instant oatmeal, a few cans of soup, Pop Tarts, and some Girl Scout cookies he found in the freezer. In the freezer he also found a wad of cash wrapped up in rubber bands. He took that as well as the two sets of car keys hanging from a hook beside the front door.
He opened all the doors and windows before grabbing his stash. Feeling like Santa Claus with everything bundled up in Sally's pink blanket, he returned to the truck. Sally was still asleep, but she smiled and squeezed his finger when he took her hand. Nice and warm and pink. Just the way it should be.
He hoped like hell it was cold enough to freeze the fish he left behind.
Chapter 7
Adam woke to a finger wiggling in his ear. It tickled. Then came a little girl's giggle. She removed the finger and patted his face like a blind person. It was dark enough in the cave she probably felt blind.
He smiled beneath her palm. She giggled again. Adam flicked on the flashlight—the tiny LED one so it wouldn't fill the room with shocking light—and handed it to her. Bright streams edged in blue danced through the darkness above them.
The pink blanket jostled from his body as he sat up. He wrapped it around Sally's shoulders. "Good morning."
She bounced, excited by the play of light. "Hey, Adam," she sang out, as if she woke up next to strangers everyday. Given what he'd seen in the trailer, maybe she did. She turned, the light held between them so he could see her face. "Where's the potty?"
Whoops. Hadn't really planned for that. Not with a little girl in mind, anyway. He hastily converted a bucket into a makeshift toilet for her in a far corner of the cave, behind a rock formation for privacy. She didn't complain about the primitive conditions, but Adam felt embarrassed. Now that he had cash, he could do better. He began a shopping list.
They ate breakfast outside, listening to the weather radio and watching squirrels chase themselves through the trees. Sally clapped and
Another yawn. This time she didn't even bother to cover it. Instead she let her eyes drift shut.
"Stay here in the truck. I'll be right back." Adam left her half asleep and walked around to the back door. Another spring lock, cheap and easier to pop than the one at Darrin's place.
The stench of ammonia was worse inside. The woman and man didn’t stir. He walked down the hall, keeping his knife at the ready just in case, and entered the small second bedroom. Sally's room had no bed, just a mattress on the floor. There were a few toys, all well loved, and tons of drawings on every kind of paper imaginable: old newspaper, brown paper bags, wrapping paper, packaging. A KFC bucket was filled with crayons, their wrappers torn off, some worn down to tiny stubs.
A few plastic milk crates formed a pseudo-dresser. Beside them was a pink Hello Kitty backpack. Adam took it, shoving clothing, barrettes, a hairbrush, and a few Barbie dolls, coloring books and a handful of crayons inside. Then he added a pair of sneakers. He grabbed Sally's coat, pink fake fur, along with her blanket and pillow.
He'd get her new crayons tomorrow. No way in hell she was ever coming back here.
When he returned to the main room the man and woman were still sound asleep, one of them snoring. He walked past them, crunching a meth pipe beneath his foot. A pair of nice black leather cowboy boots stood beside the end table. Hanging from the back of one of the kitchen chairs was a matching leather motorcycle jacket with padded insulation. Adam slid the jacket on and tried the boots on for size. A little loose, but better than his sneakers.
He left the sneakers in their place. Then he raided the kitchen, using Sally's pillowcase as a bag. Other than the ingredients to cook meth, there wasn't much. But now with two mouths to feed, he'd need more than what was stashed at the cave. He grabbed a box of instant oatmeal, a few cans of soup, Pop Tarts, and some Girl Scout cookies he found in the freezer. In the freezer he also found a wad of cash wrapped up in rubber bands. He took that as well as the two sets of car keys hanging from a hook beside the front door.
He opened all the doors and windows before grabbing his stash. Feeling like Santa Claus with everything bundled up in Sally's pink blanket, he returned to the truck. Sally was still asleep, but she smiled and squeezed his finger when he took her hand. Nice and warm and pink. Just the way it should be.
He hoped like hell it was cold enough to freeze the fish he left behind.
Chapter 7
Adam woke to a finger wiggling in his ear. It tickled. Then came a little girl's giggle. She removed the finger and patted his face like a blind person. It was dark enough in the cave she probably felt blind.
He smiled beneath her palm. She giggled again. Adam flicked on the flashlight—the tiny LED one so it wouldn't fill the room with shocking light—and handed it to her. Bright streams edged in blue danced through the darkness above them.
The pink blanket jostled from his body as he sat up. He wrapped it around Sally's shoulders. "Good morning."
She bounced, excited by the play of light. "Hey, Adam," she sang out, as if she woke up next to strangers everyday. Given what he'd seen in the trailer, maybe she did. She turned, the light held between them so he could see her face. "Where's the potty?"
Whoops. Hadn't really planned for that. Not with a little girl in mind, anyway. He hastily converted a bucket into a makeshift toilet for her in a far corner of the cave, behind a rock formation for privacy. She didn't complain about the primitive conditions, but Adam felt embarrassed. Now that he had cash, he could do better. He began a shopping list.
They ate breakfast outside, listening to the weather radio and watching squirrels chase themselves through the trees. Sally clapped and
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