It was after midnight, although he wasn’t certain he never bothered wearing a watch anymore. The desert had cooled finally as he rode threw the seemingly closed up town of Needles. He needed gas and this one horse town had only one open station at this hour. Besides he’d needed to take a leak for over an hour. He parked the all black custom Harley in front of the pumps. The guy inside was asleep behind the glass enclosure.
Garret sauntered across the lot to the side of the building where the heads were located. Slowly turning the knob, only to find that it was locked; the same was true of the women’s bathroom. Just to the left of the building were two large blue metal trash dumpsters. “Hell I’ll take a leak over there” he thought heading in that direction when suddenly a small sound caught his attention.
He stopped, listening his hearing suddenly more acute these days. It was gone he heard nothing more then continued moving forward towards the dumpsters. Once again he heard the small sound. This time he didn’t stop realizing the sound was coming from behind the dumpster, but when he arrived he saw nothing.
With a quick look around in all directions he unbuttoned his jeans and began taking a leak. As he tucked in his business back into his jeans; he heard the sound again. Now in addition he could smell the pungent scent of blood. Odd he thought both the scent and the sound seemed to be coming from behind him.
He slowly turned his six foot three frame, his height allowing him to look over the side of the dumpster. His long jet black hair was pulled into a tight braid that hung to the middle of his strong shoulders. Wisps of escaped hair danced in his face. His turquoise blue eyes instantly fixed on the small object crouched in the far corner of the filthy dumpster. His nostrils flared just slightly at the smell of her blood.
This hell ride he’d been on the past few years had taught him a lot about human nature including his own. He had witnessed some truly horrible things and been a party to others. But even men like him had codes or lines that they never crossed. In the far corner of the dumpster was just another example of how cruel men could be once allowed to run wild.
This girl child was nine maybe ten, she had been badly beaten and probably worse he suspected. Her eyes danced wildly in their sockets, panicked and terrified understanding she had nowhere to run. He could see the defensive wounds even from this vantage point. She had fought like a tiger trying desperately to defend her innocent self.
Now broken naked and thrown away like useless garbage he wondered momentarily about the man or men that had put her here. He shook his head, returning him to the moment; his voice soft and soothing, dripping with his southern drawl. “I won’t hurt you” he said softly. “I’m going back over to my bike to get something to cover you up with. It’s the best I can do for now” he said walking away.
He wasn’t certain if she’d be there when he got back. He pumped his gas then silently rolled the bike over to the dumpster. He unrolled his sleeping bag suddenly realizing that she was most likely cold. He’d put her in the bag then figure out about the clothes later. “All right Darlin” he whispered softly extending his arms so he could lift her out.
A full minute passed with her wild eyes searching his face. He stood bone still letting her decide if he was good or bad. Her breath caught as she tried lifting her small battered body. His strong arms lifted her out setting her on the asphalt quickly wrapping the warm sleeping bag around her bruised and bloody body.
His mind raced and his anger mounted “what to do, what to do?” He fired up the bike fire bursting from her black pipes. He lifted the child carefully placing her in front of him on the bike. He remembered he’d passed a slew of motels a mile or so back. They looked old and empty which translated into cheap, which worked for his purposes. People in places like this tended to mind their own business.
He parked away from the front door and the prying eyes of the attendant. He left the child sitting there on the bike; still uncertain if she would be there when he returned. He booked a downstairs room at the back near the ice and soda machines. He pushed the bike with her on it to the empty spot in front of number 15.
He emptied a few things from his saddlebags then opened the door. She stepped into the dark room first he sensed her fear but she had resigned her self to this fate, whatever it might be. Turning on the light he could see her battered face more clearly. It was obvious that this small girl had been used as a punching bag in addition to everything else she endured.
Her skinny legs were stained with blood and dried semen. Likewise her face was stained by the rivers of tears she cried to no avail. “Looks like she’s all cried” out he thought, “who does this kind of shit to kids”. His mind was heading in a direction he knew it shouldn’t so he urged himself to focus on the present.
Garret laid the items in his arms onto the bed then slowly reached out his hand to her. She looked up at his face, her left eye was terribly swollen and beginning to close. Then she hung her head following him complacently. He led her to the bathroom turning on the shower until the water ran warm but not too hot. “Go ahead Darlin get in” he coaxed. As the warm water hit her, he could hear her behind the shower curtain. Wincing as she sucked air in because the water caused everything to sting terribly.
“There’s shampoo in little bottles and a little soap” he said as he passed her the dingy wash cloth. “I’m gonna go in the other room now. You just holler if you need anything” he said closing the door. She stayed in the shower for the better part of an hour. From time to time he heard her crying softly but left her alone believing that the tears would do her good.
A few minutes after the water stopped she came out her head and tiny body wrapped in the well used towels. On the chair near the bathroom door he’d placed a clean yellow t-shirt and a clean pair of white socks. For the moment that was the best he could do. “Those are for you to wear for now” he said. “Are you hungry Darlin? When’s the last time you ate something? He asked looking directly into her one brown eye. The other had turned black and was so swollen she could no longer open it.
In the white towel he could see that her ankles and wrists had been bound, the restraints leaving nasty marks as a reminder. Both of her lips were split and swollen and both cheeks were badly bruised. There were teeth marks in her right shoulder that were still oozing blood something he wanted to stop as soon as possible. There was a bruise the shape of a very large hand print on her neck. Garret was certain that beneath the soft white towel was more evidence of her pain.
She reached for the items on the chair then returned to the bathroom. She was a little thing he thought not certain about her age she just looked very small which led him to wonder who or what could and would do something like this to a child. When she stepped out of the bathroom in his t-shirt and socks a short laugh escaped his lips. “Sorry” he said meaning it. “You just look like you been swallowed up by my t-shirt.” It reached the floor covering her entirely “maybe that was a good thing at the moment” he thought.
She still hadn’t spoken to him but she did mange to nod her head at the second mention of food. Across the street was an all night hamburger joint. He told her to lock the door behind him that he’d be back with some food. He walked to the convenience store first where he picked up some antibiotic ointment, band aids and a handful of cold packs. On a rack near the door he spotted assorted flip flops, quickly sorting threw them he found a small purple pair. He bought a pad of paper and a pen and a silly white fuzzy looking thing, he hoped the girl would like. He added a couple of candy bars and he was done.
Next door he bought a six pack of cheeseburgers, two orders of fries and two orders of onion rings. Then added two hot dogs and two tacos because he hadn’t asked her what she liked. Three milks and a soda in every flavor later he was done. With everything in hand he could barely juggle it all but managed. He kicked at the door with his foot unable to get to his key without setting everything down. Four kicks later she meekly opened the door.
He set the food on the small round table in the corner of the room. “Come on, it’s time to eat” he said urging her to come and sit down. He laid it all out telling her to eat whatever she wanted and as much as she wanted. Something in the way she looked at him tore at his heart, a feeling not often experienced these days. He watched as she dug in for all she was worth barely chewing the bites.” Slow down there Darlin, no ones gonna take it from you I promise”. He admonished her wearing a big Texas grin.
He emptied the bag from the convenience store laying everything onto the dresser. He took the ice bucket the motel provided and went to fill it. She barely noticed his leaving or so he thought. The eating marathon went on for a good thirty minutes before she sat back in the chair. Looking at the empty food containers it was hard to believe that this little thing ate a hot dog, two taco’s, a complete order of fries, one cheeseburger which she scraped everything off before eating, then finished two milks and half a cola. Garret eventually finished the rest.
Her open eye tracked his every movement. He told her he was going to put some save on her wounds explaining that it was going to sting. He poured peroxide into the teeth marks on her small shoulder. Then added the ointment to the deep wound; finally covering it with a large band aid. She sat silently as he dressed each of the wounds he had seen earlier.
“Are there I cuts I haven’t seen” he asked softly. While she was eating he’d smelled fresh blood and saw a small amount of pink staining the back of the t-shirt. She nodded her brown head of hair now clean and dry. She pointed to her head and back. He searched threw the mass of hair finding several gashes in her scalp which he quietly tended to. Her back was an altogether different matter. It appeared someone had taken a strap or a belt to her back utilizing it like a whip allowing it to bite into her flesh with every strike. “What a fucking sadist” he thought, feeling the anger take hold, seizing him with all its might, before he could break free.
He knew it hurt her but she didn’t complain, cry or utter a single sound while he painstakingly cleaned each gash as gently as he possible. All the while he talked a blue streak about anything and everything, trying to keep her mind off the pain. It was nearly three am, now it was time for her to sleep, there would be time enough for talking tomorrow.
To Be Continued....
