I settle the clay-caked body down inside of my bedroom, still not entirely sure how I managed to bring it back and sneak it in as silently as I did, but I guess the wrath of Lils is enough to make me an expert at being stealthy.
“I’m going to get some warm water and try to get the rest of this off of you, okay?” I say to the woman. She blinks rapidly a few times, and I nod. I appreciate that she’s not using her voice. Lils bedroom is next to mine, and she’s heard mice running through dry thunderstorms before.
I open the door quietly and peer out into the darkness, raking a hand back through my hair before I decide it’s safe enough to head into the cafeteria.
And I almost make it too.
“Where did you go?” comes the accusing tone of the five-year-old girl.
“Shhh,” I warn, placing a finger to my lips.
If she wakes up everyone in this place, then it’ll be a pain in the ass to help the clay lady. I extend a hand toward her, which she dutifully takes, and we walk in silence to the cafeteria. Once inside, Lils flips the switches on the wall and the entire semi-empty room illuminates.
“Colby,” she scolds me as I start walking toward the large pots and pans sitting on the elongated metal table. “Where did you go?”
“Just for a walk, Lils,” I reply with a shrug as I settle on a medium-sized pot and carry it toward the rows of sinks. “I found something too.” I continue cautiously, “wanna help me clean it up?”
The little girl, whose face was just now flushed with anger, gives me a big smile as her feet begin to do a little dance along the dirty cafeteria floor.
I grin at her. Making Lils happy isn’t a difficult thing; keeping her safe is.
“What did you find?” she asks me eagerly, and I can’t help but laugh. Children are the most precious commodity in this decaying world. Still so full of innocence and hope; all the things that died so many years ago.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think we can get the clay off if we’re careful,” I tell her truthfully.
“Clay?” she echoes, wrinkling her nose.
“Do me a favor? Go grab some towels from the rack in the storage room and meet me in the hallway, okay?” I instruct her, jutting my chin in the direction I want her to go.
Lils takes off toward the back of the room, gathering as many towels as she can carry. I should admonish her for being wasteful because I have a feeling if we use all of them, we’ll be out of towels for the next few months. However, she’s doing her best to help, so I bite back my words, head into the hallway, and lean against the wall, holding the heavy pot in my hands.
“Ready!” she tells me in an excited voice as she attempts to brush her hair out of her eyes. I hush her up one final time with a smile on my face as I shake my head and lead the way back to my bedroom.
* * *
“I can do it,” Lils insists about forty-give minutes later when we’ve unsuccessfully attempted to remove all the clay. Her tongue is poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, her brow is furrowed, and she’s got little beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her precious face.
“Lillian,” I say to her softly as I rest a hand on her forearm. “We have to stop or we’re going to hurt her.”
She lets out a huff as she drops her fifth towel into her lap, then looks up at me with a pout on her face.
“Thank you,” comes the weak reply, and we both look up at her. We managed to free the restraint around her neck and chest, most of the compound around her arms, but her waist and legs aren’t budging.
“We can try again in the morning,” I offer sheepishly.
“It’s okay,” she tells us quietly before stifling a painful cough with her fist. She winces and I exchange a glance with Lils. How long has it been since she’s been able to move her arms?
“Are you hungry?” Lils asks, getting to her feet. “I still got some of my rabbit stew left over. You can have it if you want.”
I beam up at the little girl.
Always so goddamn selfless and willing to help others. My heart is going to be so full the day I get to claim her as my daughter.
A small nod, another wince of pain, and more dry words. “That would be nice, thank you.”
“I’ll be right back!” Lils exclaims as she turns on her heel and runs out of my room.
I hold up a hand to the woman, listening for the beating of Lil’s feet, until I can’t hear them anymore.
I bend a leg, wrapping my arms around my knee, and give her a questioning look. “You said Bevie did this to you?” I prod in a serious tone.
She nods.
“Why?”
“Pollyx.”
I wait expectantly for her to continue, feeling a slightly sick feeling starting to rise in my stomach.
“Her father. I think… I know they’ve been having immoral affairs on their outings. They both confessed it to me. She’s sick, my daughter. She wants my husband for her own.” She pauses briefly to rub her sore throat before she continues, “And the only way to get him to claim her as his wife was to get me out of the picture.”
I reach up and run my hands down my face before letting out a sigh and wrapping my arms around my knees again. “Why not just find her a husband?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Bevie is sick. No husband in their right mind would want that girl,” she says, coughing violently.
I ponder the thought.
Bevie is sick, but Mom told me I’m the cure. Me. Maybe I can make her better.
“What’s your name?” I ask the woman gently as I let the thoughts mull around in my mind.
“Heidi.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell her with a soft smile. “When daylight breaks, I’ll—” I stop talking instantly and raise a finger to my lips when I hear Lils running back toward us. She enters my room and almost has trouble stopping, so I reach up and grab her by her little hips to help.
“Can I feed you?” Lils asks her eagerly.
“Lillian,” I hiss quietly.
“That would be nice,” Heidi says to her.
Lils casts a superior glance in my direction before she shuffles forward, carefully places the bowl down, then sits and folds her legs underneath herself.
I scoot back a little to give them space, and Heidi as much privacy as I can, at having to be fed by a little girl.
My thoughts go back to Bevie.
In all of her mad beauty, I still think she would make the perfect wife for me.
Besides, if I can make her better, then I’ll know that Mom was right all along.