B017GCC62O (R) by Michelle Horst Read Free Book Online Page B

been carrying in my heart. “Are they alive?” Tristan whispers.
    “Yes,” I snap, pushing past him. “You can help Adam. Carry Jack to the room.” I look around and spot Ian coming around the side of the house. “Ian!” I call and getting his attention I wave him over. “Come help me.” I look at Adam. “We’ll put them in the same room. I don’t think they should be separated.”
    There’s an urgency in the air as we all work together to get them into the room. Miss Ella has quickly yanked the bedding off, leaving only the sheets. When both Jack and Sophia are each on a bed we run to get our medical supplies.
    Ian leaves the four of us to do our thing. Miss Ella brings two buckets of water and I quickly wet a cloth. I start to clean the blood from Sophia, while Adam cleans Jack.
    There are thick smears of semen all over her body and it yanks a chunk of my heart out just thinking what she must’ve been through.
    We have to change the water four times before most of the blood is washed off. It’s just horrible! I start to cry silently when I see all her wounds now that the blood is coming off.
    We spend most of the day cleaning Sophia and Jack. Adam has medical training and I leave it to him to stitch the gash on Sophia’s leg. When Adam is done with Jack and Sophia, Miss Ella and I get clean sheets for the beds.
    I pull Jack up gently, careful of where I’m touching him. Miss Ella slides the sheet under his back. I let him down slowly and then pick up his legs so Miss Ella can pull the sheet all the way over the mattress. I cover him with a light sheet, knowing anything heavier will just hurt.
    We do the same with Sophia and then Miss Ella talks for the first time, “I’m going to go make some chicken soup. The children will need food when they wake up.” She rushes from the room and I know that she needs time to herself in the kitchen to deal with what just happened.
    Adam takes hold of my hand and he pulls me against his body. We hold each other a long while before he whispers, “Go clean yourself up. I’ll take the first shift.”
    I nod and leave in a hurry. I go straight to my room. I strip the clothes from my body and get under a hot shower. I let the water pelt me. I wish it could wash the horror from my soul.
    I scrub myself a few times, until my skin is glowing red. I move faster and faster, an urgency to get back to them building within me.
    As I dry my body, hot tears sneak out. I’m hurting for Jack and Sophia. How could those monsters be so cruel?
    I dress in some shorts and a t-shirt. I never wear shoes when we’re home. I tie my wet hair in a low ponytail and then run back to the room. As I walk into the room I can feel the heat. “Adam,” I touch his shoulder, “go shower. I’ll sit with them.”
    As Adam leaves the room I go to set the AC colder. Miss Ella must’ve brought clean water again. I dip a finger in the bucket and feel that it’s cool. I rinse a clean cloth and start with Sophia, wiping her down again. We’ve dealt with cases like this before. We’ve had one death where the girl was too far gone.
    I start to wipe softly over Jack’s chest and then moving the sheet away, I keep wiping him down. Now that all the blood is off I can see his wounds clearly. The part that’s been beaten the worst is his legs. They even whipped his groin area! Tears well in my eyes. I remember how gorgeous they looked on Thursday night, now they’re nothing but welts and bruises.
    Adam returns quickly, bringing an extra chair to the room. “I told Mama to phone Doc. We’re going to need antibiotics.”
    I can only nod. Doc is our town’s general practitioner. He’s older than the huge tree we have out front. He helps us where he can and that’s all that matters.
    Doc doesn’t take long to come. I hear him down the passage, “That’s four dates you owe me now, Ella.”
    “I don’t owe you a damn thing, old man! If you don’t want to help these people then leave!”
    They are