Chapter 7

We left the chained up assholes to their own devices, except for a few dogs Carl called over to keep them company. Jane and Karen hadn't even looked out of the trailer that we knew about but they had a good start on breakfast by the time we were inside.

After we'd eaten, Carl and I decided we needed a nap. Casey said he wasn't sleepy so he stayed up with Jane and Karen while Carl and I found our beds. I slept about three hours and when I went back to Carls trailer he was up too, drinking a cup of coffee. I helped him for a couple of cups.

"Karen and I copied enough baloney for that bunch out there when you get ready to feed them," Jane said.

"Sorry, I should have told you before you went to the trouble. They're going to eat venison, or whatever else we can shoot for them," I said.

"It'll be more trouble for us to skin them out and cut 'em up than it will be to give them baloney," Karen said.

"They're going to do the skinning, cutting up, and cooking if they eat," I said. "All Carl and I are going to do is shoot it for 'em."

We went out to our guests then and I asked if any of them thought they could walk in the woods without making much racket.

"After last night I already know that most of you can't."

Two of them said they could so we unchained them.

"We're going to go see if we can get a couple of deer so you can have something to eat. We should be back in an hour or so," I said.

"I don't want to eat deer," one of them said.

"You don't have to. You can just eat shit after the others have eaten the deer if you'd rather," I said.

"You talk pretty tough with that rifle in your hands," he said.

"Well you ain't gonna be talking at all soon enough if you can't learn to keep your lips from flapping. I'm gonna teach you how to stop breathing altogether," I said, and hoped someone could tell him what I meant cause he looked way too stupid to figure it out for himself.

The two we took with us did a pretty good job in the woods and we were able to get two bucks soon enough. We hadn't taken any of the prisoner's knives from them and I was hopeful when I saw that both of theirs were skinning knives. We let them carry the game and when we got back I asked Casey to watch them while they skinned out the kills.

"Don't fuck up those hides while you're at it. If you do I'll take yours instead," I said.

"I told you I ain't about to eat no deer," the loud mouth said again.

I wondered what he was up to because I knew he wasn't getting a lot of prime rib around here. I didn't let it worry me though, I just went to my truck and got my whip, snapping it a couple of times on the way back.

"I wanted to go ahead and kill you but I decided I'd just whip you good and then work you to death later," I said, when I was in front of him.

I was about to lay into him with the whip when one of the guys skinning asked me if he could have a private word with me. I didn't see any need for it but decided that I wasn't all that anxious to whip a man that was tied up. I signaled him to follow me and we walked about thirty yards away from the other.

"Please don't whip Scotty mister. I know he sounds mean but he ain't really. The Mayor, and by the way thank you for killing that son of a bitch, had Scotty beat up bad when he first came around and he ain't right in the head now. They made Scotty do some awful stuff when he got over the beatin' but he ain't such a bad guy. He just needs someone that is decent to tell him what to do. The reason he doesn't want to eat the deer is because he keeps talkin' about Bambi and the evil hunters," he said.

"What's your name?"

"Jim Bob."

"I want to thank you Jim Bob, because I was about to do something that was just plain wrong. I'm trying not to get to be an asshole just because I'm here and I was about to take my first step anyway. We'll find something else for Scotty to eat," I said, and he went back to work on the deer while I went to talk to Scotty.

"What would you like to eat Scotty, since you don't want any venison?" I asked him.

"Oh, I don't mind venison, I just don't want to eat any deers," he said, and now that I was treating him like an actual person he didn't sound so surly.

"I was thinking you might like some baloney sandwiches and some beans, or maybe some ham and eggs."

"Do you really have baloney mister. I haven't had any baloney sandwiches in a long time. I'd really like that," he said.

"Well, Jane and Karen have a lot of baloney and if you ask them nice I'm sure they'll make you all the sandwiches you want. Do you want to go ask them?"

"I sure would mister and I'll be very nice, I promise," he said.

"I'll go see if they have time now and I'll come back and take you to see them if they do," I said, and walked to the trailer.

Carl, Casey, Jane, and Karen were all in the trailer when I got there. I started trying to explain myself about Scotty but when I mentioned his name Jane butted in.

"Do you mean that sorry bastard Mayor had poor Scotty in on the mess last night? If he did we need to go kill his ass again. You can turn Scotty loose and let him come get something to eat right now. I know him and he won't be any problem. In fact, I think we should try to keep him here even when we get rid of the others. Scotty could be a big help around here. We can't ask him to do anything that requires judgment, but if it is a simple or monotous task he'll be glad to do it," Jane siad.

I looked at Carl and he nodded in approval. Karen and Casey didn't have an opinion so I went to get Scotty. I released him from the chain and we went to the trailer.

Once we were inside Scotty recognized Carl and Jane right away. He told them how glad he was to see them and then asked Jane if he could go wash his hands before eating.

"Of course you can Scotty. Do you remember where the restroom is?" she asked.

"No Ma'am. I remember what it looks like but I don't remember where it is. Would you show me Beauty?" he asked Karen.

"Yes Scotty, come on, and you can call me Karen."

Karen came back right away and Scotty wasn't far behind her. Jane sat him down at the table and started filling him up with ham sandwiches. It was probably going to take a while. Scotty looked to be about six five and he probably weighed two-seventy or so. Some of it was a pretty good belly but not that much. He looked like he had plenty of muscle to carry that weight.

Carl headed outside and signaled for me to follow him.

"I should have told you about Scotty, but it just slipped my mind. He was a good guy but the Mayour had some others attack him and he hasn't been right in the head since."

"It's ok, Jim Bob clued me in. I'm glad he did though because I was about to introduce Scotty to the bullwhip," I said.

"I should have been paying more attention. I keep forgetting you just got here."

"What do you think about what Jane said? Do you think we should keep Scotty around?" I asked.

"Now that she said it I just about have to, don't I? She's right though. Scotty don't need much attention and he can do physical work if it isn't too complicated. He'll be glad to earn his keep though. It's just too damned bad we can't have the Igloo fix his head. He was a damned good guy before," Carl said.

"How do we know we can't?" I asked.

"You mean you think it will fix people too?"

"I don't think it will but I don't really have any reason for that. I know that the spacemen sure as hell fixed me up. Do you have any cuts or blisters on your hands?" I asked him.

"No, not a one, why?" he asked.

"I was thinking we might try it out on something like that. I don't have a thing bothering me. Let's go ask Casey."

We struck out with Casey, Jane, and Karen. Not a one of them had so much as a scratch anywhere. Scotty piped up to volunteer though.

"I've got a cut on my hand mister," he said.

"You can call me Billy Joe if you want to Scotty," I said.

"Ok. I've got a cut on my hand Billy Joe," he said, and smiled.

"Would you mind putting it in the ice chest for a few minutes?" I asked.

"No, but I hope it won't be too cold," he said.

"We'll take all the ice out first."

Jane and Karen emptied the Igloo and set it beside Scotty's chair at the table. We just talked about little things until he finished his meal and then he put his hand inside it and let the lid down onto his wrist, which kept it from closing completely.

"I don't feel anything. My hand isn't cold at all," Scotty said.

"I don't think anything is going to happen Scotty, but we want to check it out, ok?" I asked.

"Sure Billy Joe. I don't mind. I'll leave my hand in there from now on if I get to stay at the table where the good food shows up," Scotty said, and then he laughed.

Scotty had let us see his cut before he put it in the ice chest. He also had an obvious break in his middle finger that hadn't been set correctly as it healed. He said it didn't bother him anymore but that it had hurt for a long time before it got well. I figured it was all a water haul since Scotty continued to say that it didn't feel like anything was happening. Thirty minutes later we all could see at once that something had happened.

Even though we hadn't been able to close the Igloo's lid, it had been able to fix Scotty's cut, and his broken finger. When we had him remove his hand it was as good as new, as they say.

"What about your head Scotty?" Jane asked him after a few minutes of admiring his repaired hand.