Free Alone by Gary Chesla Page B

slid the beef jerky down the line.
     
    Tony stood and picked up the binoculars and the hand held radio. “Trish. Did you see where the granola bars and beef jerky landed in the grass?”
     
    A second later she replied. “Yes.”
    “I’ll be standing at the window so you can see me the whole time while you go get them.” Tony said.
    He held the binoculars to his eyes and watched.
    Five minutes went by and there was no movement.
    “Trish?” Tony asked. “What’s wrong?”
    “Are you going to shoot me?” Trish asked seriously.
    “What?” Tony asked. “I would never shoot you.” Then he laughed. “Besides, you saw me shooting at George. I could never hit you even if I wanted to.”
     
    Trish was unsure of what to do, but finally the sight of all that food sitting out there in front of her won out. She got up and made a mad dash out to the food, scooped them up and ran back to the brush. She breathed a sigh of relief when she had made it back to the cover of the high grass without any arrows landing around her. She began to tear at the boxes to open them.
     
    Tony stood clearly in the window and watched with the binoculars. He saw Trish run out of the grass to get the food. He studied her as she moved. She seemed cute. She was also filthy. Her hair was tangled, her shirt was partially shredded and the old jeans she wore had holes up and down the front and back.
    He looked down at his clean new jogging pants and picked up the radio. “See I told you I wouldn’t shoot you.”
    He waited a second. “I have one more package for you. Just give me a minute to get it ready for you.”
     
    Trish stared down at the warehouse as she shoved beef jerky in her mouth. “Maybe I should run now while I can. Is this where he is going to run out the doors and try to run me down?”
    Trish quickly shoved a granola bar in her mouth as she sat on her haunches, ready to run at the first sign of anyone coming out of the warehouse. She opened another granola bar as she waited.
     
    Tony ran back down into the warehouse. He ran back to the sporting goods shelf and started to rummage through the clothes. He picked out a pair of black jogging pants and a black t-shirt. He took them back up to the room and hung them on another coat hanger. He slid them out the window and down the line.
    “I thought you might be able to use these.” Tony said.
     
    Trish stared out at the clothes as they came down the line and landed in the grass. She looked down at her filthy clothes as tears ran down her cheeks. She had worn these old raggedy clothes for a year. She couldn’t believe someone had given her new clothes.
    Roy and Tom had found clothes a few times. They kept them for themselves. They had given Debbie some flimsy outfit that she seemed to enjoy parading around in.
    Roy tried to make her wear one of those skimpy outfits like Debbie wore, but Trish had refused. They all had just laughed at her.
    Trish promised herself she would never wear anything like that, especially when Roy and Tom were around. Her old shirt and jeans barely gave her any protection in the condition they were in.
    After that Roy and Tom refused to let her have any other clothes they found.
    She stared at the warehouse, then dashed out to the clothes. When she was back in the high grass, she quickly pulled off her old clothes and tossed them at the base of a large tree and pulled on the new clothes.
    Tears of joy and confusion ran down her cheeks.
    She picked up the radio. “Thanks. I have to go!”
     
    “Why do you have to go? Can’t you stay and talk for a bit?” Tony asked sounding disappointed.
    “No! I have to go.” Trish replied.
    “Will you come back tomorrow?” Tony pleaded. “I just want to talk.”
    “OK, maybe tomorrow.” Trish said.

Chapter 9
     
    Trish sat the walkie-talkie down by her old clothes.
    She thought for a second before grabbing some dead branches and placing them over the radio.
    She wouldn’t dare take the radio back with her. If