“Chunk”
“Ker-chunk”
“Rattle”
Sitting there at the light in this little town called Mound Bayou in Mississippi, the Jeep decides to stop after making quite a bit of noise. When the rattling and shaking finally stops, the engine shuts off and I notice the engine light goes on when I check to see what’s wrong. “Great!” I exclaim before I slam my fist against the steering wheel.
As I open the door, I scan the area for a gas station or a mechanic and find nothing immediately. It’s just a small hoe dunk town in the middle of Mississippi and today is a scorcher. Matter of fact, it is probably why my Jeep gave out in the first place.
I remember a while back, there was a bank with the number 101 on its billboard flashing. Now surely that meant that it is 101 degrees, because it feels like it. Staring down at my shirt, I see that it is stained in the arm pits and my pants feel like they are sticking to my legs.&
While my pal John drives through the Great Smoky Mountains, I stare out the window and see the mist roll off the mountain tops. Amazingly, I have always loved how beautiful they are especially just after a quick morning thunderstorm. It has been peaceful for the last two weeks. I think I only saw her once when I caught a glimpse of red leaving the crime scene before I left my Jeep behind and had to run off. When I walked to the next city, I noticed a note board up in the supermarket for rides across the country. I found one that looked good and called the number before grabbing a bite to eat at one of the small restaurants. John, the guy I am riding with, is a college student from the University of Tennessee. He told me that he is majoring in psychology and that he is going to graduate next spring. A nice fella, I told him that I was traveling around the country to see everything before I settle down and have a family. Believ
“Oh my Lord!” I hear someone emit a blood curdling scream before I open my eyes to see a tall young woman in a housekeeping outfit staring down at me where I lay on the blood-stained carpet. Surprised as much as I am, I scramble to my feet and try to hush her with my hand as I wrap it around her mouth. Holding her from behind, I say in her ear, “It’s alright. I had an accident, and the blood is from my finger. That’s all.” Not believing me, she struggles with me and breaks free before she runs out of the room. Knowing too well that she will bring back several others, I hurry up and pack my things while grabbing a hand towel from the bathroom and wrapping it around my hand. I will have to fix it later once I am someplace safe away from prying eyes. Just as I am about to dash out the door, I hear a knock and go immediately into panic mode. I guess their response time has improved and now I must go out the window instead
Traveling for days at a time, my eyelids start to grow heavy, and I must pull alongside the road before the next town. Every day I have been texting her and leaving messages, but nothing. Absolutely nothing. I see hints of blazing red here and there, but nothing from my sister. One night, I even swear that I see the soul eater laughing at me from the box of the truck, but then I stop along side the road to check, and she is gone. Not even a bone or a pool of blood are left behind, so I am pretty sure it was just a figment of my imagination. However, I hear her claws drag across the top of the cab many times while driving along the empty roads on the way to my sister’s. After five days, I finally reach my sister’s house and pull in the driveway. Cautiously, I survey the area and notice several things. One, her car is sitting next to the truck, and two all the lights are on but there is no movement in the house.
As I come to my senses, the aroma of death is gone, and I feel refreshed from my slumber. Not knowing how long I was out, I check my laptop and find that I was unconscious for two days. The last thing I remember, is her hands around my wrists and her eyes pulling me in, then I start to go black. Hearing a knock at the door, I quickly sit up and stand before opening it. I check in the mirror by the door just in case she has left me some kind of present like she has before, but I find nothing. So, after doing a quick inspection of the room, I sigh in relief and open the door to a small man. This small man is about 40 and the size of a midget. His hair is dark brown and his eyes greener than an emerald when it shines in the light. His complexion is rather pale, but with several wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He looks up at me and smiles before entering. Watching his short little legs walk to the couch, I almos
Driving into town, I see a sign for White Cloud and remember that I have visited here once before a couple years back on my way to Charlevoix. I don’t remember what I was going there for, but either way this town is so small that they have one gas station in town and a grocery store. There is a Family Dollar and a Dollar General as you head on out, but that doesn’t really matter at this point. What does, is that I saw in the news yesterday on channel 13, a man had been attacked by a strange woman here in this little town. He figured she was either hopped up on meth or not in her right mind. The thing that stuck out in my head was that he mentioned her blazing red hair and that it seemed like she had “black eyes that peered at him.” In his exact words. Since my sister has died, not much seems to matter anymore except for the constant reminders that “she” keeps leaving me here and there as I get closer to the day that I end her. 
“Honk”“Honk”“Honk”I look to either side of me and watch as the traffic jam fuels peoples anger enough to the point that a man gets out of his vehicle and body slams another man to the ground. As I watch, I sit there and remember the last time I saw her a couple months ago in Michigan. I was in a small town where I met Mr. Gilroy.After that, I haven’t seen or heard from her. I guess in a way it is a good thing, but it always makes me feel a little uneasy when she doesn’t show her face at all. Trying to find a place to hold up while waiting for her to show up again, I do a couple under the table jobs in the meantime and when those ran out, I headed to another state.Now, I sit in my car watching this drama unfold and just wait for someone to pull a gun and shoot someone else in the head. Alas, there is more at stake then this little scene playing out, so I look for a wa
After leaving Philadelphia on a wild goose chase, I drive to the small town of New Hope ironically in the hopes of catching her in the act this time. When I stop with my new car in the driveway of my parent’s old house, I hesitate before unlocking the door. The last time I had been here was when I was 7 years old. Remembering ice skating in the backyard and breaking my arm, I wince at the thought of just how much it hurt and the whooping I got when my dad found out. My dad had a temper not unlike mine and when he was mad you did not want to be found. The problem is that I always had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and still to this day it haunts me and is evident when she plays her game. Opening the front door, I notice the cobwebs as the first thing that catches my eyes and then on the floor in front of me is something I didn’t expect here at all. One of my old train sets from when I was small is laid out on the h
On my way through town, I stop at The Saratoga Café and Diner and grab a bite to eat. The minute I walk in, the aromas captivate my senses, and it makes me feel so hungry I could eat a horse. I catch the eye of the waitress as she directs me to the booth nearest the kitchen and that makes things worse. Now I am almost doubling over when my stomach cramps up from hunger pains and I realize that I haven’t eaten in three days. She stares down at me after I take a seat and asks, “What would you like today? Do you need a few minutes to look over the menu?” After she hands me one. “Yes please. I am not from here and I don’t know what you serve. May I ask what the special is today first?” I glance up at her strawberry blonde curls and when I start to walk down her body with my eyes, I admire the way the curve of her butt fits her uniform. She looks down at a piece of paper folded up in her hand and once she unfolds it, she r