CHAPTER 5: So Far So Good
"Hey, little bro.? What are you doing here?? I thought you wanted to stay in the hotel for the night?"? She says as she opens the door and I stare at her because something feels off.? Welcoming me in from the dark dreary night, she hugs me before I enter and smiles a sort of half smile.
After he dropped me off, I hesitated to knock on her door but realized that she was the only one who didn't think I was completely nuts.? Besides, hopefully "She" doesn't like to be seen by others and being around a group of people will be to my advantage, not sitting out here in the dark all by myself.? However, when I see Max and Tara together and how happy they are, I won't do this to them.
I can't be the one who ends up bringing it here.? So, after visiting with Max and my sister for a little while, I leave.? Taking Tara to the side, I ask, "Do you mind driving me back to my house briefly so I can pick up my Jeep?? I am going to Memphis tonight because there is someone there that can help me get my head screwed on right."
She looks at me cautiously and says, "The doctor left me in charge of you and I am not doing a very good job of it if I let you first go to the hotel and now to Memphis.? What if they call to check up on you, then what?"?
Listening to her, I am painfully aware of the stress that all this is putting her through.? The more stressed out she is, the bigger the vein in her forehead gets and pops clear out.? I can't help but stare at it while it throbs and looks like it's going to burst.? Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I stop obsessing over it and deal with the task at hand.
"Come on please.? Do I really have to get down on my knees and beg?"
She turns away from me to look at Max and then back again, shaking her head.? "Fine, but on one condition.? You have to call me once a day and if you don't, I will hunt you down."
Laughing, I hug her and say, "You got it."
Once Max is in the car, she drives me back to my place.? It still gives me an uneasy vibe and I don't relish the fact that I must go inside to get my keys from the table.? What if that thing is in there, hiding out?"
Waving goodbye to Tara and Max, I open the door and step in cautiously.? Scanning the room, I don't immediately notice anything out of the ordinary, so I grab my car keys off the table and put them in my pocket.? The weird thing is, I could swear that I smell the pungent stench of death in the air, and it admittedly bothers me that it generates strange feelings in me.? Making up my mind that I am going to find her and kill her, I collect a bag full of clothes and my laptop before I go back to the kitchen.?
Looking around, I hurry to find a few more things I will need on my travels and a handful of snacks before I shut the door behind me.? Locking it, I start to feel relieved and realize that the whole time I was in there, I had this eerie, creeping feeling like someone was watching me from the shadows.? As I walk to the car, I start to hear a familiar sound coming from behind me.
"Ssssssss.? Ssssssssssssss."? Followed by a shriek that hurt my ears and chilled me to the bone.
Not looking back, I rush to my car and lock the doors as soon as I get in.? Who am I kidding?? If she can suck the souls out of people, she surely can get into a locked vehicle.? Rolling my eyes, I think how childish I am acting and mutter under my breath. "Knowing my sister, she would probably go out there and punch it in the face without hesitating."??
I start to laugh at myself, but then I see a shadow descending across the driveway and coming straight towards me.? Before I can put the key in the ignition, she is at my door staring in at me with a sick smile upon her beautiful pale face.? When I look closer, I notice that the smile extends farther than it should on both sides of her face to accommodate the huge mouth of teeth.? Her soulless eyes call to me, and I find it hard to not stare into their depths.?
Somehow, I find the strength to put the key in and turn.? The rumble of the engine breaks the hold she has on me, and I quickly look down and put it into gear.? Backing up and angling, I almost run her over when I throw it into drive and slam my foot down on the pedal.? Burning rubber, I stare at her in the rearview mirror and vow to hunt her down before she takes another living person's soul from them.??
When my gas tank is almost empty, I pull into this darkly lit, old station just outside of Memphis and decide that it will be safe to grab some gas and a cup of coffee before driving the rest of the way to the hotel.? When I say it's darkly lit, I mean it is so dark out that I can't see barely anything in front of me.? Looking at my watch, I notice that it is 3 a.m. and I am surprised the gas station is even open.
When I walk inside, the older gentleman gives me a nod and says, "How are you doing this evening?"? ?
"It has been a long day."? I answer as I scan the room and see the bathroom sign.? "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"? He shakes his head and starts to read the newspaper again.
"Hmm.? He must be used to people just using his bathroom and not buying anything."? I announce to an empty bathroom and take a pee before pulling up my pants and washing my hands.? As I begin to get a gnawing feeling inside my head, I look in the mirror and a flash of red blurs across my vision.? Quickly turning around, I see no one there and dismiss it as being too tired.
On the way out of the bathroom, I hear the old man's voice and now someone else's.? Listening to the conversation with the door shut, I can only hear bits and pieces.? From what I gather, it sounds like someone is giving the older man a hard time.?
As I begin to pace back and forth in the bathroom, I hear a bang and yelling.? Another man shouts, "Hurry up, Jon.? We need to get out of here before someone else comes.? Grab the cash and let’s go, now."
Peeking out the crack in the wood door, I can barely see that the men are gone, and the gas station attendant is on the floor.? Feeling like a coward for not helping sooner, I open the door and walk over to him.? Face first on the floor, I am unable to tell if he is unconscious or dead, so I kneel and roll him over carefully just in case he is still alive and hurt.?
I could tell instantly that he was dead.? Touching his skin, it was already surprisingly cool to the touch and his eyes didn't have any spark of life in them.? Upon closer inspection, I see bruise marks forming around his neck and before I get up, I could swear that I saw a puff of something indescribable leave his mouth and disappear into the ceiling.?
Death can be cruel sometimes and come for you when you least expect it.? Knowing that I should have done something and didn't, I feel so ashamed of myself.??
Calling the police, I leave a 50-dollar bill on the counter and flip the switch for the pump, so I can get my gas before they arrive.? After all, I know damn well that when they get here, they will shut everything down and then I won't have a way to get to Memphis.? Just before the help arrives, I fill up my Jeep and prepare for all the questions that they will have for me.