Shh! The killer is Near

She smiled as she watched Bryan’s body go up in flames. The barrel he sat in filled with gasoline set on fire at the speed of light. His eyes looked at her as the flames grew higher and higher. His skin boiled from the heat, falling from his face. She breathed through her mouth, not wanting to take him his smell of burning flesh.

The smoke spiraled out of the barrel into the open sky. She wasn’t worried back anybody seeing it, no one would. She took him up to the mountains where everyone who could possibly see it would think its smoke from a campfire.

Thoughts of what she would do with the ashes crossed her mind. She decided she would burn it as much as she could then send it to his fucking brother. After of course, she dries out the patch of skin she cut from his arm while he was in his last breathes of life. It was his tattoo of a wolf about to attack with gothic lettering saying “Always on the Attack” under it. She smiled at the thought of his brother opening it out and seeing it, recognizing it, and going into a fit of rage. Yes, this was going to be fun.

After three more hours, she called it a night and went to her rented pick-up truck to go to sleep. She added some wood to her fire to keep it going while she slept. Nothing was left of him, just ashes, in that barrel.
*****
The sun worked me up, toasting my left calf. I moaned before rolling to the shadows on the bed to avoid it. Giving up, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Stains ringed around the tub, toilet, and sink at different levels. “Gross,” I said bitterly before starting up the shower and stripping of my clothes. The water felt wonderful on my skin. For the past four days I have been bathing with baby wipes. My hair had taken on a new greasy feel that was so gross.

I used the little soap in the dish to wash every part of me, including my hair, before stepping out of the warmth of the water, into the steamy room. I felt like a new woman after that. “Why does my heart cry, feelings I can’t fight! You’re free to leave me, but just don’t deceive me, and please believe me when I say I love you!” I sang as I put on clean clothes. I’m unsure how El Tango De Roxanne from the Moulin Rouge got stuck in my head but it did. I guess I listened to that song one too many times in the car. What guy in his right mind would have the CD in their CD case? I wonder if he is gay. Ha-ha, that would be great!

Once I was dress and ate one of my endless supply of granola bars. Grabbing my room key and purse, I walked out into the parking lot and got into the car I arrived it. I can’t really say my car, sadly, I love it so much. Slowly, I got onto Main Street and took a little tour around the little town. It was alive and moving. I love it.

I stopped in at the little store next to the diner to take a peak around. “Hello there, welcome to Red Hearts,” a girl behind the counter said before going to back to pushing some boxes up onto the shelf. I looked around at the jewelry and other stuff. This story is almost like a Hot Topic but way more stuff that is amazing looking. I moved to the other side of the store to look at the pants. There was a pair of skinny Tripp pants with chains crossing the back. “Those are my fav too, I have them in purple and black,” the girl said watching me look around.

“They are amazing! Man,” I said, looking at them lovingly. I looked over at her to see a sign saying “HIRING” and a smile came across my face. “What do I gotta do to get a job here?”

She looked me over. “Other than getting some new clothes, you got it.” She threw a shirt at me. “Put that on.” It’s a T-shirt with “I Kissed a Vampire and I Liked It” written across it. She watched me as I pulled it over my tank top. “I’ll take that out of your pay. You’ll get $10 an hour. And you’re hours are from 10 to 9 on Monday through Thursday then 11 to 10 on Friday through Saturday, Sunday, you get off. Is that good for you?”

“Yeah, it sounds great. My name is Kristen. Hey, do you know where I can find a cheap place to stay?” I asked, leaning on the counter as she pulled out some of the stock in the cabinet behind her.

“The name is Jetta,” she looked me over. “Um, well, the floor above this shop is empty. It just has some stuff up there. You can use it if you want to. I have an old mattress at home we could bring here and a TV set I don’t care about,” she said with a thinking look on her face. “Oh, and some paint left over from when I painted my room you can use. Does that work?”

“YES! That’s perfect!” I cheered, clapping my hands together. After stopped, I looked back at her. “So what do you want me to do first, boss?”

Jetta had me stack boxes, put new stuff out and old stuff in the back, rearrange the jewelry, and showed me the basics of the cash register. A few people came in during the day but by 5, everything picked up. It seemed like a million people came through. I got to meet Jetta’s two brothers. Oliver, her older brother was really nerdy; he came in to argue with her for hiring someone that she didn’t even know. Then there was Zane, Jetta’s young brother. He had black hair with melted chocolate eyes and he was about 6’7”. I felt my heart drop when I saw him walk in, he had the most perfect smile with dimples. “So you must be the new girl my sister hired,” he said, leaning on the counter as I was getting a fairy sticker out for a customer.

“Yep, that would be me. My name is Kristen.”

“Zane.”

“Here you go,” I handed the person the stickers as I turned back on my heels. Zane looked at me as I checked some people out and sorted the new shipment of buttons out. He went into the back soon after that. And some surfer guy took his place. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I was wondering if you help me pick something out for my sister. Her birthday is tomorrow and I need to get her something that’s all gothic and stuff.” He said, staring at my chest then face.

We were both looking at massager bags that he could get his sister. He just couldn’t make up his mind and wouldn’t let me leave until he found something. So far we had look at shirts, pants, make-up, music, books, and now bags. “How about this one? It’s really cool with stars and razor blades.” I said, holding up a black bag. The stars and razor blades were outlined in black and pink. I kind of wanted it myself.

“Yeah, that would do, thanks honey.”

FINALLY! I thought bitterly as I made my way back to the counter. “That’ll be $30.36.”

He handed me a $50 and I began making the change for it. “My name is Chase. You’re new here, right?”

“Yeah, I just came into town. Here’s your change.” I said, handing it to him.

He took it, beaming his surfer boy smile at me. “Do you have a name or do I have to just call you Beautiful?”

Zane came up behind him. “Why don’t you call her ma’am?” He said. Then he whispered, “She doesn’t look interested in you, Chase back down.”

Ha-ha, their glaring is priceless! Jetta burst in, shoving them both, nicely, out the door. “Kristen, go in the back and put the books back there on the shelves.” I nodded before going into the backroom.
*****
Alyssa laid sleeping next to me as I typed on my laptop. I still couldn’t get Landon to call me back. The last time I talked to him, he just left North Dakota and was in some hick town in Iowa. He won’t pick up his fucking phone.

“Come on, come on,” I hissed as the internet seemed to go too slow for my liking. Finally the company satellite found Landon’s phone. I pulled out my phone. “Yeah, Tyson, I got ‘em. Yeah. Bring him back here, alive.” I closed it.

She started to stir next to me. “Hey baby,” she whispered, kissing my chest, her hands already began to stroke every part of me. I pulled her chin up and kissed her hard on the lips. “Well, someone is happy,” she giggled. I just grunted as I pulled her on top of me.