Page 45 of No Escape

Then Valerie noticed a change again in her sister.

Suzie’s breaths became more rapid and shallow, her chest heaving as panic took hold. Valerie glanced at her with concern, her eyes searching Suzie’s face for answers. “Suzie, are you okay?”

“I… I can’t breathe,” Suzie choked out, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the door handle. She stumbled out of the truck, the cool night air doing little to alleviate her distress. Valerie quickly followed, the headlights casting long shadows across the road as the two women stood in the eerie glow.

Suzie leaned against the truck, her body wracked with sobs as the panic attack tightened its grip on her. Valerie moved closer, placing a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Suzie, focus on your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. You can do this. It’s just a panic attack. It will pass.”

As Suzie struggled to regain control, Valerie’s voice was a lifeline, grounding her amidst the chaos of her emotions. “I never should have let you come with me,” Valerie said softly, guilt tinging her words. “I’ve put you in danger, and it’s affecting your mental health.”

Suzie’s breaths began to slow, the panic receding as she regained control. “No,” she said firmly, her voice steadier now. “Being with you, knowing that we’re trying to stop John Murphy… that’s better than sitting at home, wondering if I’ll hear your name announced as dead over the radio.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Valerie said, embracing her sister. The night blanketed them, and then Suzie stepped back.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I just want all of this to be over and for you to be safe.”

Valerie felt as though she should let it all go. That she should hand herself in to the police and let them deal with catching John Murphy. Maybe then, Suzie wouldn’t be put under further pressure.

But she knew she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t let people die.

So instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper Joshua Murphy had given her. With Tank Murphy gone, there were three more names left on the list that John Murphy was targeting. One of them didn’t live far from here, and it made sense for them to go there first.

“Let’s go to the next name on the list,” Valerie said determinedly, handing the paper to Suzie.

They climbed back into the truck without saying anything else. Valerie turned the radio off.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

John Murphy sprinted down the dark street, the air burning in his lungs, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.

I can’t believe I did it…

For the first time since he began his murderous spree, a sense of guilt gnawed at him. He had killed his own brother, his mother and father’s son. The remorse confused and angered him, but he had no time to dwell on it.

As he dashed across the road, focused on his inner turmoil, a car’s headlights illuminated him, the driver slamming on the brakes too late. John’s body collided with the vehicle, flipping over the hood and crashing onto the asphalt. Gasping for air, he realized that he had escaped serious injury, but the wind had been knocked out of him.

The car’s driver, a man in his thirties with a look of shock and concern on his face, hurried out of the vehicle. “Oh my God! Are you okay?” he asked, kneeling beside John.

John knew he needed a ride to reach his remaining targets. He couldn’t afford to be slowed down now. As the man reached out to help him, John lunged at him, his fists flying. The driver, caught off guard, fought back with surprising strength, nearly overpowering John.

But John’s desperation fueled him, and with a final, powerful blow, he knocked the man out cold. Panting, John dragged the unconscious man to the car and shoved him into the trunk, making sure he was still breathing before slamming it shut.

He looked around. The road was empty and there were no security cameras that he could see.

Luck break, he thought. He didn’t like being opportunistic, instead priding himself on his meticulous planning. But even he had to rely on sheer luck sometimes, and in those instances, he knew he just had to take it.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, John gripped the steering wheel, the taste of victory and fear mingling in his mouth.

John started the car and stepped lightly on the gas, his heart still racing from the close encounter with the driver. He drove cautiously, hyperaware of every vehicle that passed him. When a cop car appeared in his rearview mirror, he felt his stomach drop.

The police cruiser pulled up alongside him, and John was sure the officers inside were studying him with suspicion. John tried to appear nonchalant, but his nerves were frayed. To his immense relief, the cop car continued down the road, leaving him behind.

More luck and ineptitude, he thought.

Knowing he needed to stay off the main roads, John took a turn onto a winding country road. The darkness of the night swallowed the car as it snaked through the trees.

His thoughts returned to the man in the trunk, and he considered ending his life to ensure he wouldn’t be discovered.

I could slit his throat and throw his body in a ditch in one of these back roads,he thought.They wouldn’t find him for days.

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