Page 32 of Not This Way

But she wouldn’t drink.

She wouldn’t fall into the trap.

No… no, she’d take the light for now.

She closed her eyes again, flopping back against the bed in some small defeat.

A killer was still out there.

Lurking.

More than one.

Predators came in all shapes and sizes. But she was determined to find this sicko. This man who was dumping women in the oil fields.

Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned back, loosing a pent-up sigh at the ceiling.

Where was the killer now?

Her mind wandered… she wondered what he was up to… Was he worried about her? Could he feel the cops coming closer?

Or were they so far away that their presence didn’t even register?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The night was alive with the ominous hum of insects as the man perched on the roof of his RV, his legs crossed beneath him. He wore nothing—naked and alone at night, perched on the cold metal.

It was nearly two in the morning, but sleep eluded him, chased away by a gnawing sense of urgency. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the end was near, and it was up to him to appease the wrathful earth.

Two half-empty bottles of car oil sat beside him like silent sentinels, their dark contents eerily glistening in the moonlight. The cool breeze carried the scent of oil and cactus to his nostrils, a strange and heady reminder of his twisted mission.

“Must… cleanse myself,” he whispered into the night, his words carried away by the wind like some ancient incantation. His hands trembled as he reached for the first bottle, unscrewing the cap with slow, deliberate movements.

“Must… please the earth,” he continued, his voice barely audible above the rustle of nearby shrubs. An almost reverent expression settled on his features as he raised the bottle toward the sky, a silent offering to the forces he believed were guiding his actions.

With a sudden, swift motion, he upended the bottle over his head, letting the viscous oil cascade down his face and body. Shivers wracked his frame, not just from the chill of the liquid but from something deeper within him—an ecstatic thrill at the thought of purifying himself for what was to come.

The oil dripped from his chin as the killer’s gaze remained fixed on the vast expanse of the night sky above him. He muttered to himself in a hushed tone, each word charged with the weight of his conviction.

“Whispers… whispers from the clouds,” he stammered, eyes darting between the stars as if searching for a hidden message. “Tell me how to save us.”

A gust of wind rustled the saguaro cacti that surrounded his RV, their spiny arms reaching toward the heavens like twisted worshippers in the moonlit glow. The dark outlines of the oil fields lay beyond, a testament to mankind’s never-ending thirst for resources. To the killer, this desolate landscape was both a sanctuary and an omen, a stark reminder of the earth’s fragility and the destruction wrought by human hands.

“Must… listen,” he urged himself, straining to hear the whispers he believed were carried on the wind. “Must… understand.”

He clambered to his feet, swaying slightly as he attempted to find his balance atop the RV. A sense of urgency pulsed through him, driving him to desperation in his search for answers.

“Speak to me!” he cried out into the darkness, hands raised in supplication. “I am your servant! Guide me!”

Silence greeted his plea, and for a moment, doubt flickered across his face.

“Show me the path…” he whispered, his body trembling with anticipation.

In that instant, it all became clear: the sacrifices he must make, the pain he must inflict, the lives he must take to restore balance. His heart raced as the realization took hold, adrenaline surging through his veins like a tidal wave.

“Thank you,” he breathed, voice almost lost in the wind. “I will not fail you.”

As the final words left his lips, the killer clenched his fists, steeling himself for the bloodshed to come. He glanced once more at the saguaro cacti and oil fields that stretched out before him—this desolate landscape that bore witness to his twisted calling—and knew that one day soon, they too would be cleansed by the righteous fury of the earth.

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