The dog starts wagging her tail and approaches me slowly. "Hi, baby." I say, softly." Did I take your bed?" She gives me a sloppy, wet kiss and I laugh. It feels good to have a lighthearted moment. I've been living in isolation for a while now and it's getting to me. The dog jumps up and wraps her legs around my waist, cocking her head to the side. Growing up, my sister and I had the same breed of dog, a boxer and she was brindle too. The resemblance to our other dog is uncanny. I bend over and start examining her. She appears to be healthy, a little skinny, but otherwise good. "Where did you come from?" This ghost town has been my home for almost a month and I hadn't noticed any signs of a dog living here. She whines and stares at me with her big brown eyes. "Are you hungry?" She bobs her head and runs to the back of the store. I follow her and discover her way in and out. There's a back door leading to outside and it's slightly ajar.
I walk outside into the early morning sunrise and the dog follows me. I smile, but it quickly fades when I realize I don't have my pack. My pack had beef jerky and chips in it. I left it in the shed, along with my jug of water. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, walking back to shed. Every nerve ending in my body is on fire. I walk slowly with the dog by my side, whining. She knows something's not right. Yesterday, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Today, I am a little more prepared knowing what awaits in the confines of the shed.
When I reach the shed I swing the door open swiftly, expecting a waft of decay, but the smell was slight. My jaw drops when I step inside. I turn around in utter disbelief. They're gone! The bodies are nowhere in sight. He must've come back last night and retrieved them. I start to pace back and forth in a panic. The dog is pacing as well, but won't step inside. I don't blame her, she keeps sniffing the shed and turning in circles. There's a lingering sense of dread in this sweat box and it's soul consuming. I feel defeated. If he doesn't come back, then all of my efforts have been for nothing. I grab my pack and what little belongings I have left and leave the shed.
My loyal follower and I head back to the abandoned building. I need to come up with a back up plan in case he doesn't return. At least I'm not alone anymore. I know I said I needed to be alone; however, a dog companion is different. I may not have had the best of luck in my endeavor, but things may start going my way. I glance down at her and get the impression she feels the same way. Her inquisitive brown eyes and wagging tail are a sign that she's happy. "I think that's what I will call you. Happy."
Inside the building I just noticed something I hadn't before. Lining one of the shelves is an assortment of canned food. "Yes!" I scream. Happy howls in excitement. There's even a can opener still in the packaging right next to it. This is definitely a sign for good things to come. I open my pack and open the beef jerky, chips and water and share with Happy.
I pat the spot next to me on the blankets and Happy lays down in contentment. "Good girl, Happy. Let's figure out what we should do next?" I wish there was some way to follow this guy without getting caught. I stare at the light coming through the broken glass window and an idea pops into my head. I can hide in the bed of his truck. The bed of his truck was a cluttered mess. Hiding under all the junk seems like my best option. I scratch my head and contemplate my other options. God, my head itches. Oh yeah, I have more than one friend to worry about. I could really use a shower and lice treatment. This sucks. When my sister and I were kids we managed to avoid getting lice. All of the girls at school and in our neighborhood got it, we were the fortunate ones. I become homeless and whoop, there it is.
Unless I can get money somehow, I might have to steal it. I also need to locate a shower asap. The people I bumped into at the Stop in Store weren't wrong about my personal hygiene. The smell is so bad, I even make myself cringe. The reason why I gave up my apartment, and quit my job and school was to go undetected by the cops. They would foil my plans to find out what happened to my sister and make him pay. I just have to complete my mission and then, hopefully I will have some level of normalcy like showers and clean, knit free hair. I stand up and get ready to leave. Happy follows me. I don't want to leave without her. I'm becoming attached to her. "I need to take care of this infestation in my hair."
The Stop in Store had lice treatment for twenty bucks. There's a few problems with that. I don't have twenty bucks and the embarrassment in buying it is overwhelming. I can say it's for my sister, even though the cashier won't believe me. My appearance says it all. Plus, I'm constantly scratching my head and the same woman is always working when I go in. I guess stealing is in the cards. I will pay for it later. Technically, it's borrowing.
"We're almost there Happy. Listen girl, when we get there you have to wait outside." She nods her head as if she understands what I'm saying. "You are so smart. I will be back. I promise." I turn on my heels to go to the doors of the store and stop abruptly. There are two cop cars in the parking lot. I close my eyes and start to cry. "Come on Happy, let's go back." I can't risk getting arrested and becoming a criminal because my head itches.
Luck is not on my side. Every good thing that's happened to me since I started searching for answers, is followed by something bad. I can't catch a break. My long hair dripping with sweat from the dry desert heat is worsening the itch. I'm running out of willpower to keep my hair. A shaved head sounds okay. It definitely sounds better than what I am currently dealing with. My hair will grow back eventually. Hopefully the building still has some power running through the electrical outlets. Before I do anything else, I will use the electric shears I confiscated from the shed and get rid of my blond locks. My long hair will be another part of my life I leave behind.
Happy starts to whine the closer we get to the ghost town. Her fur is up on her back and she gets down low, slowly inching her way forward with caution; a clear warning sign that trouble awaits us. In the distance, I see the shed. The blue truck is there. In broad daylight. Shit! This guy's got some balls. He's either stupid, or clever, I'm not sure which. I signal for Happy to trail behind and she does. We make a beeline for the back of the shed and listen to his movements. I whisper to Happy to sit and pet her to make sure she doesn't give away our location. At first, I can't hear anything, other than buzzards squawking in the distance. I put my ear against the shed and hear the familiar rustling of plastic.
The shed door slams closed abruptly and the truck starts and drives off. The smell of death lingers stronger than before and I almost puke up the small amount of food in my stomach. I choke it back and take a deep breath. "Happy, come on girl. Let's get away from the shed. We already know what he left behind."
I shake my head in disbelief. This guy is a serial killer and he's going to keep killing, unless I stop him. When he comes back tonight, I will be waiting. To do what, I'm not sure yet. I will figure something out, after I shave my head.