A shaved head is something I never would have imagined for myself. I've always had long hair, up until now. Emotionally, I'm not sure how to feel. Happy nudges me as I stand in front of the glass window, staring at my reflection. I rub both of our heads simultaneously and laugh. "You have more hair than I do, Happy." Relief washes over me. Now, I don't have to worry about an itchy scalp. Just an itchy body. I also resemble a 12 year old boy, not a 22 year old woman and I still need a shower. The smell and dirt coming off of me is vigorous, but I can access a shower a lot easier than I can the lice treatment. A couple miles past the Stop in Store is an RV park. Most of the people there aren't super friendly, yet they could care less about me using the showers. I've used them once before. I will use them again soon.
My plans for a much needed shower will have to wait, though. Tonight, I plan to follow him. Not just follow him, sneak into the bed of his truck and go wherever he unknowingly takes me. My sister might be there, hidden somewhere. Thinking about her brings a tear to my eye. What if she is there in one of those black trash bags? The thought of that makes me sick to my stomach. I swallow back bile in my throat and sit on the cool tile floor next to Happy. She blinks a few times and closes her eyes to go to sleep. At least one of us is comfortable. "Good idea, Happy." I lay down to get some sleep before he returns.
In the distance, the shed door is swinging open in the wind, yet nothing else is visible in the dust. A creaking of the hinges is the only thing I hear, adding to the chilling vibes coming off the shed. I inch forward closer to the shed and search for Happy. She's nowhere to be found. She's scared too. Even though my instincts are telling me to run, my sister's voice is driving me forward.
"Tibby! Help me!"
"Shh...he'll hear you," I whisper.
"Tibby, Please! Come find me!"
"I'm coming," I whisper, worried he will catch me. I spin on my heels and turn to check behind me. The feeling of hot breath on the back of my neck turns out to be the desert wind. Movement inside the shed catches my attention and I run towards it. "Solia, is that you?" I step inside and do a 360. There are black trash bags stacked up waist high against the walls of the shed. I open each bag, they all contain a girl with red hair inside. I recognize two of the girls from the missing posters at the Gas and Guz. Solia isn't here. "Damn!" I sob. "Where are you Solia?"
I turn towards the door to leave, when Solia steps in front of me. I gasp, startled by her appearance. She isn't in human form, she's in spirit form. I can see right through her. Her ghostly apparition proves she's no longer alive. With a quick flick of her wrist, a bucket lifts off the shed's floor, levitating before me. Solia smiles as she sends the bucket through the air, stopping it over my head. "Wake up, Tibby,"she says, as she dumps the water over my head. Solia fades into the wind and then, she's gone.
I jolt out of my sleep to find Happy sopping up the water she spilled from my jug with her extremely long tongue. "Are you thirsty, girl? I'm sorry I slept so long." My clothes are soaking wet. "Thanks for cooling me off." That would explain the water from my dream. Was it a coincidence or was Solia trying to tell me something?
The sun is fading fast, sending a stunning beam of orange through the window. Great. Did I miss my chance? I get up swiftly and head for the back door. The chances of him spotting me if he's already at the shed are high. I need to be stealth. I need to be first. Happy cries when I open the door. I take a deep breath and say, "come on, let's go potty real quick." She runs out ahead of me and does her business right away. "Okay Happy, get back inside. I have to do this alone. You be good and wait for me. I will put some food out." I open some canned chicken and put it in an old plastic container. "See you in a little while." I hate saying goodbye to Happy, so I choose not to. She's safer here and I can't live without her. She's been my motivation to keep going. I close the door behind me and head back. The truck is not there yet.
The wind has picked up, taking any trace of my footprints with it. Thank goodness for small favors. Curiosity gets the best of me and I head to the front door and make an attempt to open the shed. It's locked. Damn! The desperation to see whether or not my sister is in the shed is overpowering my ability to stay calm. I know she wasn't in there the first time he dropped the bodies off, but he definitely dropped off more bodies since then. I begin banging on the door and kicking it repeatedly to break it down. The shed is tougher than it seems. "Calm down, Tibby. You can do it."
Headlights shining up ahead and the sound of gravel being disturbed send me into a panicked frenzy. I scramble to the back of the shed and sweat it out. He's back. The shed door swings open and I tiptoe to the side to see where he is. He's inside. I hurry over without making too much noise and examine the contents of the truck. I step up and cover myself with one of the empty black bags and steady my breathing, praying he doesn't grab the bag, concealing me.
I pay attention to the motions he is making. The shed slams closed and confident footsteps approach the back of the truck and stop. My nerves are going haywire. What if he finds me? His footsteps become more distant and cease when he reaches something. His truck door? The truck shakes as he climbs inside and shuts his door. I blow out the breath I was holding and calm down a little.
We begin moving at a steady pace and I hear a howl close by. I peek from under the bag and see Happy in the darkness standing in front of our building, staring at me. She knows I'm leaving. A tear rolls down my cheek. I feel guilty for leaving her. "I have to do this, Happy. I will be back. I promise," I whisper. She howls one more time, saying goodbye before retreating back behind the building.