As we approach the town, my heart is beating in my ears. I haven't really had time to adjust to the idea of anyone helping me catch him which makes me anxious and a little paranoid. What if something goes wrong? Chaney is sitting by me on the couch, tapping her feet nervously on the floor. Laura turns down the rock n roll music she's been blasting for the last ten minutes when the abandoned buildings come into view. "Tibby, where should I park?"
"Park behind the old Do the Disco Clothes and Such. It's the one with the broken window in the front. We won't be visible from the road."
"Roger that."
Tibby, I'm so nervous. Where's the shed?"
I nod my head to the left. "Over there, it's in front of the building to the left."
"But, we can't see it from here."
"I know. That's the point of parking back here. The RV has to stay hidden from view."
"Well, how are we supposed to spy on him when he gets here if we can't see him?"
"We hide, Chaney," Laura chimes in.
"Where?"
"There's a huge dumpster out front. I'm not sure how great the view is, but we all can't hide behind a tumbleweed."
"Is that what you hid behind last time?" Chaney asks, in disbelief.
"Yes. he didn't see me...at least I don't think he saw me.
"He did; however, find my vomit. I puked right after I discovered the bodies in the shed. The snell was like nothing you've ever smelled before."
"Oh my god! I hope there aren't any in there now."
"To be honest, we would be able to smell it from here and I don't smell anything."
"Chaney, it's going to smell bad in a minute because girls, we are going to hide in the dumpster, not behind it."
"I thought this town was an abandoned ghost town, Tibby?" Chaney asks, in bewilderment.
"It is...but people do pass through and dump old garbage. Your mom is right. That is where we should hide and the smell will be bad."
"Come on Happy. You go inside." I open the back door and let her in. I want Happy to be safe. "Alright, ladies let's go. He's not here yet." We run over to the dumpster and I hold out my hand so Chaney can step up to get inside. I do the same for Laura, but she dismisses my hand and climbs in.
"Mom, it smells so gross in here. Isn't there anywhere else we can hide?" Chaney Whines.
"Look around you...there are only a couple of buildings and the shed itself; it's too risky." Laura says quietly.
At Laura's mention of the shed we all look over at it. I've seen it so many times you would think it wouldn't be a big deal. It is a big deal though, I dread seeing it everytime. I can't unsee those poor dead girls with their cold, lifeless eyes, thrown into bags, as if their garbage.
The shed's paint is peeling more than usual and the walls appear to be more dilapidated than before. The right side is leaning a little, revealing how old the shed really is. "God, the shed is creepy," Laura states, shivering at the sight of it. Although most of me agrees with her, a part of me sees the shed in a different light. Yes, I don't want to live there now, but when I first saw the shed, I thought I would be safe and secure while searching for answers about Solia. A month ago the shed provided me with a profound sense of security. Staring at the shed in its current state, pushing those negative emotions aside, I've come to realize, in a way, I actually respect it.
Even though tonight in the desert it's exceptionally hot, there is a breeze of warm air wafting around us, creating a cocoon of different smells. The garbage smell is most prominent and one that makes me gag. The second smell gliding through the dry air is her perfume. Solia's giving us a heads up. He must be close. "Do you smell that?" Chaney whispers.
Laura and I both nod our heads. "I can't believe we can smell her perfume amid all of this shit!" Chaney laughs, but frowns when she notices our attention is elsewhere. Her eyes zoom in on what we see. Dust is flying in a cloud formation behind the blue pickup truck that's advancing toward the shed at a rapid rate. Even in the dark, his rate of speed is visible. He must be in a hurry to drop something off, or retrieve something he's already stored in there.
All three of us fall silent as he parks and gets out of his truck. He's carrying something in his hand. "I wish we could see what he's carrying,'' I whisper. Laura is holding binoculars to her face. "Where did you get those?" I ask, in excitement.
"I had them in my back pocket," She whispers back.
"Clever. What did he bring into the shed?"
"Formaldehyde."
"What's formaldehyde?" Chaney Whispers.
"It's a chemical used to preserve things," I tell her.
"What's he using it for?" We both stare at her and raise our eyebrows
Laura states the obvious,"He's using it to preserve the bodies of these dead girls."
"Why?' She asks, incredulously.
"Now, that's the million dollar question," I state. I nudge Laura and ask for the binoculars. She hands them to me quickly. I put them up to my eyes and gasp. Finally, after over a month of trying to get a glimpse of what he looks like, I'm shocked at the sight. He's tall with dark brown hair, a perfectly angled nose, and a strong jawline that accentuates his perfect smile in the moonlight. He's very handsome and younger which doesn't surprise me. The way he walks and holds himself matches his appearance. His attractiveness doesn't change my opinion of him. His arrogant smile reveals what I've known all along. He's a piece of shit! A murderer! A monster! He must be taken out. I swear on my sister's death that I will do just that. I will kill him. Eventually.