Kill for me. A terrifying request, but Gavin will take this request and do his best to complete it. He will suffer. He will reach the edge of his sanity. He will live in pain. But he will do all he can do to protect the people and the town he loves.
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UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086814J42
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CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B086814J42
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Gavin stood on the road, watching for cars, nailing a wooden post into the ground. The sun was warming the day, making it a lot hotter than it should have been. A police car pulled up and stopped near the spot where he was working. Gavin stopped his work and turned towards the man climbing out from behind the wheel. Ernie Holsten, tall and lanky, adjusted his clothes as he walked over to where Gavin was standing. Gavin stood about 6 foot 5, and he had a good three inches of height over Ernie.
“Afternoon,” Gavin replied, adjusting himself, popping his neck – a neck that seemed stiffer now that he was thirty. And he assumed that if he felt this way, Ernie, who was fifty five, must be into a whole other category of body pains.
“Afternoon,” Ernie replied, adjusting his gun belt so it felt a bit more comfortable. “How are you?”
“Fine. You?”
“Good as can be I guess.”
“Something on your mind?”
“Hadn’t seen you around town in a bit. Just wondering if you were doing okay. Tried your home, figured you might be here since I didn’t find you there.”
“Trying to fix up the land, maybe thinking about selling it sometime soon. Money is always appreciated and I don’t need the land. Sitting here doing nothing but growing grass and weeds.”
“Selling it. Really? Hasn’t your family owned it for generations?” Ernie asked, confused.
“Long time. Sure,” Gavin replied, thinking about the trees, the hungry trees who needed to be fed. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he somehow he knew it was time to start feeding them.
“Why now?” Ernie asked, feeling that Gavin, who was always a great and loyal guy, always lived on the side of honest, wasn’t telling him the whole truth. Something seemed off, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
“Nest egg. Retirement. You know, thinking of the future.”
“I understand that,” Ernie replied, looking Gavin over from top to bottom, noticing he was looking a bit thinner and he looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well. Huge black rings circled his eyes.
“Have I done something wrong?”
“Nope. Only Worried. Hoping you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” Gavin replied kind of sharply, but with a smile. He never liked being rude, but he didn’t have time for the chit chat. He could sense the trees. He could sense their hunger. He could feel them wanting Ernie. There was a tingle in the air that only he could feel. He turned towards the trees and whispered the word – “No.”
“No?” The sheriff asked, eyebrows raised.
“No. No problems. I’m A-Okay,” Gavin replied, popping up his thumb.
“You know you can talk to me anytime about anything.”
“I know and I appreciate it, but I’m fine. I’d like to get back to my work if you don’t mind.”
Ernie looked at the post, standing rigid in the ground, waiting on something to be hung on it. “Are you putting a sign on the post?”
“I can’t sell the land if I don’t advertise.”
“Guess not,” Ernie replied, glancing at the field, noticing a well-worn path that led back into it, disappearing behind a set of tall trees. He couldn’t see what was behind the trees, but the path looked like it had been used frequently.
“Is that it?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for checking in.”
“Stay out of the heat. Going to be an unusually hot one. Heat like this, so strange this close to Thanksgiving.”
“It is,” Gavin replied. “Have a good one.”
“You too,” Ernie replied and then walked over and opened the car door. He paused before climbing behind the wheel. He looked at Gavin. “Remember. Anything you need, I’m here.”
“Got it,” Gavin replied, smiling again.
“Okay,” Ernie replied, and climbed into the car. He turned on the engine and waved as he passed. Gavin waved back and then went back to his hammering. When he was done (and sure he was alone), he hung up the handmade sign that was going to rest on the post throughout the season. He stepped back and looked at his work. He thought the sign would do what it needed to do. He turned from the sign to the road and wondered if anyone would show up or if he would have to go looking for victims. Route 6 wasn’t frequently traveled. He hoped he wouldn’t have to go looking for anyone or anything. He wasn’t the killing kind and he certainly wasn’t the stalking and planning kind either. He hoped his victims would come to him. He knew that would be the best scenario, but he knew it probably wouldn’t work out to be that simple. It also wouldn’t lessen his burden or make it easier on him to hand out the killing stroke, but he knew he would be less likely to get caught or screw things up if it happened right here in the field.
“Well, better get back to it,” he replied to himself and then went back to work. It was time to make a road that led into The Lot.
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I recently published this novella or short story, depending on how you look at it, and I wanted to promote it. So, my brain got to thinking, and my brain came up with three ways you can enjoy this story (if you want to read it).
- Tune in every Wednesday and read it page by page until it is completed.
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- If you are able to buy it and do want to support me the links to purchase the story are posted above.
Thanks again for all the support. I promise Poetry and Haiku as much as I can, but I hope you stick with me each Wednesday as I branch off into something a bit different. And if you missed a page look for the story underneath the Hump Day Promotions category. You are now free to move around the blog.
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