By Nancy Jackson
Pulling up to the café in Briar, Joann gave a deep sigh of relief. Hours of driving had taken its toll and she needed a break. Gently she nudged David awake.
“Honey, I could really use some coffee and I don't know, a sandwich maybe,” she said softly. Rubbing his eyes, David sat up and straightened his shirt.
“Great idea, let's get some grub,” he agreed.
She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “It's so nice you wake up cheerful, don't ever lose that trait,” she said, giving him a light punch in the arm. “Shall I lock the car?”
David looked around, they were in a small town with nothing more than a gas station, store, and a café, it seemed
harmless to him. “I wouldn't bother, we'll sit where we can see the car and anyhow, since I accidentally bent the key, I'm afraid one of these times we won't get back in.”
Once they entered, Joann made a mental note to write her friend Lynn to let her know she had actually been to a place reminiscent of the classic reruns on cable late at night. Looking at the bar she gazed over the stereotypical waitresses with their white aprons, big hair, black eyeliner, and a gruff look. She hoped the cook wasn't named Mel or something.
“I am going to use the powder room, why don't you get us a seat,” she whispered. David nodded and proceeded to get a booth where he could see the car.
Immediately a middle-aged brunette approached him, pad of paper in tow. “What can I get you?” she asked with a slight annoyance in her tone.
“To start I'd like two coffees with cream and sugar please,” he replied as he scanned her nameplate. He chuckled as he read the name, Flo. He figured Joann
would get a big kick out of that one.
“My wife will be along in a minute but I think we are
going to get some sandwiches. Do you have a menu?”
The waitress looked at him a moment as if he was a
completely crazy. David sat up a little straighter in
the booth.
“Did I say something funny?” he asked.
“What we have is on the chalkboard, menus cost money around here mister. You must be from some big city or something,” she implied.
“As a matter of fact yes, we are from Portland thank you. Anyhow, if you could give me a few minutes, I will look the chalkboard over and let you know,” he said, now feeling agitated. Flo walked away, disappearing into the kitchen. Quickly his mood gave way as his lovely wife returned.
“The bathrooms are gross,” she began. “I really wanted to freshen up but the water hardly comes out of the faucet. I don't know why Lindsay suggested we stop through this town, it's quite a dump.”
David nodded in agreement. He was going to point out the
name of their waitress but decided to wait and see her face. While they weren't snobby by nature, they had both grown up with well-to-do families and were more accustomed to a nice steakhouse rather than a small town diner. Joann had a big fear of dirty toilets, rodents, and anything that resembled tacky. He liked that about her. One thing he knew, they would have a nice looking home with classy décor and not a bit of plaid, polka dots, paisley, or polyester.
“The sandwiches are listed on the chalkboard,” mocked David. “We have a choice of ham or ham with cheese served on a bun with pickles. I guess variety isn't big here.”
“Oh well, I am so hungry I could eat dirt at this point. I guess ham and cheese,” she decided.
Flo walked up and placed their coffee down. Joann looked
up to thank her and her eyes stopped at the nametag. A huge smile spread across her face and David knew what she was thinking.
“Thank you, Flo, we are going to have ham and cheese. I don't suppose you have an onion roll or Kaiser bun?” she asked innocently. Judging by the dumbfounded look on Flo's face she guessed not. “Okay, yeah, two ham and cheese and two big pieces of your best pie,” she added, trying to stifle her laughter. Flo nodded and walked away.
“Jesus David, this is a freaking trip! Can we say Twilight Zone? I believe she thought I was talking foreign or something. You already noticed her name didn't you, uh huh, wanted to see my reaction,” she laughed. They had been having such a great time traveling on the road together. Her friend Lindsay was getting married and they were expected in a few days. She did the day driving while he took over at night, she didn't trust her vision in the dark. Placing her hand on his, she leaned over to talk more
quietly.
”I think we ought to skip finding a place to sleep and
just drive as long as we can, maybe get out of this
hillbilly nightmare and back to the real world,” she
said.
Just then, Flo came up and glared at Joann. Immediately she flung the dishes down.
“Oh, could we get these heated up?” Joann asked before the waitress left.
“Well, we are just a needy bunch, aren't we?” Flo sneered. “How about you go in the kitchen and do it yourself?” David eyed her with disbelief.
“I'm sorry, we thought part of your job was making sure we enjoyed our meal, guess I was wrong. These will be fine as they are. If we could just get a refill on the coffee, we won't be bothering you for anything else,” he retorted.
“Sure thing,” Flo replied. Joann stared at him.
“Check your sandwich, make sure she didn't spit it in or something,” she joked softly. David laughed. She always knew how to lighten a tense moment. They inspected their sandwiches and ate everything up quickly. The sooner they left, the better off they'd be. Flo returned once to refill the coffee and again to leave the bill. Each time she refused to say a word to them.
“Well, I won't be leaving her much of a tip,” Joann commented, pulling out some money from her purse.
“I wouldn't leave her a thing,” suggested David.
“Oh honey, you have to leave something, it's only right,” Joann reminded him. With the money laid on the table, she got up to put on her jacket. David didn't share her opinion but he didn't want to cause a scene or anything. Without a look towards Flo they shouted their thanks and went outside.
“While we're here I think we should get some candy bars and pop. You know how we get the munchies and all, right about the time all the stores are closed,” Joann pointed out.
“Great idea, I think I am craving root beer and Three
Musketeers. How about you,” he asked.
“Perfect, I'll grab the pop and meet you at the cashier,” she said. With their junk food and drinks, they went to the car and got back on the road.
Half an hour later, they passed a sign that said a gas station was near.
“I have got to go David, the coffee has finally set in,” Joann said, fidgeting at the wheel.
“I'll need to stop at the next station.” David reclined in his seat and watched the cornfields speed by.
“Here we go,” she said as she drove to the side of the station. “Why don't you fill the tank while I am gone,” she suggested.
As David walked to the back of the car, he noticed he stepped in gum. Scraping the sole of his shoe along the ground, he ran right into the back door that was open. He rubbed his gut where the door handle had got him and angrily slammed it shut. The least she could have done was let him know she left the door open, he thought.
As he began filling up the car, he heard muffled voices followed by a scream. He knew it was Joann. Quickly he
dragged the hose back to the pump and took off running
around the building. Two men were dragging her toward an old pickup.
“What are you doing, let my wife go,” he shouted. “I
will kill the both of you if you don't let her go this
instant!”
The two men ignored him. Another man stepped out of the pickup while another car pulled up, this time with a woman. Joann continued screaming, trying to kick the men, anything to get them to loosen their grip. David willed his body to keep moving, refusing to give in to the paralyzing fear that tried to consume him.
“Just hang on Joann, I won't let anything happen to you,” he hollered, hoping he sounded reassuring.
He recognized the woman in the car as Flo. She drove straight toward David, attempting to hit him. He dove out of the way just in time and rolled into the wall of the building. Quickly he picked himself up.
Those few seconds lost him the extra time he needed and he watched with horror as the men shoved Joann into the truck and sped away with the car right behind them. David raced back to his car and tore out onto the street. At least he had the faster car here and expected to catch right up to them.
The red light began blinking that the gas was low. He ran his hand through his hair and straightened himself. Knowing if he floored it he would waste gas, he begged the car to hold on. All he could think about was poor Joann and the terrible things those dirty men could do to her. It made him sick to his stomach to think about it. Everything in him wanted to show these trailer trash freaks he meant business.
He drove a few miles and felt unsure whether he could catch up to them or not. Just then he caught a glimpse of Flo's car making a left turn. He came up to the turn but didn't like how it looked. It went off the road and into a giant field of cornstalks.
Turning, he felt the panic again, afraid he would become lost. David was sweating profusely but didn't want to turn on the air conditioner with the gas gauge so low. Looking at the dial he realized that moment had come. As the car sputtered, he cursed and pounded the steering wheel with his fists.
“Come on baby, please don't fail me here,” he pleaded. With one more jerk, the car came to a complete stop. Quickly he fumbled around in the glove compartment for anything sharp, but all he found was a letter opener. It was a fine time for him to remember he put his pocketknife in Joann's purse “for safe keeping” and now he felt like an absolute idiot.
It was hard to open the door with the stalks but he finally managed and began running, getting whipped in the face with
stems and tall grass. His pulse quickened and he felt a cramp working its way up his side. Gritting his teeth he ran through the pain. All his instincts told him to panic. He flashed back to the time he was trying to earn a badge for the Trail Blazers and had become lost in the woods. Those thoughts never left and he had never been so scared, until now. Just thinking of Joann helped fuel the last of his energy and focus.
Using his last bit of strength, he sprinted hard. The
sun was going down and soon it would be dark. He couldn't get lost out here. Suddenly he came to a clearing and what he saw almost took his breath away.
“Just in time to watch,” Flo said, watching him pant like a dog.
“Get her down you animals, I swear I'll kill you,” David demanded.
“I don't think you are in the position to give orders around here,” replied Flo confidently.
He saw his sweet Joann propped up on a wooden pole, a pole intended for a scarecrow. There were two ropes hung from the pole and attached to wooden planks on the ground. Her face, neck, and legs had numerous cuts and covered her with blood.
“Baby, hang on,” he shouted. David looked at Flo and the two men with eyes blazing. “What the hell is going on here,” he implored. One of the men walked a little closer towards him.
“You seem to think you are better than us. You strut
around with a fancy car, nice clothes, and flaunt your
extended education. Well we are hard working folks who barely make ends meet. All we've got are the clothes on our back and still you mock us,” he sneered.
David watched as the other man walked to the truck and pulled out a large crate of some kind.
“Just let her go, she didn't do anything to you,” he begged.
David reached in his pocket for the letter opener and lunged for the man. Flo cocked her rifle and aimed it right at him. David froze. The man kicked the utensil from his hand and laughed.
“You won't be much good to your wife if you are dead,”
remarked Flo, lowering the rifle.
David looked up at Joann. Her pretty face smeared with black mascara, tears, and streaks of blood. Inside he
wanted to die.
“Why don't you think real hard about your actions today,” suggested Flo. “What should you have done differently?”
David could barely think clearly now, let alone go back an hour. His eyes followed to the man with the box, except it wasn't a box, it was a cage filled with something, he peered harder, and then gasped. The cage was filled with large rats.
“Now what do you think you're doing with those?” he asked, his body trembling.
The man just smiled at him. Setting down the cage, he walked over to Joann.
“She sure is a pretty thing, isn't she?” he smirked. Taking a knife he made a deep long slice into her arm. Blood oozed freely onto the knife, which he held like a tray, filling the blade until it was completely covered. Carefully he coated one side of the rope with her blood.
“Well David,” prompted Flo, tapping her foot. Her
smile sent chills through him.
The man placed a rat on the rope and it instantly began chewing. Joann began thrashing and screaming. Panic led to hysteria as one of her greatest fears lay before her eyes, making its way to her body. Nausea infested David's body. He couldn't allow those diseased rodents near his beautiful Joann.
“I'm sorry, I apologize if I acted rude in anyway. Call it tired or poor manners, but I am sorry. Now please untie her,” he begged. Flo just stood there shaking her head.
“Tsk, tsk, wonder boy, try again,” she replied. David reviewed in his mind over and over, unable to concentrate.
The man placed another rat on the rope while the first one was just about at her fingertips. Sweat drenched David's body and his collar felt as if it were strangling the very air out of him. He took a step forward but Flo raised the rifle again.
“For an educated thing, you sure are dumb. It's best you figure things out or she dies, simple as that,” she reminded him.
Joann began screaming louder as the other man dragged the knife along her chest, soaking her blouse with blood instantly. He too placed rats on the ropes. One of the rats scampered up to her shoulder. Her blood curdling screams were like daggers in his heart.
“I don't know what I did wrong, I take back everything!” he screamed. “The food was fantastic the coffee was out of this world and the service was impeccable,” he blurted. Flo began laughing like a madwoman.
“If my service was impeccable, then how come I didn't get a nice reward?” she asked, eyes wide and twinkling. David was confused. Joann screamed as the rat bit into her neck. David sank to his knees.
“Okay, I can see you are as stupid as you look, so I'll help you out here. You didn't leave a tip. I worked and slaved for you and you couldn't leave a few stinking quarters for my time you ungrateful slime,” she spat.
Joann called out to David. “Honey, I left a tip, I left her a big tip, tell her, I swear I did,” she shouted. “This is all a mistake, I left a tip!”
Flo looked over at the pathetic woman, watching the rats gnaw away at the rope and into her flesh.
“I'm afraid not honey, there was exact change for the bill, nothing more,” Flo said steadily. David's eyes welled with tears.
”I am so sorry Joann, I didn't think she deserved a tip, I pocketed the money,” he said, burying his head in his hands. Joann stared at him, unbelieving his words.
“It was only a few dollars, look at me, this is all because of you,” she cried. Flo and the men just laughed at him.
“I guess your wife ain't worth more than a couple bucks. Sorry David, you don't screw around with honest hard working trash like us,” she explained.
“Wait,” he interrupted. “I'll give you all the money
I have. Joann has lots of money in her purse.”
“Afraid we can't let you do that, seeing how it's the
principle of the thing. Looks like your luck ran out,” Flo jeered.
“How could you do this David,” Joann choked. She let out one final scream as the rat gnawed away at her throat followed by the others. Blood spurted out and she stared at him, with wide hollow eyes. The look of death spread over her face.
David vomited all over the ground, disgusted with his stupidity and selfishness. He tried to pick himself up and run to her but Flo shot him in the knees.
“You see, all the hard work you are putting forth and you don't get nothing for it,” she retorted. “Been there, done that.”
Flo and the men got in their vehicles and drove off, leaving him there. He dragged his body along the ground, trying to reach Joann. Pain seared through his legs.
He tried to lift himself up, but he lacked the strength and his knees gave out. David lay still as a pool of blood formed around him.
The disgusting sound of the rats gnawing away at Joann's body sapped him of any care to live. He watched as four large rats crawled out from the cage on the ground, smelling his blood, looking for a feast. As David panicked and dragged himself away, the hungry rats followed his crimson trail.
THE END