Haunted Chp 10
Alternate Ending
The police.. they hung up on! As I stared down at the human heart on the kitchen counter I knew I would have to take matters into my own hands. My knees screamed as I ran with the wild abandon of adrenaline toward the tree line then crept slowly now, more careful than ever now that the human monster knew that I could be lurking.
I hoped he would be too busy to pay me attention. I prayed to every god in existence known to me that he wouldn't find me in the shadows carefully stepping onto crisscrossed vines so as not to crunch the fallen leaves. I peered back with all of the strength in my gut for fear I would meet his menacing gaze. Nothing but wooded forest and the faint light in the distance from the fire he'd started.
I began to walk south of the property circling around until I was safe to creep up on the opposite end of his morbid rendition of Romeo and the Bloody Juliet's.
I stared in disbelief at the women he'd captured. They looked dirty and sullen as if all hope of escape had left them They wore no clothes while they sat on the earth before him.
" I will return bright and early my loves. Now into your cage you go." On all fours they crawled into the cage once the door was opened fully and hurdled in the back of it together.
The door on the interior had barbed wire sticking out so that if they attempted to slide the outside latch they would surely cut their wrists and die. I held my breath in the silence and the sound of bone and flesh squelching and crushing together as he rotated the grinder. Two hands hang from his belt chain from a wire.
I struggled not to wretch. He whistled softly along with his work fully content with himself and he ambled away toward the house where the human heart sat uncooked on the table. I had very little time to spare with very weak women. Who knows if he ever fed them? I waited long enough to where his ears would be too human to hear me amble quietly across the grass.
Wide eyes stared back at me shaking their heads, "you should go," a raspy female voice, "he will find you and put you in here with us."
Fresh blood and gristle stuck to the wire and I knew that someone had tempted fate. I imagined what it felt like to see someone chopped up into pieces that they'd grown close to in their torment. I yanked the door open determined to never let them see that again.
"Come on! He'll be back here soon!" I watched them look in direction from where he came before walking quickly to join my pace as I backed out of the clearing and into the trees leading them further away from their isolated hell.
Leaves were stepped on and twigs snapped in wild abandon as we hustled and my heart ached as branches scratched exposed flesh. I hurried with no idea of where I was going until I arrived.
Our closest neighbors had a dock leading into the wild flowing river between our properties. The argument that ensued over this dock had been legendary and thankfully the property line dispute had settled on the dock being in the rightful place on the other side of the river at the edge of our property. It would have been easier to build a new dock in my opinion. I was happy for once my opinion did not matter.
I leaped onto the boat swaying forward and almost crashing into the river. I turned reaching my hand out to help these women onto the boat. So close to the exit. So close to freedom.
The gun cocked as my hands hurried to untie the rope. I looked forward meeting the eyes of this man, this monster, this diabolical fiend. He aimed the barrel. I picked up the paddle and lifted it to sink into the water however the blast sent wood chips of the paddle in every direction. I sank down quickly, yanking my feet back and then forward to kick the wooden frame of the dock sending us careening into the rapids of the river.
BANG! BANG! He shot in our direction and I could see him running to catch us on the shoreline. I bent my body forward yanking my fingers through the waters paddling arm over arm getting water splashed in my face in my attempt. We yanked forward with a speed I was sure would drown us if we fell overboard and I yanked backward to keep the boat from careening.
The sound of gun shots faded as the river grew closer to a lull. I stared out at the clouds remembering all the lies, willing them to be true. I felt broken like nothing in the world mattered but my pain. Out of all the people this could have happened to why me? Had I been chosen or did I blindly choose this? I could feel a hot tear rolling down my cool cheek and the sound of water once again brought me out of my daze. I looked over at the women next to me, all four curled up under the thin blouse I provided off my back.
We had only made it this far because of the current. Our small boat had saved our lives despite stray bullets. My soon to be ex-husband was a deadly nuisance. I wiped the tear away using my hand as a paddle to push us into another busy current.
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The whir and beep of the machines was the sound in the hospital room when I awoke and turned on the news to break the eerie silence. Despite their accommodations to place us together I felt uneasy here knowing somewhere out There was a monster.
"Today we have an astounding story of heroism and terror and we ask that you please ask your small children to leave the room for the details of tonight's story." The news anchor stopped and looked at the camera stoically.
"The search is on for the man responsible for the deaths of what appears to be a current count of five," she paused momentarily, " I apologize make that seven women so far confirmed in the case. Amongst this horror is the announcement of four missing persons cases currently marked found..."