Some Boots

"Hey, babe, I'm gonna be late. Like really late. I don't know. This blizzard is crazy bad. I'm stuck on 95 in this super long line of traffic. I miss you too. Don't worry. What could possibly happen? You think there's a psycho out here in this shit? You're too funny. No, I can't see anything up ahead at all. Just a bunch of tractor-trailers and a few cars behind me. We're at a dead stop. Been like this for about an hour now. I'm gonna turn the car on and off every half hour, so I don't freeze my ass off and to recharge my cell. So I'll reach out to you then. Hey, what are you wearing? No, I'm not a pervert, just in love. Madly in love with you. Talk to you in thirty."

His goal today was ten, one more than yesterday. Tomorrow it would be eleven. He got nine yesterday, on the ninth. It would be a good day today.

"At least Janelle is safe at home. Teachers get all the breaks. It snows half a damn inch, and they close the school. Where are the freaking snow plows? Holy shit, I've only had the car off for five minutes, and I'm chilled. Half a tank of gas. I can make it last just in case. Kinda strange being in the car without being able to see out the windows. Just a blanket of white covering everything. Holy shit, I can see my breath! No way I'll last thirty-minute stretches without heat."

They were all so trusting. Fools, every single one of them. So gullible.

"That's it, I can't take it any longer. I'm freezing my nuts off. Okay, let's get some wiper action going, see what's happening out there. Maybe I can roll my window down a bit and wipe off the side mirror for a look-see too. Goddammit! Damn, snow is all in the car now. Shit. Bad idea. Gonna text Janelle a pic of this white bullshit. What the hell? Now my wipers are stuck!"

Caught off guard. Being good citizens. Sipping their coffee. Staying warm.

"What the shit? Is that really a guy walking out there? It looks like he's talking with the fifth or sixth car back. Now he's getting in the back seat. Poor bastard probably ran outta gas and is freezing to death. My God, can this shit come down any faster? It's like three inches an hour! And like the non-boy-scout I am, I have no food or water or blankets or boots on. Just my Nike's. I can hear my dad now. But I've got a wool scarf on dad."

This is like child's play. Easy peasy, warm and breezy.

"Screw it, I gotta start the car, my fingers are frozen. Oh, yeah, that's the ticket. Heater on full blast. Let's get these windows defrosted. And goddamn, it is so eerily quiet. No crazy drivers zooming by. No radios blasting tunes. Betcha this damn snow makes it quieter too. Well, I'll be damned, that dude is now hopping in the back seat of the car two cars back. Wonder if he's a cop checking on us? Makes sense. In ten minutes and I'll check in with Janelle. Make her text me a pic of her. All this waiting is killing me. I'd rather be home with her snuggled up in front of the fire."

Bonus. Two in one spot. Ten will be a piece of cake today. Get a jump start on tomorrow's tally.

"Okay, that's enough heat. Gotta conserve gas. Janelle must be out shoveling, she didn't pick up. Left her an obscene message, though. Can't wait until she calls back. I miss her voice. Kinda claustrophobic in this car now. Are you freaking kidding me? Both windshields are covered with snow again. Is my scraper in the trunk? I don't know. I'll get out and check the next time I fire up the engine."

Four more cars to go. Then the big rigs. Lots more room in those to move around. A good blizzard always made it easy peasy.

"Holy shit, man, you scared the piss out of me knocking on my window like that. Considering I didn't see you coming up. Are you the guy whose been checking on everyone? Oh, yeah, sure, climb in, it's unlocked. Is your car back there somewhere? I thought I saw you moving up this line of cars. You break down or something? I just had the heater on, so it's still pretty warm in here. Oh, sure, yeah, your chin is pretty red looking. And my scarf is already warmed up, here you go, buddy. I'd offer you some water, but I don't have any."

Before he knew what was happening, the man's hand was gripping the hair on top of his head. Icy cold steel sliced deeply through the flesh on his neck. Easy peasy. The only sound he heard was the scraping of the blade against his spine.

He sat in the back seat, waiting. Waiting for this stranger to die. Couldn't leave any loose ends. Some die fast. Some die slow. Some of their eyes look petrified, others are filled with disbelief. Slicing through the spinal cord is the quickest way he'd discovered. No fighting. Get them from behind. All these trusting souls. Not one of them ever suspected a thing. Easy peasy.

"Thanks for the scarf, buddy. Number eight. It's gonna be a good day."

The warm blood flooded his chest and lap instantly. His head slid a bit to the left, and he was vaguely aware of a gurgling sound. Nothing worked. His hands, his lungs, his eyes. Staring straight ahead at the snow-covered windshield, his vision faded to black. Janelle's muffled call rang through the car like it was coming from far away.

With the skill of a butcher, he wiped the blood off the long blade stroke by stroke. He liked fabric seats for this very reason. He carefully slipped it back into its sheath, opened the car door, and stepped out into the blizzard.

"A hat. Some gloves. A warm scarf. All I need now are some boots. Easy peasy."