A wolf in sheep’s clothing
tick tick tick…. the shitty plastic clock sitting lopsided on my check stand, a constant reminder of the perpetual boredom that has become my life. I hear the intercom suddenly screech to life.
“Helloooo Market City customers and associates this is Cheryl giving you your friendly and fresh reminder that we close in approximately 20 minutes, sooooo if you have any items that like need to be checked out please head to the front self-checkout stand where I will gladly help you orrrrr head to the last open register where our handsome associate Henry will help you, oh and just a Market city reminder to be safe on the roads tonight as the storm has like reportedly worsened this last hour, thank you and have a Market City fresh day!” She gives a high pitch note on her last word and she hangs up the phone.
Her voice makes me want to ram my head through a wall as she takes glee in delivering one of those God-awful messages every ten minutes for the past hour. I look over my shoulder to where she’s standing, and she gives me an exaggerated wink.
“Not a thought in that head” I mutter to myself while returning a smile of my own.
She seems happy with this and goes back to what I assume is a facetime call, twirling her brown hair like a schoolgirl. An air pod sitting in her left ear. If she wasn’t so dumb, she would actually be attractive, blond and short, with a bit of an hourglass body, but she’s practically a walking headache, like one of those chronically online girls who has decided that they are the main characters, I would love to “take her out” but as she does work with me that’s against my rules, so I just put up with her no matter how tempting it is.
tick tick tick…. the clock reads 10:55 as I finish up helping the last customer with her bags of groceries, an older lady who can barely walk, I start getting a bit lost in my thoughts about how she’s exactly getting home with the storm outside, I snap out of it realizing I’m staring and hand her, her last bag,
“Drive safe tonight, okay?” I ask with a concerned smile although it’s more of a statement than anything.
I turn and look over my shoulder at Cheryl and realize she is reaching for the phone for one last message. I panic a little as I wanted to try something. I walk as fast but as subtle as I can to my check stand phone. I take it off as she starts.
“Hello Market City customers and associates this is Cheryl giving you one la-”
I press the page button which connects it to the speaker, and I lift the phone, I wait for a second and…. nothing.
“Yes!” I say a little too loud.
I cringe a little gritting my teeth, hoping she didn’t hear, I turn and peak over and see her still speaking into the intercom as though nothing happened.
“Thank God she’s so…. special” I say to myself, Jesus I need to stop talking to myself I think while giving her a smile. She returns it with a smile of her own. She seems almost as if she is constantly in a state of bliss, it’s strange to say the least. I head to clock out after shutting down my register, as I walk past, she lags behind and then with a girly skip she hops up to match my walking speed.
“Sooooo what are you doing tonight?” She says in a high-pitched sing-songy tone.
I look down at her with a smirk on my face. “Why are you looking for something to do?”
She gets flustered, her face turning red. While nervously smiling looking back at me
“What, uhm what do you have in mind?” I pause trying to look like I’m in deep thought, then as though I realized something disappointing, I frown “Oh right I have to get back home especially with this storm and my mom, you know how she’s sick” I sigh, trying to seem disappointed. She looks crushed at the news, that’s something I’m not sure I could understand, that level of disappointment at something so small is confusing. Even though she is attractive, and I have certain compulsions towards her I don’t think I could ever get so…sad. I look at her sighing
“I’m sorry but hey, how does sometime next week sound?”
She perks up at this and nods her head. As I start to make my way to the entrance she pauses, and I hear
“Wait! Are you going to be okay with the storm outside?” I pause mid step, turning to face her while still backing up.
“I think so, but don’t worry about me” I say not trying to continue this conversation. She looks to ponder something before muttering “can you give me a ride home?”
I weigh my options, as on one hand my boss is standing directly within earshot and is not so subtly listening in. If I say no, I look like a massive dick as I’m leaving this girl stuck in the store, but also, I really don’t want my urges to make me do something that goes outside of my plans as I really do hate making plans on the fly, but I have to play nice, so with a smile and nod of my head I beckon her to follow me out.
“Yeah of course, I wouldn’t want you getting stuck in this” I opened the door outside for her trying to be nice. “So, you live close?” I say praying I won’t have to drive too long in this storm, but when I step outside after her, I instantly realize how serious it really was. A harsh and frigid wind blows all around us, making it harder to see further than 15 feet, coupled with it being dark outside. The parking lot lights being the only thing illuminating the surrounding area. The wind howling makes it hard to hear anything, but she turns to me and screams
“Not too far, only 20 minutes” I pause and feel a growing agitation inside of me, as I know in this storm I would probably be driving for an hour.
“Alright let’s just get to my car” I say not trying to sound too annoyed. I beckon her to follow me. I almost always park at the corners of the lot to avoid people, and have some privacy during breaks, but during times like these it becomes annoying. I run trying my hardest not to slip but my worn-down vans do little in the way of traction. I look behind me as I try to keep pace, and make sure she is still following behind, but then it happens, my slip ons betray me, as my feet fly out from under me. I fall luckily landing only on my ass, but the sting of my tailbone starts radiating.
“OWWW” I scream out a little.
Cheryl runs to my side, and crouches down.
“OMG are you okay?” She sounds genuinely concerned, placing a hand on my shoulder.
A bit annoyed as she literally said OMG, but she still sounded sweet. God my heart skips a little as I look into her soft blue eyes. Nope, no I can’t do this, I work with her, she’s too close to me. I look away trying to gather my thoughts.
“Yeah, yeah just help me up?” I say softly
She smiles, grabbing my arm. We finish the last 20 feet to the car in a sort of half run. I unlock the door, with the press of my keys. As we enter the warmth and safety of my old 2012 Nissan rogue, she makes a comment that only annoys me.
“Sooooo like this is your car?” she says sounding disappointed
“Do you want a ride home or not?” I say looking right in her eyes trying to sound like I’m half teasing, half serious, but also trying not to let the anger get the best of me.
“I’m only kidding, it’s…. cute” she says with her stupid high pitch tone at the end. I think she is trying to flirt but God, she’s only making it more tempting. I feel the urges start tapping on the recesses of my mind. How good it would feel to NO stop. I CAN NOT DO THIS. Not tonight.
“So where to?” I ask
“So basically, you like, take highway 32…You know it right?” she says with a bit of a demeaning tone
“Yes, I d-” she cuts me off
“Great, it’s just 15 minutes straight and then a couple turns into the neighborhood. I’ll tell you when to make the turn” She grabs her phone and then my aux cord, clearly trying to set up some music for the long drive. I let her as I know that listening to whatever she plays will be more entertaining than her. I turn the key and my engine stutters, but after a moment it roars to life. I breathe a sigh of relief and set it into reverse, and then drive.
“So, what are you going to play?” I mutter as I turn out of the parking lot. Just trying to make conversation.
“Don’t worry Hemy, I know what you like” I look at her as she says this a slight smirk forms on her face.
I laugh a little “Is that so, well we will see about” suddenly what she said hits me, I give a little nervous laugh “umm…. wait how do you know about that nam-?”
She cuts me off again, a habit that is starting to get on my nerves
“Oh Hemy? You told me the story behind it awhile back, don’t you remember? I think it’s cute”
“Huh, maybe I did” I said, agreeing, although I doubted that but who knows maybe the boredom of work got to me one day. I hadn’t heard that name in years though, a sort of repressed memory, although a fond one. I wouldn’t tell her the real story behind it, so I wonder what lie I told her, the only person who ever used that name is an old friend, and she couldn’t have known about him, so I must’ve said something else.
I hear the speakers in my car start playing but it’s too quiet, so Cheryl reaches over, turning the dial all the way up, and I hear ‘After Dark’ start playing
“Huh, that’s my favorite song, Good guess” I smile in a little bit of disbelief. She seems like she only listens to Taylor Swift songs on repeat, so her playing this was a surprise to say the least, plus it also being my favorite song. She places her phone in one of the two cup holders, with her phone screen facing me, my eyes drift to it before it goes dark, and I see her lock screen, it’s a picture of…. someone sleeping. It looks like my bed. I take a double glance in a bit of disbelief.
“What the fuck, who uh who is that?” I mutter joking a little, the weirdness of what I just saw not quite hitting me yet. She sees this and grabs her phone calmly, looking at it, A wide smile falls on her face.
“What’s the matter, Hemy?” her smile widens, a little too much. All of the sudden I feel my heart beating
“Don’t call me that and answer my question” I raise my voice trying to sound stern, my left-hand trails down the wheel, and to my hip area.
“You know, Hemy, you know who it is, don’t play dumb” My eyes are still locked onto the road, but in my peripherals, I see, she is still sitting there, her body almost facing completely towards me, with her eyes locked on me, I can feel her gaze burning into the side of my face. Her voice sounds different as well, almost like she dropped her usually preppy tone for something colder.
I try acting calm like I’m not sure what she is talking about, while my left hand still searches for the handle of my dagger, maybe tonight is the night. She starts a rant.
“You know Hemy, I’m surprised you actually agreed to tonight, I mean I’ve been asking to spend time with you after work for months, you always gave some excuse, but they were all lies, I knew that, but I was never mad at you, just disappointed. I’m honestly a little surprised you fell for a ‘ride home’ I mean how do you think I got to work, but then I thought maybe you just wanted to spend time with me, maybe you really do like me, how I like you, and I see now you were just playing hard to get”
WHAT THE FUCK…. Shes worse than me
My brain scrambles for something to say but what she said hits me like a ton of bricks. How could I have been so stupid we are both like 25, no shit she has a car I didn’t even ask. I’m glad she was looking at me and not where we are driving because I never made it to the highway. After a pause she continues
“I know you feel the same way I do; I see how you look at m-” I cut off her stupid villain dialogue by slamming on my brakes and spinning the wheel with my right hand, I reach in one last attempt with my left to grab my knife, but it’s nowhere to be found. My head rocks forward and she slams into the passenger side as the car slides on the slick back road I turned down when I saw the picture of my bedroom. I grab for control of the wheel as my car spins out. “God dammit!’ I scream as I feel a sudden sharp pain in my right leg. My eyes scan the road looking for something…anything I see a field that I try spinning to, but I lose control ramming headfirst into a light pole, and everything goes black.
My eyes suddenly open, I feel my head pounding in rhythm with my heartbeat, and my ears ringing. I wince in pain as I remember what happened. I sit up seeing my airbag had deployed, the radio crackles in and out, still playing the same song. I look down at my leg and see…my fucking knife, that bitch, how the fuck did she get that? Did she plan this? The realization hits me, and now it all makes sense.
My eyes turn quickly to the passenger side all of the sudden fearing the worst, but thankfully I’m only met with the frigid air and an open door. I grabbed the blade seeing that it was only about half in. I winced, pulling even though I know I shouldn’t, I needed something to defend myself from her. Jesus how did I miss this, I knew I should’ve killed her, my gut was right, but nooo I work with her, how fucking stupid. I feel my rage start picking up and my urges are in full control now. The pain of my body starts to numb, thank God for adrenaline. I grab an older sweatshirt from my backseat and cut a piece from the sleeve off, wrapping it around my bleeding leg, I grab the handle to my door, and drive my shoulder into it. The door holds firm on the first but as I ram it a second time it swings open taking me with it. I hit the ground hard, and I hear a loud pop in my shoulder.
Of course, I landed on the ice. I take a deep breath trying to center myself. I plant my hands on the cold and snowy ground pushing myself up. As I stand, I turn and look at my car. It sits there, the front hugging the pole, wrapped around in its cold embrace. The light pole lays slanted looking like it could fall at any moment. Its light stutters on and off, threatening to make this night a lot scarier. This reminds me of the danger I’m in as I’m no longer in control, but she has to die tonight, who knows what she knows, the fucking stalker bitch. I walk to her side of the car and see a trail of blood and footsteps leading into the field. How did she start bleeding?
My gut isn’t sure what to do but now isn’t the time to be indecisive. I grab a flashlight from the glovebox, and start to follow the trail to end this, to end her. The snow and wind start picking up and after about 20 feet from the car, and the trail is already getting covered, but what else can I do but keep moving. I feel my hand grip the handle of my knife tighter, as I feel my anxiety grow. The footsteps lead me to the edge of a forest, you got to love the mountains of Colorado. I step into it looking over my shoulder no longer being able to see the car. I breathe deeply still trying to calm my nerves as it feels like I’m being watched.
Another 100 feet or so and the footsteps have disappeared completely the snow now coming down too fast, and the forest floor is like a maze, I decide to give up the chase as I know she won’t last long in this weather and she will be forced back to the car, but as I turn around, I hear snow crunch behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand, and the feeling of being watched only intensifies.
‘Hemy” a cold voice echoes through the snow
I turn as fast as I can, but instantly I’m met with a sharp pain directly on my nose. I fall back realizing she hit me with a rock. A fucking rock. My flashlight falls from my hand landing next to me. It falls perfectly, landing where the beam directly shines on her. My eyes start to water, and I taste blood running down from my nose.
“You Bitch! What the fuck?” I hold my nose trying to stop the blood while still facing her doing a kind of backward crawl. I lay there now sort of resting on a fallen log.
“ I loved you Hemy, for months, but I saw what you were capable of, I followed you home for weeks, months even, and during that time I saw you kill people, and I realized you were a monster, but that made me love you even more, because that was the real you, but then I saw who were planning on killing next…I saw the fucking pictures Henry you piece of shit how could you, I would never want to hurt you, but YOU WANTED TO KILL ME.” I hear the rage pick up in her voice as she finishes. There’s something else though, I can hear heartbreak. She starts walking closer to me and I see her hand reach to her back slowly. She pulls out a pink pocketknife, deploying the blade in one smooth motion. NO FUCKING WAY I DIE BY A PINK GIRLY POCKET KNIFE. I panic realizing I no longer know where my dagger is. I reach around the snow frantically as she continues.
“Now Hemy, you can never leave me, we’ll be together forever.” Her voice is now devoid of any emotion, and her eyes lock on mine. My stupid knife is nowhere to be seen, and with my light only pointing at her I can’t see anything with the stupid fucking storm. I feel my frustration and rage start picking up, as my hands search for anything, and then yes! I find a small rock and I smile a little. My flashlight beam shines bright onto her as she gets closer, and I can see the demented look she has on her face. I’m just waiting for the perfect moment, so I let her continue one last time.
“God, I can’t wait.” Her smile grows unnaturally wide.
I noticed something behind her, glowing eyes, and suddenly I knew why I felt like I was being watched. We aren’t the only predators in this forest. My heart drops at the realization, but it’s too late. She lunges at me, knife in hand, I stick my leg up kicking her in the chest as hard as I can. She folds but her knife drags against my leg. I scream in pain. She falls back losing her balance, the kick stealing her breath. I see the glowing eyes get closer, and I have an idea. Cheryl looks at me with rage in her eyes. I see her getting ready to lunge a second time and I raise the rock, throwing it as hard as I can. It connects right on her throat dropping her to her knees. I see the cougar take its chance. It leaps pouncing right on top of her shoulders. Its large paws tear the flesh from her bones. She screams as it rears its head and sinks its powerful jaws into her throat, violently shaking its head trying to rip it out. Her eyes switch from rage, to shock and confusion, and then finally fear as she feels her life drain. Holy fuck that worked. I stand quickly trying to appear bigger in an effort to scare the beautiful animal before me. It tears her neck out practically decapitating her in the process. Its eyes meet mine and though I can’t see the rest of it very well, as the flashlight only covers half of it just turns away from me, dragging the now dead Cheryl off into the woods growling as it does, a sort of warning to leave it alone, and let it eat in peace.
“Oh, thank god.” I breathe a sigh of relief, now letting my puffed-up demeanor fall, I limp over to the flashlight not allowing myself to show my back to the direction it left in. I know that even though it left me alone for now, that it wasn’t guaranteed for long. This was its house, and I was an intruder.
“Fuck you, Cheryl!” I spit on the pile of blood the cougar left behind.
I walk backwards making sure to shine my light in the direction of the forest until I’m out, I then limp still bleeding from a now even more fucked up leg to my car. Honestly tonight could’ve been much worse. I sit down in my seat, picking up my leg with my hand dragging it inside. I slam the door shut. I then reach for her phone, still somehow plugged in. It hurts to breathe but I sigh as I see it ask for a password. I take a wild guess. 9-11-1998…my birthday, it clicks thank God. I called my friend Alex, and thankfully he answered, and I told him what happened.
“You finally killed her? What happened to your rules” he says mockingly
I laugh “Hahaha, SOOO funny you were right, I should’ve done it a while ago, now pick me up asshole, plus I didn’t even do it although believe I would’ve loved too” Alex is my best friend, a kind of ride or die, although he was more liberal in who he chose to ‘dispatch’, hence the reason we don’t do it together, but I still loved him. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten me out of situations, nor would it be the last.
“Yeah, yeah, just send me the address man, oh and any witnesses?” I pause trying to think. My manager
I sigh “Just my manager but she only saw us leaving together, so I’ll just make up a story. It’s fine.” I knew they would most likely find her remains and see that she was clearly attacked by the mountain lion, so I wasn’t too worried.
“Alright man, see you soon” He took me to our house, and we filed a report the next day. After giving a convincing performance the police told us they would give us a call, but I gave them Alex’s number as I lost mine in the wreck, and I wasn’t about to give them hers. A trophy to remember her bye. The cuts were believable enough to have been from the wreck as well so no trouble there. My only concern is the knives we left behind, both having my blood on them, but I’m hoping they just get lost in the storm. It’s a couple days since the ‘incident’ I’ve heard nothing so I should be in the clear, but Cheryl has been filed as a missing person so there’s that. I also got to take a couple of days off, which was very nice, I do have a shift in a couple of hours so, I’ll update when I can.