Fatal End

That was too close. The killer thinks, eyeing the traffic behind her from her rearview mirror. A minute longer, and I would've been done. Penny thinks. Her narrow escape from the alleyway replays in her mind as she speeds out of town.

***

  Pulling the lid across the dugout, Penny scrunches down as far as she can. Please let this work. Oh, please let this work, she begs, eyeing the cover again. 

Penny hears three male voices talking overhead. She tries to listen to what they're saying but can only make out a word here and there. I hope he tells them what I told him, too, or at least something along those lines. 

Penny remembers the fear in his eyes when she pressed her knife against his neck. He's too scared of what I'd do to tell them anything else. 

She starts to relax when a second thought comes to mind. A good cop knows how to get a perp to spill his guts, and as yellow-bellied as he is, he wouldn't be that hard to break. 

She glances toward the tin as she anxiously shifts her weight. I should've brought him down here instead of taking a chance. Why didn't I think about that sooner? Why? How could I have been so careless,  taking such a huge risk? The mumbling continues above her. It's too late to worry about any of that now. 

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she crunched into a tiny ball, a defense she often used in foster care. Flashbacks of her past come to mind. She then recalls escaping from the asylum a little over a week ago. I'd rather die a hundred deaths than be sent back there again. She scrunches further down.

Penny hears someone laughing and then footsteps shuffling around. Is he throwing a party up there, or what? She wipes the moister from her forehead again. 

I don't remember it being this hot down here.  Penny peels her clothes off her clammy body and dries her face again. I was never stuck down here for this long, I don't think. 

"They're gone," the man yells, kicking the edge of the tin.

The killer jumps from the sudden noise. She starts to get up when a thought suddenly comes to mind. Is he setting me up? Pretending they're gone so I'd come out? Or, maybe they're hiding somewhere to make it look like he didn't tell them I was down here.

"I'm not waiting around all day. So do you want my help out or not?" 

She looks towards the cover again, then recalls being in a similar incident when she was in the force. We would've had the lid torn off by now. 

The metal slides across. Penny screams.

"Do you want me to help you out or not?" he repeats, offering Penny his hand.

Reluctantly taking it, Penny hoists herself up.

The hot afternoon sun blinds her as she reaches the top. No wonder it was so hot down there, she thinks, glaring at the blazing sun.

"I don't know what you did, lady, but I overheard them saying the canines are on their way."

Penny's face pales. "They're sending the dogs?" 

The man nods. "That's what they claim."

Penny looks to her left and then to her right. The dogs will pick up my scent, no matter which way I go unless I can throw them off, but how will I do that? 

Penny thinks back to her academy days. Zigzagging side to side or walking through a crowd will buy me a little time, but will it be enough for me to escape? What if I confuse the dogs by swapping out our clothes, and then I'll have him go the opposite way? She pictures the scenario in her mind. That just might work. She turns towards the man and says, "Strip."

"What?"

Pulling out her knife, she presses the tip into his chest and says, "Take off your damn clothes and do it fast." 

"This is no time for sex, lady, not with the cops on your ass." 

She nervously looks down the alley. Finding it clear, she quickly explains. "I need to confuse the dogs; switching clothes is the only way I know that'll work.

The man takes a step back. "I'm not sure I want to get involved in this. Whatever this is."

"You already are involved by hiding me out."

"Yeah, but this is different. I'm helping you escape."

She raises the knife to his neck. "I don't have time to argue, so either give me your clothes, or I'll kill you and then take them off you myself." 

Looking over at her bloodstained knife, he nervously smiles, gulps, and says,  "When you put it that away." 

He starts to strip when another thought comes to mind. "I have a better idea." Running to his tent, he pulls out a pair of jeans and a shirt. "I found these dumpster diving late last night. I wanted to give them to my girl, but you need them more." 

  Exchanging clothes, Penny tosses her old ones in the hideout. She pulls the tin across, then rolls the dumpster over top. "That should keep them busy for a while." She smiles.

Canines bark in the distance. The man glances toward the noise and then at her. "I'll stall them as long as I can."

"Thanks," Penny yells, racing away.

  I had that guy pegged all wrong. She smiles, thinking how he did his best to give her ample time. 

Penny looks out the rearview mirror to find no cop in sight. She then recalls the extensive hit list she'd made up her first night in town. "I'll be back for the rest of you pervs once things cool down, but for now, I'll make myself useful in the other states. She pictures the US map in her mind. I'll start with Missouri, then work my way across. Maybe I should change things up a bit to keep the cops guessing and make it harder for them to link all the killings to me. Penny laughs. This adventure promises to be so much fun, and thanks to Willie, I won't have to worry about a thing for a long ass time.

Making her way back to the motel, Penny grabbed his car and the forty grand he had stashed away. It's not like he needs it anymore. She chuckled, stuffing the bills into her bag. 

Penny knows it's probably blood money, but she plans to use the tainted cash for the greater good. I'll make sure no woman or child has to live in fear again and that child traffickers will pay mercilessly for what they've done, she thinks, zipping up her duffle bag.

Getting pedophiles off the streets was her main goal during her time on the force, but for every two she took down, one would go free on a technicality, or they'd make deals with the DA. Their freedom for a bigger fish, but the plan never worked out the way the DA had hoped. 

There's no escaping justice with me on the case." Penny pictures the scenario in her mind. "I'll make the world a better, safer place to live."

She catches a glimpse of red and blue lights in her rearview mirror. She looks up to see cops on her tail. "Just when I thought I was home free." She pushes on the accelerator. The engine whines in protest. Pressing on the clutch, she throws it into sixth, then on to seventh gear.

Sirens scream behind her as she screeches around a corner. She looks back to see they're catching up. "I've got to ditch these losers and fast." She fishtails around another corner. "You're not taking me down that easy, pigs." She throws the Corvette into eighth gear and then shoves the pedal to the floor. She looks down to see her speedometer is bouncing around 180. "Keep up with that." She laughs. Looking back, Penny realizes a distance is growing between them. "Can't handle this speed, can you?" She hears a thump thump underneath her car. A piece of wood flies overhead."What was that?" She starts to look back when she catches a sign out of the corner of her eye. I hope that wasn't important. She sees another when she travels a few more feet.

  It reads: Bridge out ahead. 

"No." Penny yells. She slams on her brakes as her tires reach the edge.