Misfit Traveler

by Olivia Marie

  “No,” he mumbled and shook his head violently.

  The sound he made pissed me off more than if he opened his mouth to talk. Ripping the nail out, I tossed it on the ground at my feet and waited for his answer.

  “Well?” I asked and waited again while he moved his mouth as if he thought there were more nails in there.

  “Let me go or kill me, but stop messing with me. I didn’t do anything to you.” His words were fast and hard. He wanted me to think his choice was my decision. I knew better and I knew the mind games well.

  “I know you didn’t. But that was only because I didn’t give you the chance to. I bet money you would have been horrible to me if I wouldn’t have stopped you. Am I wrong?”

  “Maybe. Depends on if you would have put out or not.”

  “See. That is a horrible answer, Brent.”

  “I don’t care what kind of answer you think it is. It’s the truth. I went out tonight to get laid since my old lady won’t give it up anymore unless I take it. Sometimes a guy doesn’t want to have to fight to get some.”

  “I bet if you would have been nicer to her, you wouldn’t have had to take it or go looking anywhere else for it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Too bad you will never know.”

  “Let me go.”

  “No. I am not that dumb. You picked a great spot though. How long do you think it will take them to find your body? I bet the animals will have your bones picked clean before they do.”

  “That’s fucking gross.”

  “Maybe, but I would bet money on it that it’s exactly what will happen.”

  I picked up the hammer with both hands and tried my best to come down on his head. With him already being in the car, it was harder to get the force I needed to get that over with. It took several hits for him to be knocked out and a few more for his breathing to stop. I was covered in blood and exhausted. Having to hit him so many times for the same results I had the first few wasn’t what I planned for the night.

  I looked at my phone to see the time and try to figure out where I was.

  “Great. No service. I should have known.” I tossed my phone back in my bag and went to the trunk to look for a rag, T-shirt, anything to clean his blood up a little. I found a few shop rags and a new, somewhat clean outfit in a black plastic bag shoved all the way in the back of the trunk. I changed my clothes there in the middle of the trees behind his car because I knew I was far away from any sign of people.

  I used the rags I found to clean off my hammer and nails before putting them back in the bag. I knew it would be hard to get the ones out of his feet, so I left them, and I wasn’t going to pick up his bat, so I left that laying on the ground outside his door too.

  Seeing him one last time, I almost felt sorry for him with the blood coming out his backside and the blood covering his face. I had to tell myself it was either him or Viki, and I was happy I made that choice for her.

  I wasn’t sure if I would say anything to her or if I would keep my mouth shut, stay for the two months I signed on for, and leave without her knowing what really happened to the man she thought she loved.

  I had a few hours to think about it as I walked home. I wished I would have found tennis shoes in the bag of clothes, but I didn’t. It would be a long walk in heels and with it going on four in the morning, I would be getting there as the sun came up. I had to hurry; the least amount of people who saw me walking back after I left the club with Brent the better for me.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Coming around the corner, I saw the building spring up from the ground like a concrete flower in a field of short grass. A strange sense of relief washed over me knowing I had made it home. Fumbling to get my keys out of my bag without knocking anything out, I jumped when the door opened.

  “I lose my keys all the time. My boyfriend hates it,” she said and stepped to the side so I could walk through the single door.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. My name is Viki. I think I live below you. Sorry if you heard us fighting yesterday.” She was the typical abused woman. She fidgeted with her hands, avoided eye contact, and was so soft spoken, I had to read her lips to even get what she was saying. My heart broke for her and I felt a little ping of glee when I knew she would never have to deal with him again.

  “Hazel, and I didn’t hear anything. Just moving in, so I was getting everything set up.”

  “You went out on your first night here? Alone?”

  “Yep. Best way to get used to a place is to see its night life.”

  “Huh.”

  We sat in an awkward silence and I wanted nothing more than to go upstairs, shower, and get some sleep. It was clear from the way she blocked me from the stairs, she wasn’t going to let that happen anytime soon.

  “I have a shirt just like that. I haven’t been able to find it for months, but it was my favorite. Where did you get it?”

  I looked down at what I was wearing for the first time and it hit me those were her clothes in the trunk of his car. I read the front as fast and casual as I could before answering her. Stillwater was written across the front and it had a view of a riverfront and boardwalk. I said the first thing that came to me.

  “I visited my family in Stillwater, Minnesota a few years ago. I bought this in one of those gift shops.”

  “Really? That is where I got mine too. Crazy.” I saw a smile from her for the first time and it hit me how beautiful she was when she wasn’t cowering in fear.

  “That is crazy. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I am exhausted. Can we maybe talk later?”

  “Sure,” she said and smiled, but she hung her head at the same time. She had probably been blown off so many times she thought I was doing the same. I hated that.

  “If you aren’t doing anything later, I saw this cute little sub shop a few streets over. Maybe we can grab one?”

  “I would, but Brent might be home by then. He doesn’t usually stay out this long.”

  I knew that was a lie because he would have kept me with him all night if I would have let him. I wasn’t going to call her out though.

  “Well, if he isn’t?”

  “Sure. I guess. Well, maybe?”

  “I will knock on your door. If you want to come, answer. If not, I will go alone. No big deal.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks for letting me in. Sorry if I bothered you.”

  “Not at all. Have a good day…night.”

  “Thanks,” I said and laughed. Taking off my shoes, I ran up the steps as fast as I could. Without an audience, I was able to get my keys out and open my door.

  Locking the door behind me, I leaned against it and took a deep breath. Part of me was freaking out because I had killed my neighbor. I had never thought about picking someone so close to where I lived. I didn’t feel like I had a choice with him. If he would have killed Viki, I never would have been able to forgive myself.

  I slowly made my way to the bathroom and shed the layer of borrowed clothes I had on. If she would have looked any closer, she would have seen the smeared blood on the front of the shirt. Not wanting to keep them, I tossed them in a trash bag and threw it in the kitchen to take out later.

  Not realizing how much beating Brent took out of me until I went to reach for the knob to start the shower, my arms ached and weighed a hundred pounds each. My sides hurt and the palms of my hands were rubbed raw. I wasn’t sure if that was from the bat or the hammer; my guess was both. None of it mattered knowing he wasn’t around to hurt another woman. If I had to do it all over again, I would have in a second. He wasn’t worth the air he breathed.

  I stepped into the shower and watched the water turn red then fade to pink before it cleared again. Taking longer to lather up than normal, I hoped the heat would ease my aches. Closing my eyes was a mistake. I caught myself before falling forward and out of the tub.

  “Holy shit.”

  I finished rinsing off, dried off a little, grabbed my pajama shorts
and tank top then crawled under the covers. I let the exhaustion take me and I fell into a deep sleep within minutes.

  Knock. Knock.

  The pounding of the hammer on Brent’s head echoed throughout the small space we were in. He laughed at me with every blow and as hard as I tried, nothing was ending him.

  “My turn,” he said as he walked closer to me with my hammer in his hand. I tried to figure out how he got it away from me but couldn’t.

  Bang.

  Bang.

  The sound stirred me, and I rubbed my eyes. Sweat ran down my face, gluing my bangs to my forehead. I sat there and listened for another minute to see if I had dreamt the sound or not. When it happened a third time, I groaned as I pushed off the bed. Looking through the peephole that sat high enough I had to stand on my tiptoes to look out it, I saw the top of Viki’s head.

  “Great,” I muttered but opened the door anyway.

  “Oh, sorry. Were you still sleeping? It’s almost seven,”

  “I was.”

  “Sorry,” she said again.

  “It’s fine. I should get up anyway.”

  “I thought maybe we could check out the place you said. Brent isn’t home yet and he isn’t answering his phone.”

  “Is that normal for him?” I knew she said it wasn’t earlier, but she was acting too calm for it not to be.

  “No, but he has done it a few times now. I usually wait for him, but he didn’t go shopping and there isn’t anything to eat, so he can’t really get mad at me for going, right?” The doe-eyed look she gave as she pleaded for my permission was pathetic. She was weak and I needed to see if it was because of him or if that was who she really was.

  “Okay. Let me get clothes on. Come on in if you want.”

  I stepped to the side so she could come in. She was as scared as a mouse in a room full of cats and while I tried not to laugh at her, I had to wonder why she let that happen to her. I didn’t see how I was stronger than she was, but I managed to get out and move on. Once she realized she had help like I did, I hoped she would change.

  I tossed on a light sweatshirt and jeans before grabbing my white sneakers and coming back to the living room. She sat perched on the edge of the ugly corduroy brown couch and stared at her feet.

  I took her in and was saddened by the way the plain, worn out blue shirt swallowed her whole. Her pants were so worn, one wrong move and her knee was coming through the exhausted fabric. Her once white shoes were now a dirty brown and her hair was in need of a cut and color. She looked as defeated as I was sure she was. I would be nice to her, but I needed to keep my distance too. She could never learn what I did to Brent or I would be joining the family legacy and winding up in jail.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said and jumped up.

  “Okay.”

  I let her out first then locked the door behind me. She didn’t talk much on the walk there, but I had a feeling we both needed the company.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After getting our food ordered, we found a table toward the back that wasn’t as crowded as the main eating area. Being after seven, the dinner rush was over. I was starving after not eating the day before and the workout I had that night. Sleeping all day, I still hadn’t sunk my teeth into real food.

  The smell of the bacon and cheese on the honey roll had my mouth watering. I couldn’t wait to take a huge bite and had my mouth full before she even sat down.

  “You should slow down before you choke,” she said.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled through the food that filled my mouth. “I didn’t eat yesterday,” I got out after I swallowed the first bite.

  “I didn’t either. I meant to, but I needed to wait for him. When he didn’t come home, I felt like a fool.”

  “So you don’t eat when he is gone? At all?”

  “No. He gets pissed if he finds out I didn’t wait for him.”

  “That is messed up. Why do you stay with someone like that?”

  “Who else would want me? I am a mess and if it wasn’t for him telling me, I would never know what to do.” She looked down at the plate in front of her but never picked anything up to start eating. I knew she had to be hungry; she just told me she hadn’t eaten.

  “There are people out there that will love you for who you are. Do me a favor though, don’t wait for him to eat anymore. What if something happened to him and he doesn’t come back? Would you really let yourself starve?”

  “If he is gone, I don’t want to be here.”

  Her words caused my head to snap up. She had to be joking. He was a monster and I had helped her get away from that. If she was that warped into thinking she needed him and that she couldn’t go on without him, then I did that for nothing. I would be the monster if she really didn’t want to be away from him. I had to feel this out or I wouldn’t be able to keep looking at her.

  “So if he doesn’t come back, then what? You are around my age, right? You have your whole life ahead of you. Why would you give that up for him?”

  “Because I love him. You don’t understand.”

  “Then help me to.”

  “He helped me get away from my parents when I was sixteen. He isn’t always bad, you know. We have our good times too. The times nobody sees because it is just us. He can be sweet and charming.”

  “And abusive and controlling. Let’s not leave out all the girls he bangs on the side. Aren’t you worried about catching a disease?”

  “No. I don’t think he really cheats on me. I think he tells me he does so I stay jealous and pay attention to him.”

  “Wow. You can’t be that dumb.”

  “What?” she asked. It wasn’t a demanding question, but more of a disbelief. She couldn’t believe I had said that to her.

  “All he did was yell, hurt, and cheat on you. How could you not see that? I have lived here for two days and I saw that.”

  “Yesterday? He was having a bad day and I pushed him on something. That was my fault.”

  “You know, I thought you were worth saving, but I guess not.”

  I pushed my chair away from the table, grabbed my tray, tossed it in the trash, and walked out. I had the whole restaurant looking at me as I left Viki sitting there in tears, but I didn’t care. I went out of my way to help her and she couldn’t even see how wrong he was. She deserved him, and I wasn’t going to hurt myself to protect her anymore. She was on her own and so was I.

  Anger did nothing to help me after leaving her at the restaurant. I didn’t want to go home yet because I didn’t want to hear more bullshit reasons why the man I killed for her was good. All she did was prove to me why I didn’t need anyone to help me with anything and why it wasn’t worth it to get involved in anyone’s lives. I was better off alone and in a way, I needed to be thankful to her for reminding me why I chose to live the way I had.

  I walked through the park I saw the other day. The cooler night air and the fact it was a school night gave me all the privacy I needed to think. I wasn’t going to deal with her again, that much I knew.

  I wished I had dressed better than I had. I would have loved to find someone to help me decompress, but that wasn’t going to happen in the lazy clothes I had thrown on. I thought about sneaking back into the building, changing, and heading out again. It seemed like more work than it was worth, and I didn’t want to sneak back into my own apartment.

  “You keep pacing, you are gonna wear a trail in the dirt,” a voice said.

  It caught me off guard and I spun around ready to swing. I hadn’t seen anyone come into the park and when I was alone, I didn’t like the feeling of being watched. I sized up the man standing in front of me and tried to see his features. The lack of lighting there made it impossible.

  “Didn’t mean to scare you. I watched you storm in here and thought you might have cooled off a little by now. I can see you haven’t.” He laughed at his own words and it made me relax a little.

  “You didn’t,” I said back. I made my voice st
op shaking and refused to let him know he had gotten me good.

  “I like to walk through here at night. Less people. I don’t usually see anyone else, so you can imagine how shocked I was to watch you fly in here and start your solo conversation.”

  I was thankful for the dark then. It took a lot to embarrass me, but knowing he had seen me going on and on to myself had done it. It wasn’t that I cared that he heard what I said, but my mom acted crazy, at least that was what I had been told, and I didn’t want to be like her at all.

  “Alone is good,” I fired back at him.

  “Got it,” he said. Walking away with his hands in the air in surrender, I watched him make it a few feet away before I stopped him.

  “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. This sounds like it’s more your park than mine.”

  “That is crazy. Nobody owns the park. Well, maybe the city, but they don’t count.”

  “True.”

  “So, why are you out here and why the rant?”

  “Have you ever tried to help someone only to find out after that they never wanted help?”

  “Yep. My sister and her loser boyfriend.”

  “It’s such a waste of time and energy. If they don’t want to change their lives, is it so wrong for us to want to help them? I mean, eventually she will see I was right and I did what was best for her, right?”

  “Maybe. Depends on what happened I guess.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I was told flat out that it was her decision to stay with an asshole. I can’t fix what’s been done, but I can stop talking to her about it and trying to fix her.”

  “That is about where I am at too. The next step would be to kill the prick, but she would never forgive me for that.”

  “Trust me, you are better off staying out of it. Jumping in to save the day and be the hero is overrated and exhausting.”

  He laughed again, a deep soulful laugh, and it made me want to hear it more.

  “Yes, it is. I was on my way to grab a coffee. Want to join me?”