The Final Shortcut

by G. Bernard Ray

  “What the hell is going on here? Are you hurt? What’s wrong with your leg?” He struggled to make sense of the situation. “How the hell did that tree get there?” When he bent down to help Junior, he noticed the crossbow in the dirt. Then he saw the hiding place in the bushes, complete with a folding stool. “Was you out here hunting beside the road? I just left you at the store a minute ago. How could you get here so fast?” Junior yanked the bolt from his leg without hesitation. Then pulled a bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his leg before struggling to stand up. His face was grim and hard, something in the way he glared at Eddie made him very afraid. The hair stood up on the back of his neck when he spotted the knife on Junior’s hip.

  “What are you doing out here Junior?” He didn’t answer. He just stared straight at him. The look in his eyes was horrifying, Eddie started to back up. “What are you hunting?”

  No reply, Junior just glared at him as he painfully moved forward. His hand falling to the knife. Eddie turned and ran toward the truck with Junior dead on his heels. He realized that he would never get in it before Junior was on him so he turned and ran back up the road.

  “HELP!” Sheer terror gripped Eddie as he strained to get away. Afraid to turn around. Junior’s leg throbbed awfully causing him to lose ground. Instead of chasing him he limped to his dirt bike and kicked it over. Eddie had gotten a good head start but he was out of shape and Junior knew he would be an easy catch. When he jumped out onto the road, Eddie was nowhere in sight. A mild panic struck him and he immediately stopped the bike.

  “Where did you go Eddie, your lard ass couldn’t just disappear.”

  Then he heard a rock tumble off to his right. And there he was, thirty yards away in the woods making a run for his life. The bike screamed through the brush with a maniac at the steer. His body knocked limbs out of the way, flying at the edge of control. He quickly closed the gap between them, climbing the rocks at a breakneck speed. Eddie was almost spent when he reached a big rock at the crest of a hill. Having no choice but to make a stand, he turned to face the oncoming threat. Junior drove straight toward him giving every indication that he was not going to stop. With a final burst of strength, Eddie jumped away from the rock before being crushed. The motorcycle crashed headlong into it, throwing parts in every direction. The back wheel grazed Eddie’s back as he threw himself to the ground. He hadn’t seen Junior jump off just before the crash, but he could see him plainly now as he stood over him drooling.

  “That was exciting Eddie, I knew you were a good choice.”

  “Wha…” Before he could reply Junior produced his favorite hunting knife from behind him. The same one he had used for twenty years, the one that had nine notches in the handle.

  “I guess you get to be number ten.” Without wasting a second he stooped over and slashed Eddie deeply across the inner thigh slicing the femoral artery. Blood gushed out in a fountain. Eddie’s attempt to stop the flow was useless. His breath came in short ragged gasps. But Junior couldn’t stop there. He crouched down and looked at Eddie, the life draining from his eyes. “I just wanted to let you know. You’ll be the breakfast special tomorrow.” Then he plunged the bayonet slowly into the center of the big man’s chest until it bottomed out. His last breath of life faded into the sounds of the forest. With the last twitch of the big man’s body Junior withdrew his knife. An indescribable euphoria swept over him, an inner joy that only he understood. Slowly the birds and animals began their chattering again. Filling the woods with the sounds of normalcy. Junior sat atop his victim, basking in his own false glory. Several minutes passed in silence as he just sat and stared at the sky, catching his breath. Then without a word he looked down at Eddie and slashed both sides of his throat. When he tried to stand up, his own forgotten injury took him back to the ground.

  “DAMN! See what you did to me….where did you learn to drive anyway?” He held his leg trying to ease the pain, the blood freely flowing into his shoe. “Dammit Eddie, this is going to take all night now, you might not make it for breakfast tomorrow after all.” He chuckled a bit, a twisted grin pasted on his lips. “You might just get to be the Sunday Special.” He laughed out loud again and again.

  After a moment he started in to complete his task. He tore Eddie’s shirt into fresh bandages and tied up his leg before turning to head downhill. “By the time I get back you should be drained well enough…now don’t go away.” Again he laughed out loud, never afraid that anyone would hear him in this, his private killing field. No one that ever came this way ever got away. Everyone that heard about the special shortcut was still here, hidden in the mine.

  Having no choice but to walk, he slowly made his way down to his sanctuary. The truck was obviously stuck in the ditch and Eddie was too far away to drag down by hand. Much would have to be done before Junior could lay his head down tonight. But he was calm, whistling to himself as he approached the entrance. Everything he needed lay just inside the mine. A secret switch hidden in the rocks opened the huge hydraulic doors covering the entrance. Cleverly disguised with rocks and brush, the huge doors swung wide revealing a chasm easily big enough to drive his prize into.

  There was no urgency in his movements, no fear of his crimes being discovered. His family property was tucked neatly away in the hills. A series of tall ridges provided more than ample seclusion. And it was strictly private. Junior was the only hunter that patrolled his land. All the work he had done to the mine had taken several years. His materials came from the interstate, delivered by unsuspecting friends.

  The main entrance led directly to a huge cavern that must have been the central loading area, eight large tunnels led away from it. Just ten feet down the first tunnel was the large elevator shaft he found twenty years ago. A seemingly bottomless pit, it had served him well all those years ago and many times since. All the other tunnels had side tunnels, some of them Junior had built. When the need arose he would dig a truck-sized hole in the wall of a passage way and drive one in, never intending to drive it again. Dirt and rocks would eventually fall in around the trailer. Two had been crushed under the weight. But the rest were stored there for easy access, all their goods at Junior’s disposal. From which, he had built a spacious cabin where he kept all the comforts of home, and all the tools of his trade. Once inside he set about tending his leg, stripping down to his shorts and sitting on the edge of the tub. He used soap and then alcohol to scrub his wound. With great care he stitched it closed. The pain caused him to tremble, but he just couldn’t stop. It was agonizing and exquisite at the same time, something that amazed Junior. He even put in an extra stitch for good measure.

  The main cavern also housed a bulldozer and a backhoe. Just what he needed for his job today. Once he was back on his feet he fired off the backhoe and set out to retrieve Eddie. He wouldn’t quit until everything was meticulously returned to normal. The catch had to be cleaned, his bike had to be removed and the truck had to be hidden. Carefully he maneuvered the backhoe uphill to pick up Eddie and the bike. He spent over an hour picking up pieces of the bike and replacing the forest to its original state. He did the same with the truck after freeing it from the ditch. No detail was overlooked as he retraced his every step and wiped out every trace of the ordeal. By the time night fell he had closed the mine and was well involved with butchering his catch.

  Only the choicest cuts would be used to make Ellen’s homemade sausage. Blended with venison and pork and marinated in a secret blend of spices, it had become a local favorite. Any waste got fed to his pigs; he was surprised at how much wasted meat there was on such a big man. But the take was fifty-eight pounds of tender prime meat, a freezer full. Once the grinding and preparing were completed, he refrigerated the mix. Waiting until tomorrow to make the sausage. Now all that was left was to dispose of the skeleton, picked clean by his expert hand. He began whistling again as he dragged the bones down the fifth tunnel. It led to a cavern with an electric light hanging from the ceiling, a single bulb that did little to ill
uminate the cave. But it was enough to see the rest of the skeletons neatly arranged around the walls. At the very far end sat Marty.

  “Hi Dad, I got you a new neighbor. He was a real challenge to catch.” Each victim’s remains were arranged in a variety of sitting and laying positions. Some had been redressed back into their clothes. “This one makes eighteen all together, pretty soon. We’ll have a house full.” He placed the new rack of bones at the end of the row, taking care to arrange him in a natural pose. Each one had been set and dressed in individual ways, and he could remember most of their names. Only two had been strangers, the rest had been just like Eddie, customers and friends.

  He looked at his watch. “Three twenty three a.m., no wonder I’m so tired. Dad I’ll have to talk to you later, I’ve gotta get some sleep.” Junior started out but stopped at the entrance to the cavern. “You know Dad you’re right, I don’t have a ride back, I crashed the bike and the tractor is back in the barn. What? No, the other dirt bikes are still in the crates. I’d have to put one together…” Junior stared intently at his father’s empty eyes, listening to a silent message just for him. “I’ll think I’ll do that, you always know what to do to turn a bad thing around.” He waved as he turned down the corridor leading back to the entrance. The new truckload was still in the main cavern unopened. And Junior felt certain that Dad was correct. Certainly there was something in the truck to help him. And indeed there was, ten kids bikes ready to ride. So he quickly had one out and was on his way.

  Whether or not he heard Eddie mention the bikes didn’t play into it, Junior always sought his father’s approval and advice, conducting each conversation to a desired end. He talked to him almost daily, visiting the mine more often than the restaurant. And in his eyes he was still following his father’s last request. To take care of his mother.

  Chapter 10

  Ellen worked her way down the counter checking all the coffee pots to make sure they were off. She always had an after closing cup with Sheriff Clyde. The lunch crowd long gone she usually closed after school let out. That was when Clyde took a break with her. Her day finished, she pushed the button to make one more fresh pot as the last of her helpers was punching out.

  “See you in the morning Lin.”

  “Bye bye Hon. You want Momma to bake three more pound cakes for Sunday right?” The lanky teenager with dirty blonde hair and a bright future stopped long enough for a confirming nod from the boss before moving on.

  Ellen was without a doubt the finest baker in the hills but she enjoyed helping others in her own small ways. The cakes would add a little to Lin’s college fund, but it went more to make Ellen feel good inside. She donated her time and money in many ways to help the community, and specifically the children’s charities. Her husband had provided them with a comfortable living. She only worked for the companionship and the interaction with her neighbors. Most of the profits from the restaurant went to the children’s home and to local churches that helped needy families with children. Sober since 1979 when her husband disappeared, she was involved in an anonymous crusade to rescue every needy child she could.

  But deep down she was trying to erase the guilt she harbored, tried to bury the self-loathing she felt over how Junior had grown up. She knew he didn’t really love her, she knew he only took care of the restaurant maintenance out of his sense of duty, and his promise to his Dad. He had told her many times about their last conversations, told her about the promises he had made to his father. Told her how he begged for him to stay and how he finally realized that there was nothing to do but accept it and say goodbye. Ellen felt remorse deeply when she thought about how Marty’s leaving had affected Junior. She could not be swayed from blaming herself for being the cause of it all. She tortured herself with memories of who she was before, punished herself for failing to be a good mother and a decent wife. Willing to give anything to regain the love of her son. Instead she knew that one day Junior would leave too. No matter how many good deeds she performed, she hardly ever smiled. Every time she looked in Juniors’ eyes she could see a cold emptiness, a malevolent gaze that stabbed right through her heart. He showed an average carefree demeanor to all that knew him but Ellen was certain that he was not what he seemed. Call it women’s intuition, a mother’s psychic link with her offspring or paranoid delusions. But she could not shake the feeling of foreboding he gave her. She had never voiced her feelings to a living soul, but she knew one day Junior would erupt with terrible consequences.

  She still had the same nightmares. Still woke in a cold sweat, reeling from the vision of her death. Many times she had wanted to see a doctor but she was sure he would just put her back on medication, and that was the last thing she wanted.

  The last spurts of steam were belching from the coffee pot producing a familiar noise that brought Ellen out of her thoughtful trance. She had been standing there lost in her melancholy for almost fifteen minutes. Clyde pulled in, as if on cue, just as she poured a fresh cup. She made her way to her favorite table knowing he would help himself and join her. Her heart was heavy today, for some reason she felt her secret pain with extra force today. Clyde had fixed his coffee and plopped in the chair in front of her before she even looked up.

  “Hi.”

  “Well, you look like you’ve felt better. Have a busy lunch?” Clyde blew the heat away from his lips and sipped carefully awaiting a response.

  “No it wasn’t too bad, I just feel….I’m just tired…maybe I’m getting a cold.” She turned up her cup and rolled her neck around unwinding. “Are you coming by the house tonight?”

  Clyde studied her before giving her an answer. Their relationship had lasted for more than fifteen years but neither would commit to moving in, nor making it permanent. So they kept their casual affair going on an almost part-time basis.

  “You sure you want company? You look a bit worn out.” He reached out and grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, she never answered him but they both knew the answer. She would go home, take a hot bath and go to bed with a good book. He would go eat at the diner and take a patrol around town before calling it a night. “Where’s Junior?”

  Ellen leaned forward putting her head in her hands, “Where he always is.” Her answer carried an odd tone that Clyde immediately noticed.

  “Has he been here?”

  “He was here for lunch but he took off a couple hours ago.” She pushed away from the table and leaned back. She stared up at the ceiling fighting the urge to scream. Her anxiety level was reaching a peak and she couldn’t explain it. For some reason she couldn’t keep her mind off Junior. “You know sometimes… I just don’t know. Sometimes I think there’s something wrong with Junior. She wanted to tell him more, wanted to share the horror of her dreams with him.

  “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

  “I…I can’t explain it… I just feel like something terrible is gonna happen.” Her face twisted into a grimace and the tears began to flow. “I think something’s happened to Junior.” Clyde scooted his chair around to hers and put his arm around her.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I know you think I’m crazy but I can’t help it, I’ve been scared all afternoon.”

  “Do you want me to take you to the doctor?” Clyde realized as soon as he said it that he should have never mentioned a doctor. Since she kicked the pill habit she had little use for doctors, he was amazed that he could have been so stupid as to mention it.

  “NO, I do NOT want a doctor.” She stood up and stepped over to the counter for another cup. “Do you want a refill?”

  “No, I’m sorry, I just worry about you…”

  “Well don’t. It’s probably just another hormone thing, nothing to worry about.” She managed to put up a strong front; a touch of anger took the edge off her anxiety. “I’m fine ok?”

  “Well,” he wasn’t sure how fit she really was but he was sure of one thing, it was time to leave. “Ok, call me later if you feel like it.” On his way to the door
he gave her a kiss on the cheek, “Ask Junior to call me when you see him, I want to get him to look at my VCR.” She nodded and gave him a slight smile as he left her thoughts a mile away.

  Her heart ached as if it were going to burst as she stood there. Tears welled up in her eyes again. For the next thirty minutes she sat at the counter weeping. Quietly convincing herself that everything was fine, trying to ignore the fear inside. She’d had some bad days in the past but today was the worst yet. The first time she felt this way was when her best friend Trudy died. The nightmares had started then and have tormented her since.

  There was over half a pot of coffee left when she emptied it into the sink. She cleaned off the counter before stopping at the mirror behind the register to check her face.

  The reflection was ragged and tired and she felt very old. Only forty-nine, but her past showed itself in the lines on her face. A semi braked hard just outside and loudly geared down to make the corner turning onto the shortcut. The noise grabbed her attention and she watched the big rig kick up dust as he turned. Chills ran up her spine as an image of Junior, smiling, popped into her head. Only now she accepted the vision with muted concern. It was just the residual effect of her drug laden past and she would have to live with it. Either that or she was really going crazy. Neither answer gave her any solace. All she wanted now was to go home and go to bed. Junior would show up later. He always did. And she could relax then knowing it was all a bad dream. The long afternoon shadows crept across the parking lot as she locked up and went to her car. Thankfully it less than a mile home, down the shortcut a quarter mile and then left up their private driveway. The next turn only fifty yards further on. A road that cut off twenty-three acres of their land from the rest, a corner of the property she never visited. Junior said that the best hunting in the hills was in that shielded dell.

  As she drove home her mind wandered and before she realized it she had gone past her driveway and onto the trucker’s short cut. Cursing herself for not paying attention, she turned left onto the next turn so she could turn around. Up ahead she thought she heard a truck, and she stopped for a moment to look. The road curved around a large clump of rocks and disappeared but she saw dust rising about a quarter mile away. She eased forward slowly to investigate. Her anxiety began to return making her upper lip sweat. There was no reason for her to be afraid. This was her property and she had a right to know what was going on, but she was a coward at heart. And today of all days she was feeling particularly fearful. So she crept down the gravel track so easily that she didn’t stir any dust. As she rounded the curve, she could see Junior on a backhoe pulling a truck backwards out of a gully just around the next corner. He was still several hundred feet away before she stopped and put it into reverse and backed around the narrow turn before heading away.