Our second date was a movie. Pretty sure neither of us saw much of it, Can't remember what it was called, the dialogue or the plot. Crystal and I had been to a few movies before. I never enjoyed one as much as that though. Overpriced popcorn and huge soda's have rarely tasted as good. For the tricky third date we went for a meal to a fancy restaurant. The waiter held her chair for her. I managed to keep my cool and not punch him. I needed to see what the task entailed. Holding a ladies chair is a complex procedure. That's not a joke. It has to be done correctly you can't ram it into the backs of her knees. It has to slid in precisely. We took a taxi back, so we had to hold hands rather than get some serious kissing and petting practice. Let's just say that when we got home, I gained access to the contents of her lacy bra. Let's just say I almost exploded all over the room.
Things were going great. I'd gained the ability to be apart from her for a couple of hours, without drifting into a deep depression. The morning after the third date, Crystal went to her workroom. She'd been inspired. As had I. Only my inspiration was leading to a lot of ice cold showers and a morbid fear of touching myself. It would be cheating, as far as I was concerned. Obviously I followed her to her space. Standing outside looking in would be okay surely. Not so. With a shy smile on her face she closed the double doors. I got some more lip action, plus a sorry. Not a complete loss.
I knew she'd be in there for a couple of hours minimum. There were things I could do to fill in the time. Waiting around the house would only make me more aware of us being separated. I washed up and cleaned things before I left to get some groceries. Andy and Penny were unavailable. Spending the day with Andy's family. They were delighted with the engagement. No wedding plans currently. Penny was aiming for the perfect engagement I expect. It was possible with her that they'd end up being married by an Elvis impersonator in Vegas, the first weekend in July. Anything could pop into her head. That was the thing though. The balance of Crystal and Penny. They both pulled one another from their extremes. The one random and impulsive. The other ordered and controlled. Actually, when I think of it, Penny's complete opposite was me. Until I boned Abigail in a moment of insanity.
The megastore was a few miles out of town. I wandered through it in a haze of pining for Crystal and reminiscences of all our great times together. Those memories now skewed by my current infatuation. This gave them a lot more significance than they had. I was projecting meanings onto moods and glances that had never been there. I'd made a list before I went. Some of it was in my trolley by the end. The soft toy elephant I couldn't explain. The only soft toys she had were those the various children she'd temporarily fostered, played with. It had green eyes though. Not like hers. If she didn't want it I could pretend I'd bought it for someone she'd taken in. Despite my reverie I'd whizzed round that store, broken into a run a few times. I think I might have set a speed record for the weekly grocery run.
I was going home. Grinning from ear to ear. Humming and drumming on the steering wheel as I recall. A short blast of a siren brought me crashing back into the real world. The cruiser behind me flashed its lights so I pulled over. Aware there was a distinct possibility I'd been speeding. It pulled in behind me, I kept my hands in sight of course. The State Trooper was wearing his hat and dark glasses. He banged on the roof of my car and asked me to step out. It was Dan. Was I about to be given a hard time? I'm certain Crystal would have kept him updated. She loved this guy. He might not think I was good enough for her. With good cause. I wasn't. He looked me up and down. This was the closest I'd been to him.
"Well Luke Hunt, you better take good care of my little girl. Otherwise I'll be arresting you everytime I see you. You hurt her, and I will hunt you down and end you like a rabid dog."
"I promise I'll keep her safe officer." Was my cautious response. "I'd rather die than let her come to harm."
He smiled at me removed his dark glasses."
"I know you will son." He extended his hand. I shook it. "She's an excellent judge of character. You and me need to talk. Not here though. I'll meet you at the truck stop on the I82. There's a booth at the back of Malloy's where we can talk privately. I think you already know what it's about. They do a mean cheese and bacon burger. You're paying. Give me a few minutes headstart."
Talk we did. I waited five minutes then took off after him. Malloy's was a good old fashioned American diner. One of the truck drivers favorites. The first thing I did when I met him there was thank him profusely for saving Crystal's life. Like all truly brave people he brushed it off as nothing. Anyone would have done what he did. It's hardly ever the case in reality. Dan had served for 5 years in the Marines. Doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He never mentioned he was highly decorated and injured a couple of times rescuing comrades. I had to find that out myself. After he left the service he took some college courses and joined the State Troopers. One night on patrol he'd found Crystal unconscious by the side of the road. He called 911 and applied first aid to a child near death.
The incident affected him deeply. It was one of the first cases he was involved in. The only reason he was telling me this was because Crystal had contacted him. She didn't know how to explain it to me. She was afraid it would affect our relationship. It wouldn't have, I assured him, but I could understand her reasoning. He was the one who took her statement after she'd recovered sufficiently. Crystal had been making her way home from visiting a friend when a van stopped. The two men in it offered her a lift. When she refused they grabbed her anyway. She put up so much of a fight that they whipped her with a thin knotted rope. Thus the scars on her back. The two men bound her wrists and ankles, then gagged her. Before taking her to a cabin, who knew where. They carried her into a cellar where there was another young girl, similarly bound. She'd been stripped naked and looked terrified.
Crystal's clothing was cut from her using a knife. She'd headbutted the man wielding it. His partner had to prevent him from slicing her to bits. The assailant stuck the knife into the ground at her feet. telling her she should contemplate it, because after they'd finished with her it would be used to slit her open. They left the two girls in the dark cellar. The other child was whimpering and crying. Crystal knew she had to escape. She began to work out how. If she could get that knife she could cut herself free. Using her feet she managed to reach it. Still using her feet she cut through the gag, so she could use her teeth to untie the knots at her wrists. All the while she knew those men could return at any time. It was when she was cutting through the gag that she accidentally caught her throat. It bled a lot. When she was eventually free she went to release the other captive. Only she could hear the men and thought they were returning.
Crystal understood there was no way she could fight them off. She had to escape.She told the other girl she'd get help and come back for her. That was the plan. What she didn't know after climbing through the only window, was that she was losing a lot of blood. Naked in the dark Crystal used the moon as a guide to make her escape. Finally passing out when she reached the highway where Dan found her. The authorities knew nothing until Crystal awoke several days later. A fact Dan found hard to believe. There had to be a trail of blood. If not there would be tracks. When they found the cabin almost a week later, it had been cleaned. There was no sign anything had taken place there. The other child was gone. The young State Trooper found that nothing was being done. No effort had been made even to identify the missing victim. When he pushed for further investigation, he was told it was none of his business. When he continued to push, things got bad for him. He was new, he didn't understand how the system worked. It was an obvious smoke screen. So obvious he couldn't understand how no one saw through it.
When he and his wife received threats, he finally understood. If he pushed again his partner could get hurt. She'd been involved in a hit and run accident. Shaken rather than injured. The driver was never found. As recompense he tracked Crystal down. He wanted to help. She needed help. Her father was dead and her mother was terminally ill with an aggressive breast cancer. Dan and his wife Sheila became second parents. Dan even moving in, to nurse Crystal's dying mother. They'd grown close over the following 18 months. Crystal began to act out, through all the stress of the abduction combined with her mother's illness. She kept getting into borderline criminal trouble. Once Crystal's mother died, she became even worse. Eventually dropping out of high school after numerous suspensions. She went through several foster carers herself, before moving back to her old home on her own. Dan and Sheila kept an eye on her as best they could.
It came down from above, he knew not from where, that his relationship with Crystal was frowned upon. She was an undesirable on the pathway to crime. He was going to resign, because he knew there was corruption. His wife and surprisingly Crystal persuaded him not to. With so many rotten apples and officers turning a blind eye, it was vital an honest man remained to guard against further misuse of power. It was Sheila who instigated the Friday nights. Dan and his unofficial adopted daughter would have to meet in secret. He helped her as much as he could while Sheila covered for him. They had to ensure no one found out. Dan was already being passed over repeatedly for promotion, despite his excellent record. As he said, they had to suck it up. Anonymous, powerful sources were against them.
The explanation for Crystal's mood swings was revealed. She was receiving warnings to remain quiet. Against all logic she assumed the guilt for the certain rape and death of the unknown girl she'd promised to come back for. It wasn't her own traumatic experiences which haunted her. It was the face of a girl who'd been dead for years. I now had a greater understanding of why she'd not wanted to tell me. She knew how I'd feel about this. What she didn't know was I'd already been planning and preparing for years. I couldn't tell Dan either. I couldn't let him know he'd provided information of great value in my pursuit of the predators I intended to become my prey.
Silly humans to think they were predators. They were merely clever food with ideas above their station. Tool users who'd copied actual wild animals. They were still very much apes who'd climbed down from their hiding places in the trees and picked up pointed sticks. Because they didn't have teeth and claws. They were weak and soft. I wasn't. My teeth and claws were very sharp. I was going to use their intelligence against them, and I was a lot smarter than they were. As far as killing and eating were concerned.
I thanked him again for saving my Crystal, before we parted. He told me not to tell her we'd spoken, she didn't want to know. All she wanted was to know I knew. It's female logic, sometimes it runs runs rings around the male kind. We even hugged. I paid for his lunch. I also left my card details so his lunches at Malloy's would always be free thereafter. They were told not to tell him who his benefactor was. Dan was tough and proud. Sheila as well. Such loyalty and bravery should be rewarded. Not punished as the weak ones did. Now I knew why this monster had come down from the mountains. Why it had lived and learned among the humans. The next move would be theirs. I had to be patient. The next move by those who assumed they were powerful, would reveal one or more of their weaknesses. I was ready.
All that and I could just flick my switch. Pause that part of my consciousness. Get back into my good mood. I was going home. Crystal would be there. I loved her, she loved me. The rest was simply background noise, like the humming of a refrigerator. The cool box you kept your food in. It would be time to eat soon enough. I called her to leave the message I was on my way. She picked up as I was about to hang up. Even her voice was lovely. I bathed in its heat as it warmed what passed for my soul.
CLICK.
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