Chapter 10
Quinnly
Weaving through the crowd, I head for baggage claim.
I can’t wait to have my scissors in my hands again.
Their steady presence is calming, and I can strap them anywhere on my body.
It didn’t take long for the luggage to come off the conveyor, mine was one of the first to be unloaded but I practiced my patience because this was too juicy an opportunity.
Ungrateful toenail guy’s steps slow as he turns into the men’s bathroom after getting his bag.
This ought to be fun.
The sinks run, and toilets flush in no particular order as I walk discreetly into the men’s room and claim the stall next to toenail guy. He sighs, as if he’s been holding the pitiful drip of piss in the whole plane ride. Shimmying under the stall, my head pops out at his feet.
“Hiya,” I wink, and he jumps, pulling his feet up as if he saw a rat. His squeal makes me laugh, but I don’t have a lot of time before someone notices something’s happening in here. Though, he did choose the last stall around a corner where no one seems to venture.
“What the hell?!” He says, his voice at least an octave higher.
My scissors feel so good in my hands after such a long flight, and I waste no time cutting his throat from ear to ear and watching all the blood pour down his chest and into the toilet.
“Hmm,” my bottom lip pokes out and my head tilts to the side. “That’s kind of awesome. Less cleanup for me.”
His throat quivers and his hands painfully try to staunch the bleeding. Unfortunately there’s footsteps headed this way, so I can’t wait around to watch the lights go off. Shimmying back under the stall door, I wait.
I love hearing people find bodies.
There’s a knock on the stall door, and a grunt when a boot hits the metal, and then… nothing.
Well that was anticlimactic. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Skipping out of the stall, I wash my hands and head to the front of the terminal. There’s a train station about an hour away and I climb into a cab to get there.
As I pass the time on the car ride I start planning my adventure. I can hit Alaska after this, get the cold over with and make my way back down the western seaboard. As I walk into the train station, my phone vibrates and dings with a special alert.
One I’ve saved for only one person.
Shadow: Left me a nice present, didn’t you, Menace?
Scanning the text on my phone I glance around the station.
The train station’s bigger than I expected, and the old lady behind the counter was nice enough to explain the train system to me. At least, what she knows about it. Her white hair’s up, coiffed at the back of her head, and I giggle a little at how much it reminds me of Gran.
Except the woman behind the counter has soft eyes, where Gran’s were sharp. Nothing Naomi and I did got past her. Lucky for us, she chose to look the other way most of the time.
She passes me my ticket with a warm smile and “Safe travels.”
I’m not sure what’s so safe about traveling, but she would know better than me I guess.
People flow in and out of the station, not many, but a few. The text on my screen makes me wonder if my shadow has finally decided to play.
Once settled into a seat by the window, I pull out my scratch card and marvel at it. The glitter flashes in the somewhat dim lighting, and I find the penny I tucked in my pants pocket.
Excitement ratchets up my spine and I scratch off Washington state.
I didn’t plan on killing toenail guy, but accommodations had to be made, and he was a real dickweasel.
I have to force myself not to scratch more. I want this experience to be new, so I can’t scratch off the states I’ve already killed in because they don’t count.
Tucking my most prized possession–well almost–back into my bag, I wait for the train to come and take me to my next destination.
Turns out, Alaska’s pretty boring, and fucking cold.
It’s a great place to commit murder though.
Especially the target Conall sent me. Ice fishing is dangerous, I didn’t even need my blades.
The man just fell into a hole and the water took him under until I couldn’t see him anymore.
Not nearly as much fun as it could have been, but sometimes easy is key.
His coat sure has kept me warm though. I snagged it from the little shack I found him near, but the fucker could have lived closer to civilization. It took me hours to trek through the snow and ice to find him and then return to the cabin I’d rented from a woman in the town I’d landed in.
My shadow hasn’t come out yet, and I’ve been crossing off states on my scratch off kill list for months.
Oregon was gray.
Idaho was mundane.
Montana was cold.
North, and South Dakota proved useful since I met some interesting people that I may be able to use someday.
Wyoming, and Utah were filled with some interesting characters… Would not recommend.
Arizona was only entertaining because I got to dump a body into the Grand Canyon.
Nevada was… Disappointing.
My shadow hasn’t shown up at all. Not even a night time visit. I really need to up my game.
I’ve scratched off ten states now, and California seems like the best place to go big. I thought for sure after Nevada he would have stopped me.
But alas, here I am, on a bus from Vegas to Sacramento. Traveling isn’t as hard as I initially thought it would be. Buses are quiet, and everyone minds their own business, but I get bored because of how long it takes.
The air’s different here, dry and warm, and there’s a smell that permeates the air too. Something that reminds me of home back in New York.
I’d made an online reservation at the closest hotel to my next target. His art studio isn’t too long of a walk, and it’s open to the public which means I can visit before deciding how I want this to go.
His death that is.
I’ve dubbed him ‘Art Man’, but that’s not all he’s into.
He’s a bad guy, well, worse than most I should say.
His extracurricular activities list is a mile long.
I don’t know how he ended up on Conall’s shit list and I don’t really care.
I never ask for specifics, if anyone is stupid enough to cross a Hemlock, well… It’s their funeral.
And my fun.
Checking into the hotel, with its small opulence and charm, is a breeze. I did most of it online, so I only had to exchange minimal words with an employee. Sometimes I can talk to anyone about anything, other days, like today, my brain can’t find the words or the confidence to speak to a stranger.
The room is small, with two windows on the exterior wall that only open far enough to slide a small body through. That might be a violation of safety or something. Shrugging my shoulders, I throw my bag on the bed and head for the bathroom.
Traveling for hours at a time really takes a lot out of someone. Noticing the drawstring bag hooked on the bathroom door handle, I strip down and place my dirty clothes in there. I’ll have to add the others too. For now, I’ll take a shower and enjoy room service.
After I’m clean and toweled off, I shrug on the robe–compliments of the hotel–and immediately take it off.
The fabric feels funny on my skin and it makes me itch.
My own clothes will do. Pulling on a pair of black leggings and a green flannel, I take a deep breath and force the feeling of that robe away.
Plus, I might wait until right before sunset and head out to observe Art Man. From his online presence I’d bet my life on him being right where I want him. I might even be able to take care of him tonight.
Eyeing Paps’s ashes, I sigh and pull them out of the bag to scratch off my newest kill together.
Nevada was easy, there are so many people at every turn, it’ll take days for anyone to notice the woman I’d taken care of.
Using the same copper penny I’ve been using since the start, we scratch off the state together.
Smiling at the jar, I lean the card against it and pull on my shit kickers. My black boots with thick soles are well worn, loved and polished every chance I get. Shoving all of my dirty clothes in the laundry bag, I sling it over my shoulder, blow a kiss to Paps and close the door behind me.
Dropping my laundry off at the fancy front desk, I head out into the city.