65. Noah
NOAH
THREE YEARS AGO
“This town is actually kinda cute,” Monty teases as we drive through the town of Norfolk.
It’s late, but the town is still lit up.
Monty was able to get us a rental with no paper trail.
Just in case people start to wonder why Mr. Alex Miller disappeared, they won’t come looking for the two out-of-towner’s who came in on a private plane and then left the same night.
At least I’m hoping that’s as long as this will take. Get in. Get out.
“Did you hear what I said?” Monty asks as we leave the town behind us and slowly make our way out into the country.
We’re headed to his home, just a few miles off Highway 24.
“No. Sorry.”
“I said she was found not too far from that gas station back there. From the footage I was able to find, it looks like they had a fight and she took off on foot.”
“So she wasn’t in the car with him?”
“No. At least, not at first. She took off back toward his place on foot. Three minutes after she disappears out of the camera’s small view, Alex is seen leaving the gas station heading in the direction she went.
She was found by another driver in the middle of the road not even thirty minutes later. ”
“What the hell could have happened in that amount of time?”
I’ve been trying to figure out what happened.
Did he run her down? Did he beat her and then run her over?
I don’t really care why he did what he did.
It doesn’t change a damn thing. He hurt her, and that’s all the justification I need to kill him.
Still, my curiosity is going to get the better of me.
I want to know what drove him to finally snap.
“I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. I think he might have run her down. They aren’t sure if she’ll even walk again after this.”
“What kind of monster runs down his girlfriend?”
“I’m assuming the same kind you kill?” Monty teases.
“Listen, Monty. You really don’t have to do this. There’s a huge difference between helping me find the monsters and helping me kill them,” I say as he cuts the lights and lets the car coast in the darkness. The moon is the only light illuminating our path.
“I know I don’t have to I want to. Let’s just say I have my own reasons for wanting to finally get my hands dirty.”
I start to ask him what his reasons are, but he holds up a hand, silencing me.
We’re stopped at the end of a driveway, still concealed by the brush in the ditch.
The house sits only three hundred feet away from the road.
A single light in an upstairs window is the only indication that someone is still up.
“He lives alone, right?” I ask.
“Yep.”
“That’s the car?” I ask, pointing to the fresh bumper and hood on the old Ford.
“He’s definitely home,” Monty nods.
He cuts the engine leaving the car still hidden. We haven’t seen a single car since we got out of town. I don’t think anyone will pass by it out here.
“You ready?” I ask, and he only nods.
I’m still not fully comfortable with him getting involved, but it is what it is. He’s not an idiot. He knows exactly what I’ve been doing these past two years. Plus, if he has his own reasons for his involvement, who am I to judge?
“Let’s go.”
“Wait,” he says with the hint of hesitation I’ve been waiting for.
“What is it?”
“Let’s take him back with us. We can knock him out and bring him back on the plane. Then take him down to your labyrinth and deal with him there.”
“But what about the pilot and flight attendant?”
“They won’t say anything. I pay them enough to turn the other way. Trust me.”
“Fine, but we do this my way.”
Good thing I brought my chloroform. I reach behind me and grab my black bag. Inside are a few rags, the chloroform, and zip-ties. Nothing crazy, but I always like to be prepared.
“Oh, shit. You already had this stuff?” Monty asks as he peers into the bag.
“Yep. I always like to be prepared.”
“Well, shit. Let’s get going then,” he says excitedly.
“Okay. Give me a few minutes to scope out the back. I’ll sneak in, and when I do, you’ll go around the front and knock on the door to create a distraction. Then I’ll sneak around him and knock him out. Can you check for any cameras?”
“Already on it. I have a portable jammer that blocks out any signal, so once it’s on and we’re within one hundred feet of the house, all cameras, phones, and security systems will be jammed.”
“Perfect. Thanks again, Monty. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”
“Yes, you would. I just make it easier,” he says, winking, as if he knows how much I did before meeting him.
We take off quietly sneaking up the lawn in the darkness.
The world is silent. Not even the sounds of crickets are out tonight because of the cold air.
It’s peaceful. When I get to the backyard, I move slowly in case there are any dogs, but there’s no sign of one.
Monty follows close behind, but then stops and waits at the corner of the house until I can get inside.
I test the back patio door and it opens easily.
Who the fuck doesn’t lock their doors at night?
I glance back and nod at Monty, letting him know it’s all up to him now.
I step inside, careful not to make a single sound as I shut the sliding door.
A few seconds later, I hear the echoing sound of knocking on the front door.
“Who the fuck is it?” Alex’s voice booms from upstairs. Loud footsteps follow as he stomps down the steps.
I stalk silently down the hall keeping my eye on him as he flings open the door.
“What?” he snaps as Monty’s face comes into view.
“Sorry, man. My car broke down, and your place was the only one with a light on. I don’t have any cell service. Any chance you still have a landline?” Monty asks, holding up his phone to prove he has no service.
The jammer must be working.
“No, I don’t have a fucking land line. Where’s your car?”
“Just down that way.”
Monty moves back and points West, the opposite way of our car, causing Alex to lean out of the doorway to look across the open field West of his house. I take a cautious step closer testing each floorboard as I close the distance between me and my target.
My heart is racing, but my hands are steady. This is only half of the fun. I love chasing them in my labyrinth, but sneaking up behind them and striking is definitely a rush.
“You can use my cell phone. Who the hell is your carrier? We’re not in the middle of nowhere,” he growls.
He seems like he’s about to turn around and go back inside, but Monty stops him.
“Well, can you by chance take a look at it?”
“Do I look like I want to work on a car at this time of night?” Alex snaps as he gestures to his T-shirt and boxers.
“Sorry. Can you look up the number of a tow truck?” Monty asks, trying not to glance behind Alex at where I’m getting closer.
I know my body is still cloaked in some shadow, but from the small hall table lamp, it’s enough glow to give me away.
“I know a guy. Give me a second,” Alex says as he steps backward until he is fully inside.
“Wait,” Monty shouts, but it’s too late.
The door is slammed in his face, cutting him off. With the sound covering any move I make, I strike. I wrap one arm around his throat and use the other to cover his face with the chloroform-soaked rag.
He fights, clawing at my arms as he bucks backward trying to get me to loosen my hold on him.
His nails break open the skin on my arm as he thrashes, pushing me until my back hits the wall behind me.
I tighten my hold on his throat cutting off his air supply so that the only breaths he takes are filled with chloroform.
He’s not a big guy at all, maybe one sixty soaking wet. If I’m not careful, I could probably snap his neck. It would make things simpler, but not nearly as much fun. His muffled shouts slowly die out as he stops struggling in my grasp.
“Noah…You good?” Monty shouts from the other side of the door as Alex’s body goes limp in my arms.
I release him letting his body fold in on itself as he crumples and hits his head on the hardwood floor.
“Yeah,” I say as I open the door. “I’m good. Good job distracting him.”
“I’m not going to lie, it was so fucking awesome watching you appear out of the shadows. Straight up nightmare fuel, dude. You’re terrifying.”
I can’t stop laughing. He glances down at Alex’s unconscious form and starts laughing as well.
I guess I can be quite terrifying. Can’t wait to hear what he thinks about my skull mask.
Shit, I’ll have to get him his own if he’s going to be down there with me.
Plus, he can’t use my real name around James.
He takes a moment to walk through the house, double-checking for anything that may not have been jammed, but there isn’t anything. The dude didn’t have a security system or a single camera. What an idiot.
“So…What do we do now?” Monty asks.
He squats down next to Alex and pokes him in the side of the face testing to see how unconscious he really is. When he looks up at me, I’m grabbing the zip-ties out of my pocket and turning them into a makeshift set of handcuffs.
“We get him back to my place, and that’s when we can have some real fun.”