| |
As he walked the streets of New Orleans, he realized how much temptation there was here. Sinners surrounded him. By his own pathetic admission, he recognized the weakness of man and had no desire to turn to Satan. His mother’s warnings of sins of the flesh echoed through his mind.
He studied her with mean, hardened eyes. He knew her schedule. She had no idea he had been watching her, learning the best time to strike.
She left for work at the same time, worked the same corner. Night in and night out she followed the same routine. It was easy to figure her out. He made sure that she was a sinner beforehand. Only those that needed to be cleansed would be saved by him.
***
THE HAIRS ON THE BACK of her neck rose, and a sudden intense feeling of being watched washed over her. She turned around and scanned the restaurant, rubbing the goose bumps from her arms. The uneasiness did not abate.
She picked up her remaining food and dumped it in the trash can. As she left the restaurant, she took a final look around to see if someone was watching her. There in a far corner of the restaurant she noticed a man dressed in black staring at her. She couldn’t make out his face since he had a baseball cap pulled down low over his head. As he waved, she realized he wasn’t staring at her, but someone else standing behind her.
Chalking it up to a case of shot nerves, she tried to ignore the unsettled feeling. A shudder ran down her spine as she exited the restaurant. She had spooked herself this time.
When a slight noise caught her attention, she stopped walking and turned around. She was certain she’d heard heavy footsteps behind her. Perhaps it was a lonely man seeking comfort from one of them. She picked up her pace, not wanting another girl to take her spot. The quicker she walked, the faster the footsteps echoed behind her. She became scared when it sounded like the footsteps were getting closer. Panicking, she looked around one more time to make sure she wasn’t being followed.
When she didn’t see anyone, she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She had made it to her corner. None of the other girls were here; maybe they had found “dates”.
Then she heard another sound, as if feet were shuffling along the sidewalk. The closeness of it disturbed her. She looked around and again saw nothing. Wait, there in the shadows along the alley something moved, but it was only a blur.
Then the pain hit her. Something heavy struck her temple. She remembered seeing a flash of light before losing consciousness.
***
HE WATCHED AS SHE LEFT the restaurant and followed her as she walked back to her usual corner. The streets in this area were poorly lit, helping to hide his movements. Her blond wig stood out among the other girls making her easy to follow. As he took a deep breath in, he could smell her perfume that clung to the air.
After knocking her unconscious, he loaded her into the cab of his truck and restrained her. He covered her with a blanket, keeping her out of sight. Making sure the area was still empty, he pulled away. Once they were at the boat, he placed her in a large ice chest and covered her with ice. Tonight he would move her to his workroom.
He started the engines of the shrimp boat and headed straight for the horizon, anxiously waiting for when he could save her soul.
Now that darkness had fallen and no one was around, he moved her into the small cabin. As he undressed her, the sight of her breasts stirred a desire deep inside of him. He forced himself to look away. He must not give in to temptation. She was a sinner, not to be touched. Yet it was difficult when their bodies were so alluring.
***
IT WAS THE COLD THAT first woke her. It settled deep in her bones and sent agonizing pain through her body. Her eyelids fluttered as she fought to stay awake.
Panic shot through her when she realized someone had submerged her in ice. She was in a large box, possibly an ice chest. She tried to recall how she’d gotten here, but, unable to take the cold any longer, she slipped back into unconsciousness.
When she regained consciousness, she couldn’t move her arms or legs. She looked up at her captor and a chill swept through her body, “You are a sinner and must find redemption.”
“You son of a bitch, how dare you judge me!”
He looked down at her with contempt in his eyes, “I am not your judge, only God is.”
She wondered what this monster had planned for her. By the swaying of the room, she assumed she was on a boat and, judging from the smell, she figured it was a shrimp boat.
He glared at her. His eyes were fierce, almost savage, and filled with pure hatred. He narrowed them as he looked at her. He had a hard face, bleak and bitter. Anger permeated every inch of his expression. She was stunned by the seething intensity of his fury. She didn’t even know this man.
She cried, trying to erase the images of things he could do to her from her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the visions running through her mind. Her blood began to curdle. This would end very badly for her and in the worst possible way. She had no doubt her captor would be cold blooded and unmercifully cruel. With this sudden realization, she did something she hadn’t done in a long time, she begged God for forgiveness and mercy.
Suddenly, he slapped her hard. The force was harder than she expected, and she tasted blood from where she bit her tongue. She stared up at him and swore that she was looking at true evil. More pain coursed through her when he took the hammer and swung it. She heard bone breaking as the hammer made an impact with her hand. She yelled out as the piercing pain became all consuming. All she could do was lie there motionless, broken, jagged and in pain.
As he prepared to strike her again with the hammer, she drew in a deep breath. A deathly calm wrapped itself around her soul. She braced herself for another impact. She clamped her teeth against the scream that would erupt. She bit down so hard she tasted more blood. She must have bitten down on her tongue again.
Her cries of mercy went unheard. She prayed for a means to escape or a savior, someone to rescue her before she was violently murdered. Instead, she was forced to endure more pain.
***
THE FEAR FROZEN ON her face stirred something inside of him. He reached down and stroked one of her breasts. He knew it was wrong, but touching her young, firm body became too much temptation for him. Darkness surrounded them; no one could see what he was doing. All he saw was emptiness. He prayed for divine intervention. He did not want to give into temptation.
He saw her eyes flicker for a moment and waited for her vision to come back into focus. As he towered over her, he asked, “Are you ready to be freed, sinner?”
He preferred to talk to his victims, make them understand the importance of his work. He wanted them to understand why he was doing this. They must accept their fate and accept his gift of salvation.
She spat at him, “I don’t need to be saved.” She muttered.
He looked down at her as she lay on the table. Her slender arms and legs still secured to the table. She was near death and almost ready to be set free. The decision of when to release her soul was his mission. She must atone for her sins to be saved.
As pools of blood formed on the floor from her injuries, her life slowly ebbed from her body. She would soon be cleansed in the muddy waters of the bayou.