| |
Stan and Tori Donovan were finally going on vacation. It had taken them years to save up and they were extremely excited about it. Neither had been to Williamsburg, Virginia and they couldn’t wait to absorb the history there. From Williamsburg, they planned on traveling to Washington, D.C. to visit the Smithsonian.
They pulled over at a rest stop on the outskirts of a small town in North Carolina to stretch their legs. It was pitch black outside and very few lights were on.
"I sure hope the restrooms are unlocked."
"You and me both,” replied Tori, “I don’t have the luck of going behind a building and whipping it out."
"Maybe we should call it a night and find a hotel?"
"I can drive for a while. I've been napping for the past few hours. I'm good to go after I pee," Tori said.
"Babe, grab the flashlight out of the glove box. Looks like this rest stop might be under construction."
Tori had an uneasy feeling about this place. "Stan, I think I can wait. Let’s wait and see if we find a fast food restaurant or something else up ahead. This place is creepy."
“Don’t be silly. There is no one else around.”
Tori swore eyes were watching them. She glanced behind her as they walked towards the restrooms. She didn’t see anything but the emptiness of the night. “Come on Stan, let’s get out of here.”
“I’m right here. I’ll even go in with you. Trust me, there’s no one else around.” She gripped Stan’s hand tighter as they headed towards the restrooms. She swore something moved in the shadows.
“Christ, Tori, ease up. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I can’t help it. I swear someone is out there.” She strained to peer deeper into the night. Nothing was visible. Maybe she was being paranoid.
On their way back, they noticed a motor home parked right beside them. Stan said in an irritated voice, “Why the hell did he park there? It's not like there aren't a million other spots he could have parked the blasted thing."
***
TORI WASN’T SURE WHERE she was. A man was in front of her. She tried to focus in on his face and her surroundings when she noticed something gleaming in his hand. She focused on his face again and shivered at the sight of his dark and soulless eyes. She could feel the evil emitting from him.
Tori knew they were going to die. The sudden realization filled every molecule of her body. “I’m glad you are awake. My friend and I are going to take turns with you and your husband. He can have his fun with your husband while I have my chance at you.”
Terror tore through her body. She heard a deep moaning. “Stan, is that you?”
Her captor moved closer. “Now, where should I start? I’ve found a delightful new trick that I’ve added to my techniques. I want to carve you inside and out, similar to a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. The human body really fascinates me. The first ones that I played with, I never thought about the inside of their body. ”
“Me, I like to start cutting into your pretty little flesh, slowly at first. Causing you just enough pain to make you uncomfortable. After a while, I’ll increase the pain. On the other hand, my partner hasn’t learned complete self-control. He is still practicing. Listen. You can tell from your husband’s screams.”
Tori noticed that Stan’s moans had indeed turned into blood curdling screams. Tears rolled down her face, as the knife slipped into her flesh. The red hot pain was like nothing she had ever experienced. Tori felt the blackness taking over as she lost consciousness.
***
OFFICER GAVIN DANIELS found it difficult to fight the drowsiness that always seemed to plague him these last few hours of night watch. Daybreak would be here soon, but not soon enough. By 6:00 a.m., he would be back at the station, but first he and his partner, Officer Russ Bass, had to complete checking the rest stops in this area. This had to be the most boring part of the job, checking each rest stop every half hour on the dot. The Governor put the initiative through, after constituents expressed a concern that they didn’t feel safe stopping at them at night. Instead of hiring a nighttime security guard, it was determined that an extra shift would suffice for the state troopers. Everyone took turns with the shifts, although, Daniels preferred running radar at night.
Bass was already dozing off. “Almost done. It has been an extremely uneventful night.”
Bass nodded his head in agreement. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone out tonight.”
“It has to be because of this weather.” The rain had stopped, but it left the air muggy. A thick haze blanketed the still gray sky.
“I’m ready to call it a day. At least our shift is almost up. I’m ready for a vacation, find a deserted beach and drink my worries away.”
“You sound like my wife. She is bugging me to go to the beach. As if I want to deal with people. If I go somewhere, I want to go to a mountain getaway. Maybe hike or fish, as long as no people are around.”
“Hell, you think you got it bad, my wife is bugging the crap out of me to take her and the kids to Orlando. They want to see the attractions there. Can you imagine what the crowds will be like?”
As they turned into the rest stop, they noticed a Jeep Cherokee parked in the lot.
Daniels pulled up next to the Jeep and asked, “I don’t see anyone around, do you?”
“Nope. Maybe they are in the restroom.”
Daniels had a gut feeling that their night was about to turn sour. “I have a bad feeling about this one. Let’s go take a look.”
“Sure, why not? It’s not like we have anything else to do.”
The men’s restroom was empty. Knocking on the women’s restroom door, they announced themselves. “State Troopers coming in to do a routine check. Is anyone in here?”
No response.
Now Daniels knew his gut feeling was right. He radioed in for dispatch to run the plates. He found out that the Jeep belonged to a Stan and Tori Donovan. He called it in to inform that an abandoned car had been found. A small search team was organized to search the surrounding area. Search and Rescue even brought out some dogs, but they were not found. It was like they disappeared into thin air.