The Desert

Intro:I wrote the desert during my 2 week nightmare of sickness. In that time period my mind was diluted and I found myself stressed and irritated from my situation. I entered the story into the
Nora Roberts Scholarship Fund and did not win. This is the story.

The sun rose again and thus another day in the dry heat began for John. This was his third day
there and suddenly his longing for the cold air of Maine returned. It was a ironic tale for just days earlier
he had taken the flight from Maine to Hawaii just so he could escape the cold brisk New England weather.
Now he was wishing he was back in his home with his hot cup of coffee and wife and kids around him. He
wondered “what if?”.

What if he didn’t take that flight? What if he knew the plane’s fuel supply was not enough to \
reach his destination? What if he had just listened to his wife’s plea and not gone through with it? It was
too late to wonder “what if?” but not too late to survive. He continued trekking across the land and felt
that he reached the end when he suddenly noticed another man in a jeep.

He ran up to the man and said, “Hello, could-could you help me?”. The man, tall and slender
looked over to him and said, “What could I do for you?”. John, delighted said, “I need your help, I have
been here for three days and I need a way out.”. The stranger said to him, “No problem, the nearest city is
about 10 miles from here. I’ll get you there and you’ll be back to normal.”, “One-hundred thanks to you
sir”, said John.

John got on the passenger side of the man’s vehicle and soon enough they began driving down
the road en route to the nearby city. “So what exactly do you do?”, said John to the man. “I am a doctor, I
work at the local hospital.”, said the man. John felt happier and responded, “Good I could use a doctor.”.
The man smiled and said to him, “Oh I can tell Mr. Davis”.

John turned to him amazed and said, “How do you know who I am?”. The doctor smiled at him
and said, “Mr. Davis I know who you are, you’ve been here for a while now.”. John was suddenly
frightened, somehow a man he had just met knew who he was. John’s happiness turned to anger and he
said to the doctor, “Look I don’t know who you are, but somehow you know me. I want some answers
right now.”

The Doctor smiled at him again and calmly said, “Mr. Davis, just give me time and you’ll be
back to normal.”. More angered built into John and he fired back saying, “Let me out of this car, now.
I’ve been through enough hell this week, and I cannot take anymore.”. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Mr.
Davis, for if I let you go here, then you will not be cured.”, the doctor responded. John grew even more
angrier by the second but knew if he jumped out at this point, then he’d continue to be stuck at his current
situation. The Jeep continued driving until finally it reached a stoplight.

John realizing it may be now or never, suddenly exited the vehicle and made a run for it. The \
Doctor looked over stunned and yelled for him to “come back”. For John, there was no turning back. He
ran in an attempt to get away from the Doctor cutting through street corners until eventually he ran into a
café. He said to the manager, “Please, ma’am could I use your phone?”.
She turned around and saw him then smiled, “I’m sorry, Mr. Davis, but I’m afraid you cannot
use the phone.”. John was stunned, he wondered how exactly did this man and woman know his name. He
had never been to Arizona before, nor did he know anyone in the area. He panicked and ran out of the
café trying to get away from the madness. He ran onto the streets and was suddenly struck by a truck.

Miraculously, the hit had no real effect on him other than knocking the wind out of him. The
truck driver came out of the vehicle and said, “Oh, dear apologies Mr. Davis, I didn’t see you there. Here,
let me help you…”. John pushed his hand away, got up and headed away from the man fleeing into an
alleyway. John continued running for what seemed like an eternity just desperately trying to get away
from all the madness. He soon found himself in a suburban part of the area where a woman was outside
planting flowers.

As she entered her home he came in from behind her, shut and locked the door behind them. He
then put his hand over her mouth in an effort to keep her quiet and he said to her, “It is alright, I mean
you no harm. I just need some help. Please, please do not scream or tell the police or anything else.”. The
woman took his hand off her mouth and said, “It’s alright, I will help you just sit down on the sofa and
tell me what exactly the problem is.”. He then proceeded to explain to her what the situation was and what
his name is. Smiling, she assured him by saying, “It is alright, it is alright, we all have our moments. Just
stay here and I will help you, I have been in a similar situation before.”

John was suddenly relieved and soon began to discuss ways on getting out. As day turned into
night he grew tired and fell asleep on her couch. She proceeded to head to the upstairs and sleep. John
was sleeping well until the door broke down near him. He shot up in shock to see the Doctor, the Cashier,
and the Truck Driver staring at him. “It is alright, Mr. Davis, we’re here to help you.”, said The Doctor.

John began panicking again realizing that there may be no escape saying under his breathe, “No,
no, no!”. Feeling that he would have to fight back in order to survive, John grabbed the lamp from the
table counter and threw it at The Doctor. As he threw it, he charged at them and knocked them over. They
shouted, “He’s getting away!”, and John found himself on the run again. Cutting through alleyways he
made his way to another street where he saw a taxi, he called the vehicle to a stop and entered it.

Out of the Cab popped a woman. Her long blonde hair showed a sign of light, something he had
been seeking since the crash. He entered the vehicle and she asked, “Little late, huh? So where to?”. He
responded by saying, “Far from here, just get me out of Arizona.”. “That’s going to cost ya.”, she said.

“It’s alright”, he responded, “Just as long as I can get away from here.”. She nodded and
proceeded to drive away. “So what’s your story?”, she asked. “There are these people who I’ve never met
before and somehow they know exactly who I am. It’s frightening me.”, he said. “That is pretty creepy.”,
she responded, “How do you think they know you?”. “I’m really not sure, maybe they’ve seen me on
Television or something”, he responded.

“Where do you get that from?”, she asked. “Well, I’m an executive for this bank, you see.”, he
responded. “Which one?”, she asked. “U.B.I.”, he responded. “Oh, I’ve heard of you guys. I hear you’re in
major trouble at the moment, some laundering scandal.”. “Yes, um we are having this problem and we’re
working hard in finding out who is behind it.”, he says.

“I think it’s kind of weird.”, she says. “What is?”, he responds. “I find it weird that there is a
money laundering scandal within your bank and you just seem to leave the area. You guys are based out of
Maine, right?”, she says. “Yes, uh yes we are?”, he responds. “So why exactly are you hear instead of \
back there working on trying to save your bank and find out who has been taking money from the vault.”,
she asks.

John began to sweat a bit adjusting his collar and trying to avoid looking the cab driver in the
face. “Can you keep a secret?”, he asks. “Sure, go ahead and tell me”, she says. “I have to confess…its
me, I am the one who has been taking money from the company.”, he says, “What can I do to keep you
quiet?”. She smiles and says, “Well, you best give me some of that money.”, she responds. “I will pay
anything, how much?”, he asks.

“I want at least 60 percent.”, she says. “It’s a deal, just please for my sake, keep quiet about it.”,
he says. “So, what are you going to do, just disappear for the rest of your life?”, she asks. “If that’s what it
takes to avoid prison, then so be it.”, he says. “Well don’t you have a family or something?”, she says.

“I-I-I did”, he says, “but they’re all gone now, forever.”. “Why’s that?”, she asks. He begins to
sweat even more feeling ill and then says, “Can you keep another secret?”. “Well honey, I can…for a 10
percent increase.”, she replies. “Ok, then…they’re dead…I killed them.”, he responds.

“Why did you do that?”, she asks. “Well, I couldn’t handle it anymore, life had just became too
much.”, he replies. “What do you mean?”, she says. “Well it all started with the economic downturn.

Before it, I could provide the money for my family. But soon enough I began to lose money and things
became too high of a demand. U.B.I. wasn’t paying me enough so I started taking money from them in
order to keep up with the demands. Soon I started having people become suspicious towards me.
As time went on she started noticing this increase in cash coming in and was trying to figure out where it
was coming from. When the story broke out about a U.B.I. executive laundering money, she figured out it
was me and confronted me on it, demanding I turn myself in and return the money to them. That’s when I
snapped, I began choking her and threw her to the floor. I initially thought that I killed her and so I
headed upstairs to book my flight. When I came back down she was up again and tried to call what I
believe would be the police.

Upon seeing her doing this action, I took a double barrel shotgun off the wall and as she pleaded
inaudibly, I fired it and killed her instantly. As I turned to leave the house, my teenaged son entered, just
getting home from basketball practice. He saw her body laying dead and turned to run when I fired two
shots into his back. I walked to where his body laid and said to him, “I’m sorry, I love you.”. Then I took
the gun and fired it again, this time he was dead.

I was lucky for we lived in the countryside and nobody was near for another 5 miles. I took their bodies,
through them in the basement and proceeded to call my job and told them that I am taking a vacation and
I do not expect to be back for a while. They asked no questions and I proceeded to pack my clothing, my
money, and what mattered to me. Early morning, the next day I took the flight and headed on my way out
to what I hoped be freedom. I wanted to start a-new in Hawaii, away from the cold weather, away from my
job, and away from my past, it was to be my own personal heaven.”, he says. “Then what happened?”, she
asked.

“The flight was going well for me and I was relatively calm. However, suddenly I panicked and
there was a crash and next thing I knew I was in the desert. The last three days, now four I have been
trying to find a way out. I thought I did when I discovered a man in the desert, he told me that he could
help me, so I bought it and entered the vehicle and just as we were nearing the city, he mentions my
name. As you can imagine I was startled, for he knew who I was and yet I didn’t know him.
Terrified, I exited at a streetlight and ran until I reached this café. The lady there also knew my name. I
felt as if somehow they were working for the police and the police had found out what I did and where I
was. I ran to the street where I was hit by a truck. The driver got out of the vehicle and apologized for
what had occurred, I was ok until it turned out…he knew my name too. I thought I had lost my mind until
I encountered this woman in the suburbs.

I explained to her what was going on, and even told her the circumstances of the killings. She was cool
with it and even let me stay with her and that’s when they returned. I panicked and ran again and that’s
where I am now.”, he stated. She stopped the car at what looked to be a building. She turned to him and
said, “That’s all for now, Mr. Davis. I hope you feel better.”, she said. He was stunned for yet another
knew his name, he screamed in horror and tried to exit the cab but couldn’t for the doors had been locked.
She exited the vehicle and entered the building which was covered with white walls, she was no longer
dressed a cabby but rather a doctor, it was there she met with the Doctor from earlier, along with the
cashier and the truck driver all dressed as orderlies.

“Well, I got word out of him.”, she said. “A full confession?”, said the Doctor. “Yup, just as the
Sheriff thought. The man is out of his mind but the evidence is overwhelming and he admits to killing his
family.”, she responded. “What about the plane deal?”, he asked. “He has his own version of that claiming
it crashed and he was wondering in the Arizona desert.”, she says.

“Well more like the Glendale Mental Institution but close enough to him.”, he says, “I’ll give
Sheriff Donner a call and we’ll have this scumbag jailed for years.”, he says, “Let’s just be glad we caught
him before he could harm anyone else.”. The doctors nod at each other and walk away as John continues
screaming in his pain.