Road to Hell by Brenda Stephens
It had been 36 hours since Parker Davis slept . His eyes were red , saggy , and dark . His white t-shirt was brown in spots from immense sweating . The once crisp scent of fresh laundry turned to the smell of decaying flesh . His small 1978 AMC Gremlin was strewn with fast food wrappers , dirty clothes , and cigarette butts . Coffee had been his best friend for the last 24 hours .
He continued to drive 78 mph down Old Route 12 for 115 miles , trying to get away from the inevitable . It was night . No lights . Just the dully lit head lights of Parker ’ s beat up Shirley . Shirley – the only woman he ever cared about . But that ’ s only because she always got him out of town .
Parker kept sipping his black coffee . Occasionally , he slapped his face and clicked his tongue .
“ Gotta stay awake . Gotta stay awake . Gotta get to Newburn .”
He twisted the power knob of the cassette radio on and Judas Priest ’ s “ Living After Midnight ” blared . He immediately ejected the tape and spun the other dial to find a local station .
“… man responsible for the murder of two Concord High School girls is still at large . Witnesses have identified the vehicle as a 1978 blue AMC –”
station .
The station squealed as Parker turned the dial to a new
“… under way and believe they know where the man is heading . They advise everyone to remain indoors , with their doors locked .”
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