Wreckless Read online

  “In Jonesboro, off exit 314.”

  “I’m on my way. In the meantime, find her!”

  Maurice hung up. He thought about letting her handle this on her own. After all, it would be her word against his. On the other hand, if any traces of him were left inside Teresa, he would definitely be a suspect.

  Instead of telling anyone he was leaving, he would let them think he was still there. His frat brothers were too busy getting drunk, anyway. They would think he was there the entire night.

  Maurice hit the alarm on his 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid. The doors unlocked and he got in. The truck thundered to life. He made a U-turn and got on the interstate headed towards Jonesboro. This was a disaster and Maurice was still unsure about his actions. Could he really go through with this? He would know when he got there . . . if he didn’t turn around first.

  Part 3

  Saundra’s feet stung with each step on the hard rocky ground she took. She was focused. The last sign she saw said the BP was eight miles away. She increased her speed and the tall grass whipped her legs, sending more pain through her. At the moment, it was bearable. As long as she could make it to safety, it would be worth the pain. Thoughts of Teresa invaded Saundra’s mind. Never again would they hold a conversation. That made Saundra sad, tears fell from her eyes. It blurred her vision and added more of a challenge to her escape. Saundra wasn’t trying to make this harder on herself, but her emotions got the better of her.

  Why was Jasmine doing all of this, she wondered. In Saundra’s eyes, Jasmine was always classy, quiet, and reserved. She wouldn’t harm a fly. In school, she was always on time to class, her grades were high, and she never missed a school event. Saundra knew this because she, too, was always at school. Teresa did mention before that Jasmine was a little off her rockers, but Saundra seemed to wave her off and laugh about it. Jasmine didn’t seem crazy to her -- until now. She was a pretty girl; long, straight brown hair, pampered rose-colored lips, and eye shadow that she wore daily. She never had a dull moment from what Saundra could think of. Jasmine even had a sexy shape. What was her problem, she wondered. Maybe she was gay and Teresa turned her down. If Teresa turned anybody down, it was never in a sensitive way. One thing she hated to admit about her late friend is that she was very harsh when it came to dealing with other people.

  Teresa was not saved. Saundra talked to her many times about accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior, and many times, Teresa shot her down.

  “Don’t worry about that,” she would always say. “Me and God are on the good foot.” Or she’d say, “I don’t want to do that and still sin because I know I will. I have to get myself together first.”

  Saundra always hated it more than anything because she knew it was a lie the devil was whispering in her ear. However, the bible says all will not be saved. It was super sad. Without receiving Jesus’ salvation, Teresa was doomed to live without God for all of eternity. Just pondering on it made Saundra cry harder. She lost her focus and fell to the ground. Her knees scraped against the rocks and blood seeped through them into the gravel. A stream of tears flooded her face as she cried in agony.

  “Oh God, please have mercy!” she screamed.

  Even though she knew it was every person’s own decision to make, she couldn’t help but scream out for her friend’s soul to be at peace. Saundra lay out on her back. Now she could feel the pain in her feet and legs. With her arms stretched out wide, she talked to God.

  “Heavenly Father, I want to give thanks to You for this day. It has been the worst I have experienced, but I am still thankful. If it is Your will, Lord, please send backup to come and help me out. Your humble servant, Saundra. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  Saundra wiped her face and got back to her feet. She headed towards the BP, but now she was limping. Thinking she never should’ve stopped, Saundra increased her speed, making the pain increase as she tried desperately not to feel sorry for herself.

  Feeling all over the place, she ran with the wind lashing at her tear-stained face. Headlights shone in the distance. Saundra gasped and looked back. They were getting closer. Fear fell over her. She did just ask for help, but she had to make sure first. She dropped to the ground again, this time trying to hide behind the tall grass. The car slowed and the lights brightened. Saundra didn’t make a sound. The car passed her, almost coming to a stop. It crept along and Saundra looked up to see if it was Jasmine. Sure enough, her worst fears were certain. Jasmine kept going down the road. Saundra thought about turning around. She was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, if she turned around, the only thing she could do was run to the same gas station she had just fled from. Surely there was someone inside since they managed to occupy Jasmine’s attention while she made her escape. However, she was just about halfway to the BP.

  Saundra watched the car continue down the road. When she felt at a safe distance, she sprinted in the direction she had just come from. Never had her legs move so fast. Her heart beat rapidly and Saundra saw more headlights coming her way. She waved her arms in the air frantically. With her legs moving at turbo speed, she ran out of the gravel onto the paved road, making sure the car didn’t miss her. As the truck got closer, the driver took notice of her and slowed down. Saundra was ecstatic.

  “Yes, yes, yes! Thank You, Jesus!” she shouted.

  The trucked pulled up beside her and Saundra got a good look at the driver.

  “Maurice!” she yelled.

  Saundra couldn’t be happier. Not only was this someone she knew, but someone she could trust. God always came through. No doubt about it. Maurice rolled down his window.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  Without hesitation, Saundra ran around to the passenger side door and got in. Maurice took a good look at her. She looked a mess.

  ****

  Down the road, Jasmine took a look around. From what she saw, Saundra was nowhere in sight.

  “Where is she?” Jasmine muttered.

  Irritation was an understatement. Jasmine couldn’t believe she’d let this girl get away. This would be the end of her life if Saundra got to the authorities. Driving back the way she came, Jasmine continued to look for Saundra. She couldn’t have gotten far, she thought. Reaching for her phone, she dialed Maurice’s number. The phone rang six times before going to voicemail. He was pissing her off. It was like he was playing games with her. He knew he needed to be next to his phone, and yet, he was not answering again.

  Jasmine noticed a truck sitting to the side of the road. The headlights were on and the truck was obviously idle. Now she was paranoid. She redialed Maurice, not taking her eyes off the truck. There was movement inside as her eyes connected with Maurice. She hit the brakes hard, her tires squealing and coughing up dust.

  Putting the car in park, Jasmine jumped out and ran to the driver’s side. Maurice rolled down the window.

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” she yelled. “Do you know what I’m going through? Do you think this is a game? I . . . ”

  Her words trailed off when a trembling Saundra came into view in the passenger seat. She reached in and slapped Maurice across his arm.

  “You got her! Why didn’t you just say so? Open the door!”

  Jasmine went around to the passenger side and reached for the door, but Saundra hit the lock button to keep Jasmine out.

  “She’s crazy!” Saundra yelled at Maurice.

  In a tough situation, Maurice tried to figure out whether to see this thing through.

  “Wait,” Saundra said, an eerie feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. “What does she mean? Why didn’t you tell her you had me?”

  “Maurice, unlock the door!” Jasmine yelled.

  He sighed heavily and unlocked the door. Jasmine yanked the door open, reached in, and grabbed for Saundra.

  Saundra kicked and swung at Jasmine, desperate to keep her away. Jasmine grabbed one of her legs, pulling her out of the car. Saundra hit the ground with a hard thud.<
br />
  “Ouch!” she screamed.

  “More than that will be hurting if you don’t stop fighting me,” Jasmine threatened. “There’s no use.”

  Saundra screamed and kicked. She would never give up. Maurice jumped out of the car and hurried to the passenger side.

  “Get away from me!” Saundra screamed at him.

  “Calm down . . . calm down!” he repeated.

  “No! Nooo!” Saundra yelled, kicking and swinging.

  Maurice helped Jasmine get Saundra off the ground. He held her tightly while Jasmine tied her hands with the same duct tape she’d escaped from earlier. Jasmine ran to the car and popped her trunk.

  “Throw her in the back,” she ordered Maurice.

  Saundra shook her head no and begged.

  “Please . . . please don’t put me in that trunk. I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise!” she yelled.

  Jasmine tore a long piece of duct tape off, placing it over Saundra’s mouth.

  “Someone’s coming,” Maurice said, gesturing to the car coming down the road.

  He picked Saundra up and carried her to the driver’s side of his truck, where she would be hidden from view. Jasmine quickly closed the trunk of her car. The last thing she needed was someone seeing Teresa’s corpse. The car stopped and the window rolled down. A Caucasian male with a long beard leaned out.

  “You need help, pretty lady?” he asked, his thick country accent evident.

  Jasmine smiled brightly. “No, I’m good. But thanks.”

  “You sure you don’t need any help? I’ve got just about anything you might need in the trunk.”

  “Oh no. My friend over here helped me.”

  He sized Maurice up. “I guess. Well, take it easy.”

  Jasmine and Maurice watched as the car made its way down the road. Jasmine then went to the driver’s side of Maurice’s GMC Sierra.

  “Put her in the trunk of your truck,” she said.

  “I’ll put her in the back seat,” Maurice countered.

  “You need to put her in the trunk. What if a car pulls alongside of you and sees a female tied up in the backseat?”

  She did have a point. Still, he couldn’t see putting Saundra in his trunk. The drive across town was not long enough for him to figure out what he would do once he got here. Now, he might be in a possible situation he couldn’t get out of. Maurice looked down at Saundra. Tears were flowing out of her eyes and she shuddered. Maurice swallowed rigorously. Who was he? How had he come to this?

  “Jasmine, maybe we should let her go.”

  Jasmine’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Why would we do that?” she asked.

  “Look at us; look at you. Are you this person?”

  Jasmine huffed and sighed exasperated. “Of course not! I let my madness get the best of me and killed Teresa by accident.”

  “Accident?” Maurice asked skeptically.

  “Yes, accident, I wasn’t trying to kill her -- just beat the brakes off of her. What can I say? She knew I was in love with you, but she had sex with you anyway. She always did stuff like that and she got what was coming to her!”

  Saundra listened as Jasmine ranted. Maurice felt sorry for Jasmine. He never knew Jasmine had strong feelings for him. If he did, he would’ve told Teresa to come to his house. He wasn’t the type of guy to stir up drama.

  “Now, it’s too late to let her go. She knows too much. Do you want to go to jail -- or better yet, prison for the rest of your life?”

  Maurice definitely didn’t want to go to prison, but he didn’t want to keep up this charade, either.

  “That’s what I thought,” Jasmine said, taking Maurice silence for his answer. “Now, put her in the trunk.”

  Part 4

  One hour later . . .

  In the parking lot of a Super 8 motel, Maurice took in everything that just happened. When he woke up this morning, he had no idea he would be in this mess by the day’s end. His parents didn’t raise him this way. He grew up in church and even sang in the choir. He was taught to love people and honor and obey God, so what was he doing? He watched as Jasmine parked and went into the motel. She wanted to go into the wooded area to find a place to bury Teresa and Saundra, but Maurice talked her out of it. He still needed time to get his mind right. Realistically, there was no way he could go through with this. Telling her to get a room so they could just calm down and be alone for a while seemed to peak Jasmine’s interest. Using people was not his forte, but Jasmine gave him no other choice. She was dead set on getting rid of the girls. On the other hand, Maurice was no longer feeling it. Sure, he had partied, been with different girls at different times, but killing and burying people was for someone with no soul. He condemned himself for not pulling off with Saundra when he had the chance. Even though he was a man, peer pressure was a beast. Now he would have to figure out a way to get Saundra out of this.

  The thought of going to prison resounded through his mind. Maurice tried to shake it off, but to no avail.

  You don’t want to go to jail or prison, do you? Jasmine’s words kept repeating.

  She was right, but so was he. This road was particularly dark. There were three cars in the parking lot. The last sign of life was on the last exit. It was like Jasmine knew her way around this area. He wondered if she had done something like this before. It sent chills down his spine wondering about it. She was so cold. To think Jasmine did all this because she was ‘in love’ with him was insane. He felt sorry for her future husband, whoever he would be.

  There were two streetlights next to the hotel at the entrance, just enough light to be seen coming into the office. The rest of it was in complete darkness. Maurice checked his glove compartment. The three-eighty his dad bought him for Christmas last year had a chrome barrel. He only fired it on the range and Maurice didn’t want to use it tonight. Usually, his glove compartment would stay locked so no one could steal it, but tonight, he would leave it unlocked just in case.

  “Jesus, please forgive me. I know I have done wrong by You. I don’t know what I was thinking. Sometimes we can be so selfish, you know? I never meant to hurt anybody. I’ll never do anything like this again. Please help me get Saundra out of this alive.”

  He looked up and Jasmine was standing at his door. He flinched and rolled his window down.

  “You could’ve tapped on the door or said something instead of standing there looking crazy.”

  “Well, excuse me. I thought you saw me. What are you doing in there -- falling asleep?”

  “Not quite,” he said.

  “Room 223. It’s around the back.”

  “I’ll follow you,” he said.

  Maurice followed Jasmine around the back to the room. He managed to convince her not to put Saundra in the trunk. So she was laid out on the floor in Jasmine’s back seat. He backed into a parking spot, parked, and jumped out. Jasmine walked in front of him and smiled. She handed him the key card.

  “After you,” she said.

  “Aren’t you going to get her out of the car?” he asked.

  “For what? We won’t be here all night; we have to find somewhere to get rid of them before daybreak.”

  “You still don’t want to leave her in the car? What if someone pulls up?”

  “I doubt that. Have you taken a look around? This place is deserted and it’s late. I can’t imagine anybody pulling up.”

  “Still, we have to be safe,” he said.

  “Whatever -- you get her out.”

  Maurice opened the back door and pulled Saundra out, throwing her over his shoulder. He walked to the room, which only took him five steps. He heard Jasmine slam the car door. He slid the key card in and went inside. Jasmine walked in behind him, closing the door.