Flesh and Blood

Chapter 9 - Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Ride

Damien didn't mind many of the drawbacks of being a serial killer. But the one drawback he hated the most was running away. It took so much meticulous planning to run away effectively, and it didn't help that he had to consider two other dumbasses in his plans.

He should've just killed that drunk girl, but if he did, Luke probably would've shot him. He should've just killed that emo girl, or Helen, but then Luke definitely would've shot him. But it no longer mattered what he should have done. All that mattered was what he could do now.

At least Luke had a decent alibi. His uncle had recently died, and his death was confirmed to be an accident, so no one would question his sudden disappearance. He was also completely unrelated to the murders, so no one would connect his disappearance to those murders.

But Helen, on the other hand, left a messy trail behind her. She might've killed her drunk friend but maybe her friend just passed out in a drunken stupor. She might've had some evidence that Damien planted in her bedroom but maybe they were just mementos she kept from her former friends. There wasn't enough to incriminate her but there was enough to raise suspicion.

They had been driving in silence for about an hour but it was not nearly enough time for Damien to a develop a decent run away plan for the three of them. He had hoped for at least another hour of silence, but Helen decided to break it.

"So, Luke, why are you here?"

Luke frowned at the question but answered it anyway. "I just wanted to leave that shitty town."

"So your uncle's death fucked you up that badly, huh?"

"It wasn't that," Luke snapped.

"Oh, sorry."

Luke sighed and shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry. He just wasn't the only reason why I wanted to leave."

Damien noticed the brief glance that Luke sent him. Why was he the reason why Luke wanted to run away? Why did Luke think it was a good idea to run away with a serial killer?

"I understand," Helen replied. "It's a really shitty place. Despite the circumstances, I'm glad to be leaving that shithole."

"I know," Luke sighed out. "I'd be glad to end up anywhere else."

"Where are we going, anyway?" Helen asked, directly to Damien.

Damien exhaled through clenched teeth. He never had to share his plans before. "We're going to stop by some stores and then we're going to stay at a motel."

"But where are we going to end up?"

"We just have to focus on where we're going next. Our final destination is the least of our concern right now."

They drove for about ten more minutes until they arrived at a marketplace far from any main highway. Once they were in the parking lot, Damien pulled out a jacket, a baseball cap, and glasses out of his backpack and handed the jacket and cap to Helen and the glasses to Luke.

"You two are going to the grocery store to buy some supplies on this list." He handed them two lists that he wrote down during the drive. "If you follow the list exactly, then you shouldn't bump into each other, but if you do, make sure to act like strangers."

"Okay, that's easy," Helen said as she put on the jacket and read over the list. "You want me to buy make up?"

"Yes. I don't have enough make up to disguise you if the situation came up."

"Okay," Helen said with a hint of guilt in her voice, which he was hoping for.

He handed a comb to Luke and said, "Part you hair differently." Then he handed some wipes to Helen and said, "Wipe off your make up and wear your hair in a ponytail."