She's a Man-Eater

7. Everybody's Crying Mercy

Jesse stood next to her parked car on the side of the dark road. It was 9:28 PM; she had about four more minutes. Oliver waited in the backseat of the car. In the darkness of the night his outline was just barely visible– if you were to look for it.

The air outside was cool now. The last of the summer air had gone as October began. Jesse pulled her jacket a little tighter around her waist and checked the time again. Before her phone was even out of her pocket, the dark road was illuminated by bright headlights rounding a curve. Jesse put her phone back in her pocket and stepped out further into the road.

She flagged the car down and the driver slowly came to a stop, pulling off to the side of the road. Jesse inhaled, preparing to put on some sort of act. The driver slowly climbed out of the car and squinted to look at Jesse. Though she was only partially lit by the headlights, it was clear she was the person Jesse had been waiting for.

"Excuse me," Jesse said, feigning embarrassment, "my car broke down, do you think you would be able to help me out?" She wrapped one arm around her waist and pressed the index finger of her other hand to her lower lip, smiling awkwardly.

The driver of the car returned the smile and rounded the front of the car. She was wearing a lime green t-shirt and jeans that appeared to be oil stained. Her heavy work boots, too, were dirty. She offered Jesse another friendly smile and put her hands on her hips.

"Good thing I noticed you then, huh?" She had a midwestern accent and a voice that was far too loud considering the time. She was shorter than Jesse had expected, standing no taller than five feet. She held her hand out to Jesse, "Maren. I'm an automotive mechanic." Her smile widened, perhaps with pride? Jesse didn't know, nor did she care.

Jesse took her hand and shook it lightly, "Jesse." In high school Jesse worked, very briefly, as a hostess in a restaurant. Regulars at the establishment found her natural voice to be unsettling, so she adjusted to using a lighter, more friendly tone while she worked. Now, talking to Maren, she tried her best to mimic the voice.

Maren folded her arms over her chest and turned towards Jesse's car. "Think you can pop the hood for me?"

"Of course," Jesse stepped around her and opened the driver's side door of the car. Glancing into the backseat, she momentarily met Oliver's eyes. Maren's headlights were too bright, if she looked inside the car for too long she would surely notice him. She opened the hood of the car and closed the door.

Maren peered inside and asked, "What kind of problem are you having? Car not starting or..?"

Jesse stood a few feet behind Maren, "It was making a weird sound." She took a step closer. "It was kind of funny, actually," she chuckled, stepping closer, "You know, it almost sounded like... someone choking."

Maren straightened her posture and moved to turn around, but not before Jesse slipped one arm around her neck and wrapped her fingers around her bicep. Jesse put her opposite hand behind Maren's head and pushed her forward slightly. Maren's hands shot up to Jesse's arm.

"What are you doing?" she laughed awkwardly, grasping at Jesse's arm. Denial, maybe? A small amount of space remained between Jesse's forearms and Maren's neck, allowing her a bit of space to turn her head.

"What are you doing?" Maren asked again, a bit of desperation slipping into her voice. The words came out hoarsely this time as Jesse's arm pressed against her neck. She firmly gripped Jesse's wrist, trying to pull them away.

Jesse pulled the arm over Maren's neck to her chest as close as she was able without crushing her windpipe. Maren's grip on her wrists quickly turned to clawing as she struggled to breathe. Her fingernails were clipped short, but she managed to dig them into Jesse's arm.