The Purging of Bridges Valley

Chapter 4

"Joseph! It's Marilyn!"

His blood ran cold. Marilyn! He'd forgotten all about her. In his excitement to start the ritual, he'd neglected to dispose of her. He'd planned to go to their house and kill her right after he dealt with Walter. But the adrenaline rush he'd gotten after dismembering the man and the subsequent pangs of guilt completely wiped her from his mind. Luckily, she was by herself. A dog he could deal with-- the police not so much. He was somewhat relieved that he lived in such a small, rural town that neighbors didn't think to call the cops over a missing person and instead decided to look first themselves.

Perhaps this was better. He could offer Marilyn's remains to the pit now.

The wind howled, whistling through the trees, masking the sounds emanating from the pit. Marilyn approached and stopped just short of the hole, her dress and shawl whipping around her slender frame, her straw-like hair billowing about her head. The dog circled back to her, giving the hole a wide berth. Its snout was wrinkled as if it smelled something foul. The tail was tucked under the legs, the hair on its back standing straight.

"What're you doing out so late, Marilyn?" Joseph asked, trying to sound surprised and friendly as possible. He hoped she wouldn't look into the pit.

"Is Walt still here? He hasn't been home since he left this morning." Her eyes were wide, and the flashlight trembled in her hand.

Joseph mimed deep thought. He shrugged. "He left around ten or eleven, right after lunch. I'm sorry but I haven't seen him since then."

She took a step back, the dog clinging to her heels. It could sense what was in the hole, he was sure. He needed to be quick now. Her face showed distress, he knew what she was thinking, that she didn't quite buy the story. He stepped forward slowly.

"I can help you look for him."

At the advance Marilyn took another step back. She pointed the flashlight directly at him. Behind them, the barn doors slammed loudly. The dog whined.

"What are you doing out here in the dark, Joseph?"

"Working on the lawn."

The light left his face and flicked to his bloodied hand. Then it slowly made its way to the hole. He knew the moment she saw what lay within-- her eyebrows raised and her mouth fell open in a silent cry.

"What the hell is that?" She shrieked, her voice nearly getting lost in the now screeching wind. The pit behind Joseph, as if responding, roared in anger, which set the dog barking. It ran in a frenzy around Marilyn, and when Joseph took another step closer lunged. The dog latched onto his boot and shook its head vigorously left and right. Joseph cried out the same time Marilyn did. As the dog sank its teeth into his foot, she turned and tried to run.

Acting quickly, Joseph grabbed for the shovel he'd discarded after finishing the pit. It was barely out of reach and as he tried for it the dog yanked him in the opposite direction causing him to lose balance and hit the ground, briefly knocking the wind from his lungs. The dog was now viciously attacking his leg. Joseph cursed and reached for the shovel again, crawling forward. He managed to grip the handle and in one motion brought the blade down on the dog's head.

Immediately the dog let go and yelped, its forehead split and seeping blood. It hobbled away, keeping distance but still eyeing him. It probably wouldn't be disoriented for long.

Despite his punctured leg, Joseph shot up and gave chase to Marilyn, who was now halfway down the drive. He ignored the pain and sprinted after, quickly closing the distance. Marilyn screamed as she ran and made the stupid decision of looking back over her shoulder. Joseph leapt at her.

Both fell to the ground in a whirl of limbs. Marilyn shrieked and struck Joseph in the chin, her nails raking across his jaw. His head exploded with bright white pain as she continued to slap at his face. He grabbed her arms to subdue her but she flailed her legs, thrashing out and attempting to knee his groin. He tore the shawl from her shoulders and stuffed it into her open, screaming mouth. She paused briefly and gagged.

Taking advantage of the hesitation, Joseph maneuvered atop her and pinned her limbs down with his legs and arms. She resisted but he was so much stronger than her it was easy to keep her held. He looked down into her eyes and saw fear there. For some reason, instead of the disgust and guilt he'd felt earlier when he murdered her husband, now he felt glee.

"You stupid bitch," he snarled, his voice coming with a deep hoarseness he was not accustomed  to.

"You could've ruined everything." He open-palm slapped her. She whimpered and squirmed beneath him, utterly helpless. "But you didn't. And now you will join your husband."

He smiled wolfishly down at her wide, terrified eyes and punched her square in the nose. It exploded beneath his knuckles in a spray of blood. Her face glistened and her eyes rolled slowly upward as she moaned. The hole was howling behind him, wind whipping angrily. The longer he waited, the more ferocious and impatient it would get. He didn't have much longer to complete the ritual. It had to be done now.

Joseph stood now that Marilyn was incapacitated and began to drag her back, his body aching all over. But it would soon be over. He'd feed her to the hole and be done with it, all evidence disposed of.

At the edge of the hole again, he readied himself to toss her in. As he adjusted his grip, Marilyn shifted beneath him and managed to slip free. He cocked his hand back to go for another punch when his arm was snagged and torn backward, dragging him halfway off his victim. It was the dog. It sank its teeth deep into the  muscle of his forearm. Joseph beat the dog over and over with his free fist but this time it would not let go. He growled like an animal and lunged, sinking his own teeth deep into the animal's neck. The urge to bite and claw had become so overwhelming in him. The warm blood pooling in his mouth was sweet on his tongue.

The dog abruptly lurched forward with Joseph clamped around its neck and tried to flee, but his grip was too tight. He attempted to overtake it when he noticed a shifting in the earth.

Being so close to the edge had disturbed the earth. The soft soil from the rain earlier beneath him gave way under their weight. It avalanched down into the pit's opening, crumbling away and deforming the circle. With it the dog and Joseph both slipped down. Joseph dug his feet into the ground and attempted to unlatch himself from the dog, but the dog had other plans. It stayed clamped on his arm and, being closest to the pit, tumbled into it, dragging Joseph down as well.

Inside the hole was like being inside a hurricane. Voices and wind swirled around him in a disorienting way. It was maddening, the voices, the strange noises all about him. It was freezing within the hole. He and the dog fell and fell as he could feel invisible fingers stroking and pinching his body. There was now no bottom to the pit, he realized, as the two tumbled further down the void. The dog finally released his arm and was suddenly snatched away by the invisible force. He heard rather than saw the dog ripped apart and now he was in freefall alone.

The voices seeped into his ears and saturated his mind, whispering to him all the atrocities he'd committed and worse. They mocked him in different languages, taunted him over the death of Emily, and told him wicked things. He shrieked along with them as he slowly went crazy, and then limb by limb he was dismantled and devoured until nothing was left. All trace of Joseph Morse was gone.