The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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Luther Newton didn't think all of them were aware that he was following them, but he was almost certain that the pale man knew it and apparently was undisturbed by it as long as he was discreet about it.   It was altogether clear to him however that the other two posed a greater threat to him than the pale man did because he was sure that the guard was still packing heat.

It wasn't that he didn't fear the pale man, on the contrary he was terribly afraid of him, but now he had come to believe that the creature welcomed his near presence and was not so keen to eliminate him, not at this time anyway. The paradoxical smile the creature had given him at the auto dealership somewhat confirmed this for him. And so for now he was just content to follow them to wherever they were going.

He puffed long and hard on the last of the stogie and when it was to short and likewise to bitter he tossed it aside. He had no watch with which to judge the amount of time he had spent there at the dumpsters, yet he decided that he had waited long enough.

There had been no other traffic on the road and so he believed the three pedestrians were probably still trekking on up the road going east, ever going east. He started the motorcycle and pushed off from the ugly dumpsters that stood like green trolls on the side of the highway who gulped garbage ravenously and were eager for more. The fog was starting to lift as the morning wore on.  The rising sun was bright in his eyes and so he pulled down the goggles to soften the curse and to disguise himself from those he was following not that it would do much good.  As he approached the three dark forms in the distance, he saw them at last going right yet again into the forest once more now going in a southerly direction.

All these roads reminded him of big city streets, the trees of large silent buildings off of these streets, on some calm Sunday morning when little was happening and the citizenry had opted to stay inside. Where did they all go he wondered? Why so many? What was the point of having so many roads with so little traffic to use them? Being someone of a criminal nature he sensed that graft paid to some politician was behind it all. Otherwise there was no need for so many of them.

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At last he came upon an intersection with another road, which was headed, to the south. And just off of it a little further down, perhaps a half mile, he could see a modest home that had a drab yellow color scheme. He knew instinctively this to be the place the pale man and his compatriots were headed using the cover of the woods to creep up on it.

Luther continued on down the road he was on and soon once more found a space off to the right where he could stop and wait some more. He was certain they were going to make their way to the house and once again bring death to whoever dwelt there.

Out of his sight the three of them approached the ugly house. It was still early and no one was stirring on the property save but for a black and white pit bull dog that wondered about the yard like a menacing patriarch to all that was there. The hunger was upon them all by now and the pale man sensed there was life inside the house and he meant to have their blood.

They crept through the woods disturbing the creatures within earshot flushing quail and rabbit that scrounged for food in the thick undergrowth. And soon the three of them were against the northern wall of a garage that stood to the rear of the place. They skulked to the front corner of the garage and looked around it to the rear of the pale yellow abode. At this same time the pit bull became aware of their presence and sensing the evil of the trio he bolted off for somewhere to hide, which for a species of dog notorious for its ferociousness was quite remarkable. The dog didn't even bother to give out a warning bark to his owner he was so overcome by fear. It was still quiet and the people inside who were just rising up had no notion that death was lurking just outside in the yard.