Previously on the Murder Club: A serial killer on a road trip picks up a strange hitchhiker. This is either his best or his worst decision to date.
-o0o-
The distance to Monticello, Utah, was roughly 17 miles. However, Tyki did not keep track of the time it took in getting there. Idly, he noted how the farmlands turned into bush land and eventually back into farmland again. Then there was bush land again, then farmland. Alone, driving through it would have been immensely tedious. With company however‒
"Would you mind if I put on the radio? If it gets too quiet in here, then I might lose focus."
His hitchhiker offered up a mild scoff at that. "Your car, your rules," the boy muttered at last.
Tyki took his word for it.
Gradually, the mountains grew closer, becoming less like an ever present mirage and more like a tangible obstacle to overcome. Granted, they were still a fair distance away, but the scattered farmhouses they had passed and the buildings in sight promised civilisation farther up ahead. Soon thereafter, they reached the outskirts of Monticello, passing by a bunch of trucks parked a bit to the side of the road. Then, yet another patch of bushes and farmland followed before there was another patch of scattered houses along with a billboard promising burgers, pizza and ice-cream so long as one turned right at the stop half a mile ahead.
A bit farther ahead, another billboard promised a gas station.
Tyki found himself moderately interested in either alternative; burgers typically meant fries but gas stations of the better variety typically promised not only gas but also some type of sustenance. Tyki was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed the billboard attached to one of the buildings on the side of the road, announcing it as a storage facility. Taking a moment to consider the many serial killers who had used similar facilities for storing their trophies, Tyki kept driving, registering the presence of a restaurant, another storage facility and a couple of houses before they reached an intersection.
After that, the houses gradually multiplied, and so did the selection of eateries. Granted, the selection was still rather small, but at least it was there. There was also a gas station, which only promised diesel, and two inns, one inn on each side of the road. After that, there was a well-tended, albeit somewhat dry lawn with a couple of trees and a plaque proclaiming it the Veterans Memorial Park. After that followed a small monument on one side of the road and yet another gas station on the other, then an intersection and then yet another gas station on the other side of that; the one foretold in the earlier billboard.
While waiting at the traffic lights, Tyki chanced yet another glance at his silent companion, confirming that they remained vigilant. Oh well. "You hungry? I haven't had lunch yet."
-o0o-
Though Tyki had yet to establish proper habits, it was safe to say that treating a potential victim to food was not among them. However, Tyki still had to admit that it was a relatively fascinating (albeit at the same time kind of gross) experience, watching the boy stuff himself with at least twice the number of hamburgers Tyki would have expected. That having been said, Tyki still got his fries; it was a sizeable serving. He took the time to savour them too, meaning that the boy finished his burgers way ahead of him.
"Hoh? Ditching me already, are you?"
Instead of offering up a vocal response, the boy motioned for the men's room.
"If so, then is there really a need to bring your bag? I could watch it for you if you want."
It was a kind offer. Of course, there was more to it than that.
"No need," the boy scoffed, taking his bag and all.
Given the public location and possible audience, Tyki merely shrugged, conceding his loss at least for now while mentally applauding the boy's instincts of self-preservation. After all, leaving something important behind oftentimes meant having to come back to retrieve it. Granted, leaving something temporarily in the care of a stranger also meant bearing the risk of seeing it stolen. All things considered though, it was questionable whether or not the boy was actually carrying anything particularly valuable.
Tyki could find himself another potential victim. There were after all plenty of candidates so long as he wasn't too picky about it. After all, unlike some other predators, Tyki did not need to worry all too much about whether or not there was something fundamentally wrong with his prey; he wasn't planning on eating them after all. Granted, the idea of cannibalism had been brought up at one point, yes. It had only been retained long enough for Tyki to draw the conclusion that he was much too disgusted by the thought though. There was, after all, a good reason for why Tyki had only tried his hand at proper dismemberment once; he was decidedly fine with blood and gore in general, but the smell and texture of entrails was simply‒
The French fried potato Tyki had been contemplating was abruptly plucked from between his fingers. Tyki barely had enough time to register the fact before it had been devoured.
Once Tyki had somewhat gotten over the shock of having his food stolen by his intended victim, he registered the backpack slung over the boy's shoulder, noting that it looked decidedly fuller than previously.
Tyki had a sneaking suspicion.
-o0o-
When Tyki returned from his own trip to the men's room, he was mildly surprised to find that not only did most of his fries remain, but also the hitchhiker, idly sipping a chocolate milkshake. Really‒ "You've got nerve; I give you that."
"I've also got your wallet," the boy responded, putting it on the table. "You can have it back now."
Public location or not, fact remained that Tyki had killed people for a whole lot less. Still‒
He slid into his seat and checked the wallet, quickly counting through his notes. Save for the ones he had spent himself, there was none missing. "You steal a wallet and all you take is pocket change? Wasted opportunity much?"
The boy shrugged mildly at that, vacating his seat while still sipping the milkshake. Compared to the earlier paranoia, this idle yet somehow ruthless nonchalance was an interesting turn of events. "Thanks for the lift." The dismissal was accompanied by a slight salute. "And for the food. See you around, Mr. Mikk."
That last part sounded awfully insincere. Tyki nevertheless returned the salute with a slight wave of his own. Then, while watching the other's casual exit, he munched on his remaining fries and mulled over which method he would use in the decidedly unlikely occurrence of another encounter.
Still, Tyki supposed it could have been worse; if the little rascal had made it off with the car keys, then Tyki would have lost access not only to his primary mode of transportation but also to the emergency credit cards hidden inside it.
When push came to shove, Sheril had after all not yet outgrown his overbearing tendencies, and with a fair deal of money to his name, the man usually proved more than willing to provide additional funds, should the need for such arise. Granted, it was still the kind of last resort Tyki would rather not utilise, given the unwanted side effects. Fact also remained that Tyki would rather not have explained how a teenager had made it off with Tyki's car and cards, to spare himself from the embarrassment if nothing else. Still‒
An alarmingly genuine smile threatened to break out on his face. His blood was stirring. "See you around, huh?"
-o0o-
Truth to be told, it had taken at least two days before Tyki fully began to realise that he was in trouble. By then, he cursed the fact that he hadn't done away with the boy out on the road; he could've hidden the body out in the bush lands and let nature have at it. But no, he had opted to play it cool, which in a fairly roundabout way had left him in his current predicament.
Now, roughly a week after the hitchhiker incident, Tyki had a fresh corpse in the trunk. He was also driving alongside a dark road, looking for a good place to pull over and dispose of it. Frankly, even though Tyki only seldom planned very far ahead, this particular kill had been particularly rash, which was why Tyki had wasted no time in getting back onto the road.
As it turned out, while the dark made it less likely for anyone to see him getting rid of a body, it also made it decidedly more difficult for Tyki to find a decent dumping ground. After all‒
Visible movement just on the outer edges of his headlights brought Tyki's thoughts to a standstill. With the screech of slammed breaks, so did the car.
Tyki would have expected a deer or maybe a moose or a coyote or a fox or something similar. He certainly hadn't been expecting a human, and a blood-covered, familiar one at that.
Against better judgement, Tyki got out to have a better look.
Obviously affected by the brightness of the headlights, the other shielded their eyes and face. They were obviously trying to determine Tyki's identity and intentions, probably deciding whether or not to feign victimhood, to either lure him in or to invoke sympathy and a desire to help. And they obviously needed help, help of some sort. It was a bit hard to tell in the bright light, but Tyki thought that he saw a number of bruises that had not been there the week before.
Again, against better judgement, Tyki made his decision. "Are you alright?"
Three metres; at such a relatively small distance, he saw the boy's eyes widen slightly before narrowing. It took another moment or so before the other recognised him. "Oh, it's you."
"It's me," Tyki readily affirmed, stepping out into the light column, shrinking the distance to about two and a half metres. "Are you hurt?"
The other shrugged mildly at that. "You should see the other guy."
Ah, there it was; the slip that confirmed what Tyki had already been suspecting. Moments later, the boy also realised this, going by the momentary look of horror.
"Is he in there?" Tyki asked, making a vague gesture towards the nearby woods.
The boy feigned ignorance. "Who?"
"The other guy."
Now that earned him a definite look. "No."
"Is that so?"
The look sharpened into a definite glare. "Why do you ask?" the boy snapped, a switchblade suddenly in his grip. "Would you like to join him?"
-o0o-
