Song of the Sand Demons-Chapter-8

Chapter 8

         Louis grumbled to himself as he twisted his gas cap on, then got back into his tow truck. Starting the truck up again he waited for the usual 'pop, bang' backfire, then shifted into first gear.

"Got to get a tune up" he muttered, reminding himself again.

"Yep, gotta' do that, I know."

         With that final reassurance, he pulled out of his garage driveway and headed out of town. He amused himself by flipping through radio channels, hoping to find something interesting. As he approached the old dirt road, he made the turn and noticed the evening weather report out of Tuscon starting.

"8:00pm already?!" said out loud as he checked his watch.

"Its after closing time, getting too old for this nonsense, I nee to retire"

         Louis hated distractions, and this was a huge distraction for him. Slipping his elbow out the window he waited for the weather report to start. The sun was setting fast and the cool desert air was now moving in for the night. As he drove along, Louis rubbed his finger along his bottom gum.

He snorted out, "Got to get that plate fixed too."

         His dentures had been giving him a riot of a time for over two months now, and he wasn't sure how long he was going to deal with that pain. Reaching over and hitting the glove box lever, he let it drop open. Letting his fingers slide around in search of the aspirin bottle, he hit the brakes. Catching sight of something darting out across the road.

"Rabbits!" shaking a fist as they ran off into a sage brush.

"I'll get you next time around you varmint's"

         Annoyed, it soon passed as he stuck two aspirins in his mouth and turned on the head lights.

         After driving about twenty minute's or so, he finally found the yellow Firebird facing the other direction. He slowed and pulled the tow truck into a U turn and backed up. Stopping in front of the car, he slipped the gear shift into neutral.

         Grabbing his door handle and lifting up on the hatch, the usual creak and squeak sounded especially loud to Louis as he shoved the door open and jumped out.

         Shaking his head he muttered about having to fix that too.

"Darn crazy woman, what's she doing way out this way for anyway's?" Louis humph'd to himself as he surveyed the area and the car, still shaking his head, and talking to himself just to talk, he walked behind his truck and pulled the lever to lower his tow chain. The sound of the hydraulic's buzzed and pulsed, giving a strange echo over the silent desert.

"Thats strange" Louis furrowed his brow's and cut off the generator. He still heard something, then realized he had left his radio on in the truck.

         Rubbing his chin, confused now, he knew that the new's alway's followed the weather. 'Why would someone be singing a song on the radio now?' he thought. Glancing around from the back of the truck he still noticed the radio light on in the cab. Stepping closer, he still heard the monotone drone of the new's caster talking about local ranchers in the Tuscon area complaining about a water shortage.

"What else is new" he huffed, and went back to his tow chain, The noise was still there, he heard it, and reached for his flashlight in the side of the truck, Clicking it on, he aimed it off to the side of the road, The flashlight beam skimmed over brush and cacti. The sound was louder now, and Louis thought for sure it must be a coyote. Narrowing his eyes to focus better, he assumed that if he forced himself to see better, he could also hear better.

"I never heard no coyote sound like that before, and I heard em' all."

         The sound now was growing closer, turning into a loud pulsing howl, but lower and longer than any coyote's he had ever heard.

         Moving the beam of light slowly over the brush, he stopped. Something moved, and it was close. His flashlight wavered the instant it hit two illuminating yellow eyes.

"What the hell?!....What, Good God what the...."

Louis' words were cut off with a hard heavy hit to his chest, knocking him flat on his back. His eyes glared wide open as the beast managed to lunge a good thirty to forty feet and still knock him flat with such a force, his dentures flew right out of his open mouth as he tried to scream.

         That scream never came, cut off completely with a fast swipe of razor sharp claws, tearing his throat open, Louis gasped one last breath in terror as he felt himself choke on his own blood. The other claw ripped across his torso, spraying a wide arc of blood across the beam of light from his flashlight. Now laying in the center of the road. He caught sight of huge canine fangs and the stench of rotted meat just before his world went dark.

         Karla sat at the counter, and glanced over to Tom, not sure how to answer his question.
'What did bring her to Tapahe?' she thought. She had absolutely no idea why she had chose to drive south at all.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm running away from home?" There, she answered a question with a question, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. The only thing she hated most about asking her husband anything was his habitual answers with another question back. She hated that, and now here she was, doing the very same thing.

         Tom arched a brow, amused with this response. Karla noticed his facial expression change and tapped her fork prongs lightly on the counter, nervously.

"Well, I'd say who or whatever you are running from, might want to think otherwise."

"Why is that?"

"Element of surprise, maybe?"

"Surprise!?"

         Questions were raging on now, and she sat her fork down, deciding he had better change his answers soon, or she would just remain quiet.

         Tom grinned, noticing her unease.

"Mmmhumm, yes, surprise little lady." stated with certainty.

         Karla's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, not sure why he called her that. She was not that little! If she had known him, why! she would have been almost insulted.

"I'm not so little!" she exclaimed with a curt nod. Proud of herself for not asking him exactly why he had said that.

         Tom couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. She was definitely a feisty one when she wasn't being shy.

"Well, let's see," still grinning he continued.

"I can't remember the last time that I was caught so off guard, that I got knocked over by a woman of your stature." He paused, hoping that she didn't take that the wrong way. He caught himself by surprise again, thinking he almost complimented her.

"Let me put it this way, The way you flew out of that car at me, I would think that you could bowl over a charging bull if you had a mind to."

Karla's eyes widened.

I...I do apologize for that.... I never meant to...to.."

         Tom held up his hands in a mock surrender and laughed.

"No apologies necessary Karla, you gave me a good surprise. Maybe a good shock too for that fact, and I feel like you woke me up. I'm afraid that I have fallen into a bad habit of being too off guard lately.

"No no, I don't think so, I think that you just caught me in a bad situation. Things have been going all wrong for me and I never expected myself to react that way. I...well, that was the first time that I ever did anything like that before"

"Somehow, I find that maybe just a bit hard to believe, but, I'll take your word for it." He winked and gave her a warm smile, she looked like she could use one. She looked like she had been through the mill and hell and back already. Behind the dust, dirt, sweat, tears, disheveled hair, cloths and her feet, yes those feet he had noticed, swollen and obviously sore. He could see a very beautiful woman underneath it all. He liked the sound of her voice too, and felt like he could talk to her all night long. There was a faint waver in her voice. He could easily see that she was, and had been, under extreme stress and prided her on how well she was handling it.

         He was also curious. He wanted to know all about her, but wasnt going to push that idea. Karla caught herself returning a smile to him. Surprised herself, as this was the first real smile she had felt and meant in months. She felt calm around him, and now noticed his features. Tall, dark, handsome, black hair, warm dark brown eyes and his hat with some type of official emblem on it. His cloth's were clean, well pressed, and neat. 'He must think I look terrible, dirty and ugly' she thought to herself.

         Just the thought of being in public looking as she did now, appalled her. She looked away, then noticed Elaine come back out of her kitchen. Thankful for the distraction, then wondered what Elaine thought of her appearance. People weren't stupid, and she knew for sure that both of them had some idea that something was terribly wrong in her life.