THE EVIL WITHIN HIM
Copyright (c) 2007 Alberta Parish
Two and a half hours from home, Ken and Shantel arrived in the small city of Warner Robbins, Georgia. Ken directed her as she drove. They headed toward what Shantel saw as an endless field of trees. They had traveled several miles down a long and bumpy dirt road when Ken ordered Shantel to stop the car. They came to a halt, and she turned off the headlights and ignition at his instruction. It was a heavily wooded area. She looked all around her, thinking of how to escape this madness. It was too dark; she saw only shadows.
“Get out slowly,” he said, nudging the gun against her right shoulder blade. He grabbed the shovel from the seat next to him, opened the door, and climbed out. They shut their doors at the same time. He took the keys from her hand and used one to open the trunk. He grabbed a flashlight and slammed the lid.
The flashlight pierced the pitch-black darkness. Ken pointed the light directly into her bewildered face and commanded, “Let’s go.” He again wielded his gun at her. Together, they walked off into the woods. It was extremely unnerving to Shantel that he seemed to know exactly where he was going.
About five minutes later, they came upon a clear patch of land, where he ordered her to stop. He then handed her the shovel and told her to start digging.
Shantel knew there wasn’t a soul within miles. “God, deliver me, please!” she cried out.
“Would you please shut the fvck up with that?”
“In the name of Jesus I bind you, Satan!”
Ken bellowed with laughter. “So now I’m Satan?” he said, snickering in amusement at Shantel’s stupidity.
“Yes, you are!” she spat. “You evil bastard!”
“Bitch, shut the fvck up and do what the hell I told you!” Ken yelled, aiming his Glock at her.
Angrily, she began digging. “Ken, you can’t do this!” she said. “You’re not gonna get away with this! What are you gonna do, Ken? How are you gonna explain my missing body?”
He smirked. “I’m not,” was his response. “I’ll be long gone by the time our nosy neighbors realize that they haven’t seen us in days.”
“Ken, please! You can disappear to another country without killing me. I swear, I won’t go to the police.”
He laughed loudly. “Do you really think I’m stupid? ‘I swear, I won’t go to the police,’” he mocked. “Like hell you won’t!”
“I promise you, I won’t! I just wanna live, Ken! I don’t wanna die!”
“Quiet! And keep digging! You’re really beginning to annoy the shyt of me! I had no idea you could be this fvcking annoying!”
And I had no idea you were a serial killer, you azzhole!”
Suddenly, he was upon her. He yanked her around and slammed his fist into her cheek. Shantel stumbled, nearly falling to her knees.
“Disrespect me again!” Ken yelled, with a raised hand to her face, daring her to say something else. “Just like a dumb-azz woman.” He snatched up the shovel and jammed it back into her hands.
“Like you’ve disrespected me?” Shantel countered. “Go ahead, hit me. I don’t care anymore; I know I’m going to die. But know this: my death will not be in vain. Even if I have to come back and haunt you myself, you hear me? Somebody’s gon’ know. You will never get away with this!”
“Oh, I’ll get away with it. I got away with the others, didn’t I? The police are incredibly stupid these days.”
“Your luck will run out, believe it!” she said, furiously, and continued to dig.
She thought hard while she dug. After all, she was digging her own grave. With every shameful, she came closer to accepting what clearly would be her murder. Her tears were unstoppable as she thought of her mother, her father, her family, and how devastated they would be. She wept quietly, not caring that Ken could hear her sniffles. Not that he gave a damn.
Nearly two hours later, Shantel was finished. She was dog-tired, sweaty, and dirty. The hole she dug was nearly large enough for two bodies.
“Get in,” Ken said, aiming the gun at her.
She opened her hand, releasing the shovel. It dropped to the ground. It was too dark to see, so Shantel knelt and felt her way to the side of the hole. Climbing down, she lost her footing and slid the rest of the way into the hole. The fall jarred her backbone. She cried out, wincing at the pain.
All at once, Shantel saw her life flash before her eyes. She thought about her family, her best friend, Dawnetta. She saw Terence. She saw her niece who was having a baby this year, and her cousin Corey, whose graduation she was supposed to attend in June. She had promised him that she would be there, front row and center. She would never see any of them again, all because of this monster standing above her. How could she have been so foolish? She saw her mother, whose warning she hadn’t heeded. Why did she have to rush and marry Ken? Even Dawnetta had tried to tell her to wait a few months. But no, she was in such a hurry to be a Mrs., to have a family. She had also feared losing Ken to another woman; that was part of the reason she had hurried to tie the knot.
Shantel did not want to die like this. She loved her life. She was only thirty years old. Her whole life was ahead of her. Was God going to do something? Had He abandoned her, deciding she should be caught up in the snares of her enemy, this human monster standing above her? She had loved Ken, but now hated him with all her heart.
“Ken, listen to me.” Shantel made a last desperate attempt at persuasion. She spoke calmly. “What your uncle did to you was wrong. I’m sorry that happened to you! But killing me is not gonna erase any of it! I wish to God you had told your mother, because if you had, we wouldn’t be in this situation at all. She would have helped you! Ken, don’t kill me. I’m begging you! Think about my family, Ken! Think about how much they’re going to suffer! Think about your family! What about the police telling them that you’re the ATL Strangler? Do you realize how much they’re gonna suffer when they find out you were responsible for all those murders? Please, Ken! Please don’t do this!” She was sobbing now. Shantel wept into her hands. “Lord, help Your child!” she prayed. “Forgive me, Jesus, for all of my sins. I’m sorry…so sorry…”
Ken had had enough. No need to pray, bitch. You’re about to meet your Maker!”
“Nooooo!” she shrieked, holding out her hands, shielding her face.
Flipping the gun’s safety off, Ken pulled the trigger. There was no shot. He pulled it a second time. A third. Still no gunfire. The Glock’s chamber was empty.
“Fvck me!” Ken screamed. “Ain’t no fvckin’ bullets in the gun!” He disappeared from view.
Shantel couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He forgot to put bullets in the gun! Her mind reeled. Hope tried to surface. Oh, God, this is a miracle! She screamed inwardly, joyously. Ken had disappeared, and she wondered where he had gone. Then a terrible picture stole into her mind. She saw Ken standing by the car. He was reloading the chamber. Unexpectedly, thoughts of her mother flooded her mind, and she fought the urge to cry. Mama, Mama, her terrified soul cried out.
Anna’s voice came to her, as clear as a bell in her head. “Don’t make a mistake that will end up costing you everything.”
Shantel sat completely still. She closed her eyes, listening, and her ears like radar. She heard nothing. Slowly, stealthily, she crawled out of the hole. Her eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, and she looked wildly for her predator. Ken was leaning into the trunk of her car, preoccupied. She had a good idea of what he was doing. Hurry. She almost said, “Mama?” It was only a whisper in her mind, but it got her going. She felt around for the shovel’s handle. Her fingers silently covered ground seemingly forever. At last she touched the round hardness. She felt stupid; the shovel had lain mere inches from her fumbling hand. Rising to her feet, she crept within a few feet of him. He had not heard her. She lifted the shovel, and dared to creep closer. She has now less than a foot away. She drew the shovel back like a baseball bat—
Ken looked up, startled.
—then closed her eyes, and swung.
It was a home run swing. Ken buckled forward, face bonking the lip of the trunk before he tumbled to the ground. He tried to clutch his forehead. “You bytch! He screamed. “I’ll kill you!”
With the shovel now raised high above her head, Shantel braced herself, then brought it down, slamming his back with all the strength she could muster. He groaned loudly. She rushed over, snatched the flashlight from the ground next to the trunk, and shined it on him. He was trying to get up, startling her. She thought he should at least be disoriented. He wasn’t. She must act quickly.
“Give me the keys!” she ordered. Ken didn’t budge. She raised the shovel high above her head and yelled, “Now!”
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out her car keys, then angrily threw them at her. She bent down and picked them up. She ordered him to his feet. Again, he didn’t move. “If you don’t get your azz up right now, I promise you, I’m gon’ crack that head!” Her fury was apparent.
Slowly, Ken stood to his feet, watching her. “What, now you gon’ kill me?” he said sarcastically, chuckling.
“Naw, you ain’t worth it. I’m gon’ turn you in to the police.”
“With what? Sweetheart, you have no evidence. All you have is your word against mine.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I have all the evidence I need. Tape-recorded evidence is what’s up, if you want to convict somebody. See?” She lifted her bloody peach shirt and revealed a tiny tape recorder that hung from a thin, dark string, just above her navel.
Ken’s eyes widened when he saw the recorder taped around her waist. The tape wound around her, like a belt. The recorder would indefinitely seal his fate if she turned it in to authorities. He was not going to allow that to happen, not under any circumstances.
“Don’t get any crazy ideas, because I will kill you, you fvcked-up, murdering mistake from Hell,” Shantel said. “God will forgive me later.” She noticed the Glock in his hand. If it had bullets, he would have used it by now. “Toss the gun!” He furiously flung it a few feet away. It was of no use to him now, anyway. Not only had he forgotten to put bullets in it, he couldn’t find any in the car. He had stopped looking for them when, feeling stupid, he realized that the bullets were in his car, not hers.
Start walking!” Ken knew he could easily overpower Shantel, but decided to play along until they got back to the car. Then he would make his move. Killing her and burning the tape recording would be easy. Standing behind the trunk, Shantel raised the lid. “Get in,” she told Ken.
She stepped back as he approached. Even though he was now co-operating, she held the shovel high, anticipating that he would lunge at her. Pretending to climb into the trunk, Ken suddenly turned and leaped. She stumbled, almost losing the shovel. Ken grabbed the shovel’s handgrip. For a long moment, the two struggled, but soon it became clear that Shantel was no match against her powerful husband. He forcefully pried the shovel from her hands.
“Well, now, lookie here! Got yo’ azz now, don’t I?” he said, gleeful at having gained control of the situation. He lifted the shovel and swung.
Shantel turned suddenly, and took off running up the dirt road. A track pro in high school, the skill was highly useful to her now, as she ran for dear life.
Hot on her trail, Ken was gaining. His harsh breathing, a few yards behind her, spurred her on.
Several yards ahead, Shantel heard what sounded like passing cars. Flashlight and keys in hand, she increased her speed, running with all her might. Almost immediately, she saw a road. She sprinted toward it. She dashed out onto the asphalt, turned, and saw a huge truck coming.
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