You Only Die Twice

Chapter TWENTY-FIVE





“At some point, she’s going to be desperate for water, if she isn’t already,” Kenneth said as they walked into the woods. “My suggestion is that we go on the path until we come upon the wetlands. Then, we make a decision to go left or right. Maybe we split up. We’ll figure it out together at that point. She needs water to survive. Last night, she drank nothing but alcohol, which dehydrated her. If she hasn’t found water yet, she’s trying to find it now because she needs it in order to live.”

“Agreed. But I’ll warn you now. It was in the wetlands that I came upon that moose. I don’t think they’re nocturnal, but what do I know? The sun is down, but for the moment, it’s still reasonably light out. We’ll need to be careful. Do you know anything about moose?”

“I know that the Lord created them.”

“That’s not what I’m asking, Kenneth.”

He shook his head.

“I would imagine they bed down somewhere. Like deer. We’ll need to be careful. Bear also are in these woods, and I know for a fact that they are nocturnal. So are a host of other creatures, like skunks and porcupines. Keep your gun at your side. Be prepared to shoot if you have to, but only if you have to. We don’t give ourselves away unless we have no choice. Understood?”

“Understood.”

As they started to move forward, Maria Fuentes, the stripper they strangled at the Circus Circus in Las Vegas, stepped out of the thick of trees off to their left and walked to the center of the path, where she stood with her hands on her hips. Kenneth froze while Ted continued to move forward.

“Kenneth,” she said.

“Ted. Stop. Don’t go near her.”

“Near who?”

He pointed at Maria, who was still in her stripper costume with the elaborate pasties covering the nipples of her otherwise naked breasts. Now, her pink feather boa was tied around her throat, probably in an effort to hide the bruises they left when they strangled her. She smiled at him.

“What are you talking about?” Ted said.

“Don’t go near her.”

“You’re hallucinating again...”

“She’s real. They’ve always been real. I told you that. Why can’t you see her? It’s Maria Fuentes. I know you can see her. Are you messing with me?”

“Kenneth, you’re under a lot of stress. You need to take a breath and clear your mind.”

“What he needs to do is give up on Cheryl Dunning,” Maria said. She put her hands behind her head and started moving in such a way that the tassels on her pasties started to whirl around. “It took me years to acquire this skill. People used to throw me twenties when I did it, and believe me, I did it often. Do you like it, baby?”

“I’m so glad we killed you.”

“I told you earlier that you won’t get her, but you refuse to listen. So, I’ll say it again. She’s too smart for you. She grew up around here. She knows these woods. You’ll never get her. This is a time suck for you both and you’re going to get caught. Finally, you’re going to get caught. I can’t wait to watch it all go down.”

“You’re wrong,” he said.

“You’ll find out for yourself that I’m right. Your face is everywhere. The police are searching for you. Won’t be long now. And at last, you’ll pay for what you’ve done to us all.”

“I should have cut your f*cking head off,” he said.

“Looks like you screwed up there, too, Kenny.”

“I could do it now.”

“I’m afraid not. If you tried, your hands would slip straight through me. You missed your chance, stud.”

“Kenneth,” Ted said sharply. “No one is there. You’re talking to a ghost. Get it together. We don’t have time for this shit.”

But Kenneth Berkowitz was transfixed. Maria Fuentes was now lewdly grinding her hips. “I can feel Cheryl’s energy,” she said. “She’s a strong one. She has a real will to live. More than ever, I know that you’re no match for her. I’ve been watching her. Helping her. All of us girls have. Most are with her now. They’re ready for you two.” She held up a hand to correct herself. “Wrong. They’re ready for you two if you can find her, which I doubt that you can because she’s hidden herself real well.”

“We’ll find her.”

“No, you won’t.”

When Ted grasped his arm, Maria Fuentes disappeared. He blinked and, after a moment, he seemed to come back into himself.

“We need to move.”

“Where did she go?”

“She was never there. You were hallucinating again. You need to accept that.”

“Don’t tell me what I see, Ted. She was there.”

“Fine, she was there. Whatever. It’s getting dark. Put on your goggles and let’s go.”

“You heard her. She said we have no chance in finding her. And even if we do, the other girls are there waiting for us. They’re going to protect her. Maybe we should cut our losses and leave.”

“What did you say?”

“I said that maybe we should leave. Someone is going to come down that road and see our truck. Someone is going to question it, particularly if they come upon it at night. They’ll think we’re poaching. Is she worth it? She’s one whore out of many. She very well might die of exposure in these woods if she can’t find a way out. We may have to do nothing. Maybe He will take care of her for us. In fact, He probably will.”

“No, He won’t. That’s why we’re here. This is our calling. We work for Him. We’ve been doing all of this for Him. We don’t back down. We finish the job and then leave.”

“I disagree.”

And Ted Carpenter, who was nothing if not God’s servant, pulled back his free hand and slapped Kenneth Berkowitz hard across the face.

Stunned, Kenneth took several steps back while Ted aimed his gun at the man’s forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping you in line.”

“Put down the gun.”

“We work for Him. Do you understand that? Do you get that? I’ll say it again and again if I have to. We work for Him and by working for Him, that means we get the job done for Him. Each job. We don’t just back out when things become difficult and hand everything over to Him. Now, grow a pair, Kenneth, pull yourself together, put your f*cking goggles on and help me find Cheryl Dunning.”

Kenneth fumbled with his goggles and put them on.

“Are you able to see?”

“Yes.”

“Do you see any of your women right now?”

“No.”

“Good. We’ve wasted enough time because of you. Let’s move.”

But as they did, from behind a tree, Kenneth saw the outstretched leg of Maria Fuentes, who started to laugh at him as they passed.