Maybe It Was Memphis

Amber was wet and cold, but if she stopped for more than a few moments she would begin to shiver something fierce. Her clothes were plastered to her body, her hair sticking to her face, and neck. She could hardly see more than a few feet in front of her face. The storm that threatened all day had finally broken and now the rain was coming down in sheets, saturating the ground, making it all but impossible to dig. Every few shovelful of dirt, mud really, seem to make the hole into a quagmire. Not to mention the numerous tree roots that would entangle her shovel. Her back ached and the muscles in her arms felt like they were on fire. She was covered in mud from head to toe and pine needles were wedged in her hair and under her clothes making her skin itch.

It wasn’t long before she was panting in ragged gasps, the water so thick in the air made it even harder to draw a deep breath without half drowning. She had no idea how late it was, but dawn could not be to far away. Time had taken on a nightmarish quality; she felt like she had been digging forever. But as soon as she made some headway with the hole, it would fill in with water, or the sides would collapse. She would have to do something soon. She didn’t know how much longer she could go on, the skin on her hands were cracked and bleeding. Every movement was agony. This was not working out. Even if she could make the hole deep enough, with all this rain, there would be a good chance the body would come back up again. She heard of it happening. Or maybe that was just some old urban legend.

She could just leave him here. Everyone knew he had enough enemies that she wouldn’t necessarily be suspect number one. Or maybe she could make it look like suicide. No, that would never do, who digs their own grave before killing themselves? Hysterical laughter threaten to force its way up. How could this happen? How could this happen to her of all people? No, I have to stay clam if I am going to get out of this, she told herself.

She couldn’t leave him here, he would be found too quickly. I have to have time to think, and there would be too much evidenced here. The river, I could drive him and his truck to the river, it would take several days for them to find him there, and maybe they might never find him. And if they did find him, it could still look like an accident…

A flash of lightening illuminated the pine forest, showing the deep ruts of the truck and the half dug mess of the crime scene. With a half-hearted sigh she began to fill in the hole she had work so hard to dig. Another flash of lightening, and she felt discouraged at how much mud she had to shovel back, funny it didn’t seem like she had dug so much. A heart beat latter and yet another flash of light, this time it had a blue tinge. And then a flash of red. Amber’s heart dropped like a stone in her chest. Oh no, this can not be happening, not now, now when I haven’t had time to think of something, she thought as she saw the flashing lights of a police car. She held her breath, her body going still, hoping that the car would pass. But no such luck. She soon heard the sound of a car door shutting and brilliant beam of light cutting through the darkness as a deep masculine voice called out, “Anyone out there?”

The sound of another voice broke through the trance that held Amber motionless. She dropped the shovel and took off like a frighten rabbit. There was no way she could explain what had happen. If she didn’t want to go to prison she had to get away and get away fast, escape was her only option.

It didn’t take long for the officer to find the body and hear the fleeing footsteps. Calling for backup on his radio he took off after the suspect. On and on she ran with no clear plan in mind, just running. At first she had the advantage since she was younger and smaller and the officer was clearly overweight. But she had been digging for several hours and soon that first burst of adrenalin driven speed was given out. The sound of her beating heart was loud in her ears, and her lungs were in a painful vice as they tried to squeeze every ounce of oxygen out of her blood for her starving muscles.

In her erratic flight she dodged around trees and under low hanging limbs. Her legs began to wobble. Her knees wanted to give way and the slick water sodden ground threatened to trip her up. But somehow she stayed on her feet. She ran on like a small wild animal fleeing a predator were stumbling meant death. Somewhere up ahead was freedom and if she just kept on running she would reach if. Dawn was coming on soon, and with it hopes of escape. But she was quickly tiring out and the cop, though older and heavier, still had strength left.

It seem like if she could just press on to the next little rise she would make it, she put her head down, breathing hard through her mouth like Olympic runners she tried to throw herself towards the safety she so desperately sought. But then she felt a meaty hand press down on her shoulder, catching her at the last second, jerking her backward with incredible force. In a flash she saw the trail and the lawyers and the media swarm; she heard the judge’s gavel bang and the iron door of prison closing forever on her life….

“NOOOO,” She cried.

Rain pounded at the darken window, Amber jerked bolted upright in the bed. She was warm and dry; there was no mud clinging to her clothes and no pine needles in her hair. Clutching her chest she fell back among the pillows. It was a dream, the same nightmare that has haunted her for these last several months. Would it ever go away?