In the arid landscape of Coyote Springs during the autumn of 1999, a satisfied coyote howled shrilly in the Nevada desert night.


    The coyote had just finished chewing on a dead rabbit. It was bitten by a western diamondback rattlesnake which was unable to catch it. The rabbit had enough energy to leap away from the reptile. And the coyote patiently followed.


    From the shadow of a large cactus, the coyote silently watched the rabbit whimper and gasp for air as the venom seized its lungs. The rabbit shivered, then finally sighed its last breath.


    After the coyote had eaten her fill, ripping out its guts and drinking the red liquid that pumped from its veins, she stood over her meal protectively. Her nocturnal eyes surgically scanned the thick darkness around her. Her fur tensed and her paws scratched into the sandy mud. There was no light from the Moon mother, gargantuan clouds had masked the entirety of her Nevada sky. In the darkness, the coyote knew fully well that she wasn''t the only danger in the night. It wouldn''t be long until another carnivore catches the scent of death.


    Then a twig snapped.


    The coyote twitched her eyes and ears towards the sound’s origin. The sound of the snapped twig came from the cactus that she had hidden behind.


    A growl rumbled in the coyote’s throat as she turned to face the trespasser.


    An even deeper growl responded and the silhouette of a large animal lumbered from behind the cactus. The silhouette of an adult male bobcat, bigger than any bobcat the coyote had encountered. This adult towered over the smaller coyote and it’s eyes flashed a nerve-shredding emerald light.


    The coyote’s growl died in her throat and she immediately ran. A half-eaten rabbit was not worth a toe-to-toe with a bobcat, especially one which the coyote could sense was very hungry. The coyote managed a quick glance to see the bobcat standing over the rabbit’s corpse and hissing at the coyote. Live tonight, feed tomorrow. Yes, yes.


    The coyote scurried as quickly as she could, bounding over the bushes and mounds until she arrived at the hard black pathway in which the humans would move along at high speeds in their shiny metal boxes. Tonight there was nothing on the pathway. No metal boxes and no humans. Only the ghostlike glow of the human city that lit up the horizon. Veygaas, her den mother once told her.


    Panting, the coyote sat on the edge of the pathway to regain her strength. She sniffed the air with her black-furred muzzle. The night was cool. The cold air sucked out the sweat that the coyote was perspiring. The coyote then analysed where she was.


    Looking to the South, she watched the ethereal Veygaas lights. The coyote considered for many moments before this night that she should explore the human city for food but the humans do not take kindly to animals raiding their homes.


    North wasn''t so favourable either. The areas of Mt. Irish Wilderness and Crystal Springs had become inhospitable to the coyote since a mountain lion and another bobcat had marked their territories there. Her only choice was to stay where she was now and hunt for another meal. Maybe a lame rabbit again, or an injured bird.


    Suddenly a rumble began to grow louder and louder in the night. The coyote tensed, knowing exactly what the rumble was. The sound came from the South and the coyote crept backwards into the bushes, waiting to see the thing arrive. Her eyes fixed onto the southern area of the desert. She waited for these moments with an odd sense of excited apprehension.


    A pair of bright lights appeared from over the horizon, positioned on the black pathway and became brighter as the rumble grew louder. The coyote folded her ears down for the noise was almost unbearable. In a frighteningly quick flash, a red metal box sped past the coyote, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. Despite expecting such a noise, the coyote yelped, jumping back in fright and disappeared into the bushes.


    One, two, three o''clock, four o''clock rock,


    Five, six, seven o''clock, eight o''clock rock,


    Twenty-five year old Eva Keele drove her red 1989 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible (the roof was up) at a thunderous pace of 99 miles per hour from Las Vegas.


    She blinked back the tears that obscured her vision. The radio was playing at its fullest volume and the song was ‘Rock Around the Clock’ by Bill Haley. It was the only song Eva liked on her boyfriend’s cassette player. Her ex-boyfriend now.


    “Stupid dickhead asshole!” she cursed suddenly, hitting her wheel and honking the car horn.


    She had been angry before in her life, like the time when her father hit her for the first of many times. Naturally, she hated him after that. Then there was another time when her father cackled at her artwork when she came back home one day. The last straw. The last day he did anything to her. It wasn''t her fault nor his. He was just like that, a man born to be less than a man. Later that day, Eva fixed him his drink as always. But this time, she added a generous helping of rat poison to his bourbon cocktail. She left that same day, taking as much money she could grab. News of his death didn''t spread until she was already out of California and long gone.


    We''re gonna rock, rock, rock, ''till broad daylight


    We''re gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight!


    Why am I thinking about him? she thought as the song finished. Never gave him thought for years.


    Ten years to be exact. It was ten years since she left Los Angeles, setting up a new life in Vegas. Since she was a kid, she’d expressed an interest in being around that city. There was something about its defiance in the face of desolation. A thriving city sitting in the centre of a barren dustbowl added a lovely charm to it. It reminded Eva of herself and that gave her strength.


    A road sign shot past her as her car roared its engine: ROUTE 93. She had been on the road from Vegas for a good while now, so she was nearing her diner. The lonely diner was situated between the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge and Coyote Springs on the 93 route. She nodded and began to slow down the car. But as she did, she saw a shape ahead of her on the right side of the road. It was another car and a person shrouded in shadow was waving her down.


    She clicked her lights to go full beam and now could see the person in detail as her car drew closer. He was tall, with foppish black hair and brown Hispanic skin. He wore a brown leather jacket and tight fitting blue jeans. As Eva pulled up beside him and his black 1989 Buick Century Coupe, he stepped back to lean against the car door and put his hands into his jacket’s pockets.


    “Evening.” The man announced as Eva rolled down her driver’s window to get a better look at him. His hatchet jawline was peppered with stubble and his emerald eyes were strikingly bright. He itched the back of his leg with his snake-skin boots. His voice was multilayered with both the North American and Spanish accents. Perhaps Mexican. “Cool temperature, ain’t it?”


    “Yeah, guess so.” Eva pensively responded. “What happened to your car, mister?”


    The man looked behind at his car. “Bucket of bolts. Been coughing up on me for a good few days now. Seems to’ve kicked the bucket for good.”


    “You travelled far then?”


    “From Albuquerque.”


    Eva whistled. “Jeez. Long way.”


    “Indeed….”


    A pause sat between the pair.


    From the first second of talking, Eva didn''t like the man. She felt uneasy as soon as she stopped her car next to his. She didn''t like how they were the only ones in the middle of the dark desert. She didn''t like how his car seemed so new, even though he said he had been driving from Albuquerque. And she certainly didn''t like how his eyes, while locked on her, never blinked. In fact, his entire face didn''t move at all, not his eyebrows nor his head. Like he was a statue.


    “So,” the man resumed obliviously, “You live in Vegas?”


    “…Yeah.”


    “Where’re you heading tonight?”


    “A late night drive.” Eva lied. She’d rather he didn''t know where she worked. “Listen, I gotta go now.” Time to get moving. She thought to herself.


    The man put a hand on her window. Okay, what the hell?


    “Hang on.” He said. Eva didn''t like that at all. “Wait a minute, I was gonna ask if you’d be kind to give me a lift back to Vegas? My car’s not going anywhere and I’d rather be in some company.”


    “Uhh…Sorry, I can’t. I need to go.” Eva turned the key to start her car. “Please step back. I, uh, don’t want the car to hurt you.”


    “Really?” The man didn''t take his hand off the window. “Must you go? Right now? This second?”


    “I have to. Sorry.” Eva stepped on the gas and her car quickly moved away, increasing speed. Eva managed a quick look in her rearview mirror.


    The man was standing stock still in the middle of the road, watching her go. Eva felt very glad that she didn''t let him get in the car. Creep.


    After ten minutes on the road, she could see the lights of her diner in the distance. The small building was called ‘Eva’s, and had the exterior design of a 1950s diner with patriotic whites, reds and blues. The neon lighting of her name flickered on and off in a hypnotic rhythm. An electric generator placed in the back of the building hummed loudly. The telephone wire connected to the roof of the building stretched to a post and was connected all the way back to Vegas. It was a very isolated establishment, removed from people and noise. Just the way Eva liked it. Her second home.


    Parked in the small parking area out front of the diner was a black 1986 Harley Davidson.


    “Sean’s here already. That’s good.” Eva parked up next to the bike and stepped out. She was glad she wasn’t the first - and more importantly only - person here.


    She looked back down the road she came. She thought of the man she encountered, how he unnerved her. In hindsight, it seemed pretty callous to have left him alone in the middle of the desert with his broken car, but she didn''t trust him. She didn''t trust anyone for that matter. But there was no goddamn way she was letting him in her car.


    She shook her head. Why the hell did I slow down?


    She stretched her arms and back. She’d been driving for a while. After a yawn and a deep intake of dry desert air, she walked inside the retro diner, putting the strange man out of sight and mind.


    You ain''t nothin'' but a hound dog,


    cryin'' all the time.


    Elvis Presley welcomed her ears. ‘Hound Dog’ had a vibe that woke her up to get her day started. Or in this case, her night. Late night shifts are tough, but it’s good pay. Especially since she was the owner and manager of the diner.


    The thick scent of hot dogs graced her nose now as Eva moved through the kitchen towards the changing rooms. Sean’s deep voice was humming the music of ‘Hound Dog’ with his back turned to Eva. He was grilling a pair of hotdogs on a hot plate, accompanying them with a pile of caramelised onions.


    “Hi Sean.” Eva greeted, stopping by the changing room door.


    “Hey, honey. Welcome back. How was your day?” came the deep voiced reply.


    “Uh, well…” Images of her ex-boyfriend and the man flashed across Eva’s mind. Do I say? “It was a bit shitty.”


    “Oh?”


    “Yeah, my boyfriend, Jayce. He broke up with me.”


    “Uh huh.”


    “He said he wanted new things. New horizons.”


    “Bullshit.”


    “That’s what I said. So he told me he was sorry and I said so was I. I left and drove up here.”


    “Sorry about that, darlin’.”


    “Thanks.” Eva walked into the changing rooms and got changed into her uniform.


    Eva expected as much from Sean Vandemeer. Like her, Sean was a lost soul. Not one for small or big talk. Just one to four word answers. No family either. Three years back, he wandered into the diner, while Eva was just a interning waitress, and asked for a job. He got one as a prep chef, then he rose up to be the main chef. Eva rose through the ranks as well and took over the diner as her own. She later renamed it from ‘Joe’s’ to ‘Eva’s’. Joe was a kind man who gave a frantic, scared young woman a chance. Eva liked him. A damn shame that the cancer didn’t.


    You ain''t never caught a rabbit


    and you ain''t no friend of mine.


    Eva returned to the main area and stood behind the counter. After ten minutes of doodling on a notepad a couple of recipe ideas for the menu, a freshly cooked hotdog with onions on a blue plate was placed on the counter of the kitchen window with a receipt on top of it. It said “Eva, he ain’t as tasty as this hotdog. Sean.”


    Eva smiled. Always reliable. “Thanks Sean.”


    “Uh huh.” Came the taciturn reply.


    Eva quickly brewed a cup of coffee and grabbed a bottle of ketchup. With a knife, she scooped out a generous amount of ketchup and lathered her hotdog in it. After taking a large bite and a swig of coffee, Eva calmly thought back to her now ridiculous antics as she left Vegas. He was so not worth all that drama. He was just a guy, some bum she met in a casino whilst grabbing a mojito.


    “Fuck him.” she decided. “I can do better. Much better.”


    After finishing her food and drink, she put them away in the industrial dishwasher built inside the kitchen. She came back to the counter and waited there for the drifters.


    It was a quiet night, like most autumn nights in ‘Eva’s. Truckers would occasionally drive by and have a snack, or families and hikers travelling to explore the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. But now Eva really wished this night wouldn''t be this quiet.


    Dammit… It was that man on the road. Still on her mind, even now. He’d somehow corrupted her night for her. His imposing behaviour and his unnatural expressions scared her. He made the night’s silence weirdly oppressive.


    Eva recalled where she’d met him. It was around twenty minutes between her meeting him and her reaching the diner. Effectively twenty miles, since she’d been going at around 60 miles per hour. Very far, so there’d be no way he could come after me on foot, could he? Wait, would he?


    Eva moved down the counter and reached under it. Coming back up, she retrieved a small .35 revolver. Sean bought it in Vegas “as a precaution.” he said. “You ought to feel safe out here.”


    She held the gun in her right hand, feeling its weight. She never fired it, so she’d no idea how powerful the recoil could be. But would she need to fire it?


    “Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m being stupid.” Eva put the gun back where she found it.


    And as she stood back up straight, she was able to see through the diner’s wide windows a pair of car headlights appearing from the darkness. Her heart stopped.


    “Oh my God.”


    She stood still, watching the headlights coming closer to the diner.


    “Don’t slow down.” She prayed. “Don’t slow down.”


    The headlights slowed down and now turned to face the diner. The diner’s lights illuminated the car and Eva breathed a sigh of relief once she recognised it. Oh thank fucking God.


    It was a police state car of the Nevada Capitol Police. And the officer who stepped out, after parking it next to Eva’s car, briskly walked to the front entrance and stepped inside.


    “Evening, Theodore.” Eva greeted with a reassured smile.


    “Evening Eva. How’re you doing this fine chilly night?” Theodore politely nodded with a grin. He took off his cap and pushed back his brown cropped hair.


    “All’s well, can’t complain. Coffee?”


    “Yes please, E. As for food, anything but pork. A burger’ll be nice.” Theodore had a seat on one of the stools by the counter.


    “Sure, Teddy. Sean!” She called over her shoulder. “House burger for Teddy!”


    “Coming.” Sean’s voice echoed back.


    Deputy Theodore Barnstakker was part-Dutch and part-Israeli. His pioneering ancestors settled in the Nevada state and have lived there ever since. Theodore followed in his granddad’s footsteps (may he rest in peace) and became a state patrolman, earning his pay by driving all over the lonely desert roads in his trusty Highway Patrol car. Theodore had an easy enough patrol. Catching gun-toting poachers without hunting permits usually was his highlight of the night. Nothing much happened on those roads.


    Eva poured out a cup of coffee for him. He grinned as he watched the froth envelop the dark brown liquid. “You’ve no idea how happy it makes a man to see a hot cup of coffee poured out by a beautiful lady such as yourself.”


    “Flattery won’t get you a discount on that burger, Teddy.”


    “My coffee’s free then?”


    “Always.”


    It was no secret to anyone, including Eva, about how Theodore felt for the pretty waitress who just arrived out of the blue. When she first showed up, Theodore didn''t necessarily notice her, due to her being so young and him not much older himself. Then as time went on, and as they both grew up, Theodore grew more attached to her since his shift always managed to go by her workplace. So, on his shifts out in the desert, he’d always find time to pay Eva a visit.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Eva, on the other hand, only regarded him as a friend. She wasn''t looking for a boyfriend back then. And certainly wasn''t looking for one now. But seeing Teddy relaxed her, calming her shot nerves.


    “Uh, Teddy?”


    “Mm?” Theodore inquired while sipping his steaming coffee.


    “On your way here, did you happen to come across anyone on the road?”


    “What, tonight?”


    “Yeah.”


    “No, no one really. If you don’t count for a couple of those damn coyotes. Why?”


    “Ok… It’s like this: I was driving back here after visiting Vegas, right? I was driving alone and I came across this guy with a broken down car.”


    “How did you know it was broken down?” Theodore’s usually cheerful face lost all jovial qualities and was replaced with a look of steely concern. This was his job.


    “Well, he said so. But I don’t think it was broken down. It looked way too clean.”


    “I see. So what happened?”


    “Well, I slowed down to talk to him- Yes, Teddy, I know it was stupid. He starts off the conversation civil enough, I guess. He said he drove from Albuquerque. Then he started getting weird, like asking me where I was going, where I lived. I had to get outta there. Last I saw him, he was standing in the middle of the road, watching me leave. He freaked me out.”


    “So what do you want me to do? I didn''t see him, nor his car. Can you describe him?”


    “Sure.”


    Eva grabbed a neglected receipt and noted down all the details she could remember of the tall man and the car he was driving. She handed it to Theodore, which he put into his shirt pocket.


    “So you didn''t see him at all. Not even his car?” Eva asked in a worried tone.


    “No. So I think your instincts were spot on. His car wasn’t broken down.”


    “Then why was he just standing there on the side of the road like that?”


    “I don’t know but listen, I’ll radio it in HQ, see if the other guys saw some guy today. He had to’ve come through Vegas if he came from Albuquerque.”


    Theodore stood up and left the diner. He stood by his car for a few minutes, then returned.


    “Right, so I sent out the description of this guy. The others will report in later to update me. So don’t worry about a thing, ok Eva? Thank you for letting me know.”


    Sean called out. “Eva, burger ready!”


    A burger on a plate appeared behind Eva, sitting on the windowsill leading to the kitchen.


    “Thanks Sean!”


    Eva took the burger and handed it to Theodore. He licked his lips.


    “Oh yeah…I’ve been looking forward to this. Ah, wait a moment. May I use the lavatory?”


    “Promise to wash your hands?”


    Theodore laughed and he got up and moved around the counter to the restroom. “Yes, mom!”


    “Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream,


    (Bam, bam, bam, bam)


    Make him the cutest that I''ve ever seen,


    (Bam, bam, bam, bam)”


    Sean began to quietly sing along to the radio’s next song ‘Mr Sandman’, Eva knew what he was doing.


    “Sean?” she asked, while poking her head through the kitchen door. “Kindly shut your trap. I’m not interested in him. He is not, I repeat, is NOT my rebound guy.”


    Behind her, the front door of the diner opened and closed.


    Eva turned round casually and then froze, staring at the tall hitchhiker that she left on the road.


    He stood there in the doorway and looked at her. He quickly replaced his grimace with a fake smile. He gave a little wave.


    “Evening.” He glided to the counter and sat down a few stools away from Theodore’s.


    The man looked at the silent Eva for a while, studying her. Then he spoke again in that polite, calm tone, “A cup of coffee, if you would be so kind.” He smiled again. That same unnerving toothy smile.


    Eva only nodded and began to make more coffee. While doing so, she was able to catch a glance at the man’s car.


    Except, it wasn''t the Coupe. It was an entirely different car, a blue rusty pickup truck instead. Eva was certain that she saw him with a black Coupe, not a pickup truck.


    “Nice car, huh?”


    Eva whipped her eyes back to the man who had been watching her glance at the truck.


    “Oh, uh yeah. It’s cool.”


    “Got it a while back.”


    “Uh huh.”


    “Yeah, won it in a game of cards.” He smiled again. God, that smile freaked her out.


    Eva was alone with this man in the diner. Theodore was taking his goddamn time in the john and Sean was obliviously singing away in the kitchen.


    Give him the word that I''m not a rover,


    Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over!


    “Who’s singing back there?” asked the man, craning his head past Eva to try and look through the kitchen window.


    “Oh, that’s uh Sean. The cook. He works here. With me.”


    “Huh. Good singing, he should be onstage. He might be a reincarnated Elvis Presley.”


    The man grinned as Eva poured out the coffee.


    “Milk?” she asked.


    “No. Thank you kindly. I take my coffee black. No sugar. Just plain old black, like the tarmac in the road or the night sky of a solar eclipse. Yeah. Good old black…” The man squinted his eyes at Eva. “Don’t I recognise you from someplace?”


    Eva avoided any eye contact. “Uh. I don’t know. Maybe in Vegas?”


    “No no, not in Vegas. Not in Vegas………………………Wait a minute. Wait a minute! I know, you were the woman on the road tonight. That’s right!” He turned around to look at Eva’s car. “Yep! That’s your Chrysler alright! I thought I recognised it. I had a problem remembering your car and yourself as I was driving along the road. Then I saw this diner and thought to have a drink here. To recuperate my energy. Regain my composure. Good thing I came here, right? Small world!”


    “Yeah. I guess so.”


    Eva went about the counter, trying to find any menial tasks to perform. Anything to get away from the creep. Time dragged on painfully, every second turned into a minute. The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the awkward silence.


    While the man sipped on his coffee during those minutes, he glanced at the burger, still uneaten and waiting for Theodore. “That burger’s looking mighty tasty. That for you?”


    “No, it’s for an officer. He’s in the bathroom.”


    There. That’ll tell him to fuck off.


    The hitchhiker blinked. “A police officer? I love police officers!” He grinned.


    “Oh, that’s nice.”


    Eva now caught a glimpse of her revolver under the counter. It was starting to look really inviting.


    “I’ll have a burger, Eva.”


    “What?” Eva stood bolt upright. “How d’you know my name?”


    “Oh, it is Eva, then? Lucky guess. I saw the sign on the diner. You’re the owner? That’s very entrepreneurial of you. Well done.”


    Eva didn''t say anything.


    The man tisked to himself.


    “Ah! Gosh darnit! Where are my manners? Must be raised in a barn, with the doors wide fucking open. My name is Marko. Marko Escorpión. A pleasure Eva.” Marko extended his left hand way over the counter, invading Eva’s personal space, making her take a step back.


    Eva hesitated. She had a mind to grab a steak knife and slice the hand off. She decided against it and shook Marko’s hand instead. His hand had a strong, overpowering grip.


    And he didn''t let go.


    Eva slightly tugged her hand back, but she couldn''t get her hand back.


    “Um, sir? Can you let go of my hand, please?”


    She looked from her hand to Marko’s face. But his smile was gone. His face was replaced with a grim glare, staring into her soul. His emerald eyes drilled into her brown eyes.


    “When you saw me, you left me to die in the desert. Like I was trash.”


    “I didn''t leave you to die. Please let go of me. Please-”


    “Shut up. I asked you for help and you left me to the desert. That wasn''t very nice, Eva. You really should be nice to strangers.”


    Eva now really tugged at her hand, trying to get to the revolver.


    “Sir, please. There’s an officer in the restroom. Just let go of my-”


    Marko suddenly lashed out like a rattlesnake, slapping Eva’s face with his right hand.


    Eva coughed in shock and nearly fell down. The counter broke her fall, allowing her to keep standing. She could taste blood in her mouth.


    “Shut up, shut up. Shut the fuck up.” Marko quietly hissed at her. He pulled her hand towards him and Eva could feel her whole body being dragged halfway over the counter. Marko whispered into her ear, his lips lightly touching her skin. “You listen to me. You and I are going for a drive, ok? Show me the sights, ok? And you are not going to scream, or I’ll choke you like I would to a baby. Understand?”


    Eva only nodded.


    She didn''t know what she could do. Maybe she could dive for the revolver. If she could, and that is a big if, would she be able to kill him? She’d have to, or he will kill her. She knew he was going to.


    Then the door of the restroom opened and Theodore stepped back into the dining area.


    “Eva, you’re out of toilet paper-”


    He stopped, seeing Eva and Marko. Marko’s hand gripped around hers. Eva’s bleeding mouth.


    “Teddy…” Eva pleaded.


    Theodore and Marko stared eachother down. No one spoke and no one moved. Except for Sean.


    While Eva and Marko had their confrontation, Sean had been listening to the entire conversation.


    Understanding the problem and guessing where it might lead to, he took a butcher’s knife and quietly left the kitchen through the backdoor. After rounding the diner to the front, he paused by the pickup truck that had arrived. He took a peek inside the window and was repulsed to find the body of an elderly man, brutally stabbed to death. The body was shoved down into the foot area of the passenger seat, crumpled, bloodied and broken. The expression on the dead man’s face was of shock, confusion and terror. Sean tensed his teeth and gripped his knife tightly.


    He moved to the front door and crouched, being careful to stay out of Marko’s peripheral vision.


    He watched as Marko slapped Eva and Theodore appearing from the restroom. Nonetheless, he waited for an opportunity, any opportunity to come.


    “Sir, let go of the lady. Right now.”


    “I don’t think so. And my name is Marko. What’s yours? Teddy, was it?”


    Theodore took a tense breath. This was his worst nightmare. The woman he loved was in grave danger and he was too far away to help.


    His hand was on his gun, still holstered at his hip. But if he quick-drawed his pistol and fired, he could hit Eva. Eva was too close to Marko.


    Theodore had to distract Marko, maybe give Eva a shot of escaping.


    “My name is Theodore. And only my friends call me Teddy.”


    “So am I your friend, officer?”


    “No, asshole. You’re not. Where’s your Coupe?”


    “Heh. Eva must have told you about me. Well, I dumped my car in the desert. The damn thing tuckered out. But an old man came by in a pickup truck. He was kind enough, unlike the whore here. He gave me a lift and took me towards Vegas. Unfortunately, I decided not to go back to Vegas. I told the man this before I killed him. It’s hard to follow someone who’s always switching cars.” Marko looked at Eva, whose eyes were widened in fear. “I’d rather have your car to drive. Chryslers are more fun to use than some old pickup truck. If only you gave me a lift when I asked.”


    “What’re you doing here in Nevada?” Theodore demanded. He wanted Marko’s attention at all times. If he could annoy Marko, Marko may attack him instead. Eva could then run and that’s all Theodore needed to happen.


    “My job. I enjoy my work. It requires a lot of travel. So many people, so little time…” Marko winked at Eva with childish, psychotic charm.


    Then Theodore saw the front door open and Sean beginning to creep inside very slowly with a knife in his hand. Eva also saw Sean.


    Theodore took a step towards Marko. Sean inched closer and closer to Marko. Sean was close enough to stick his knife into Marko’s back.


    But somehow, in the darkest recesses of Marko’s twisted mind, his killing instinct told him that he was threatened. With his right hand, he reached into his jacket, pulling out his bloodied seven-inch dagger. He pushed Eva away furiously. She felled and banged her head against the coffee machine, leaving her dazed.


    First, Marko reached for his cup of coffee and threw it at Theodore.


    Theodore screamed as the steaming coffee splashed into his face.


    Then Sean surged for Marko and lashed out, catching Marko’s left shoulder with the knife. Blood splattered upwards, flecking the ceiling in red dots.


    Marko grunted in pain. He jabbed his dagger upwards in a vicious thrust, plunging his dagger up through the bottom of Sean’s mouth. The long dagger penetrated through Sean’s skull, reaching his brain.


    Sean froze, eyes wide and he died standing.


    Marko tugged at his dagger, but the blade was stuck in Sean’s skull. Hissing angrily, he snatched away Sean’s knife and kicked away his corpse at the same time as Theodore managed to pull out his gun, still blinded by the coffee.


    He fired wildly, missing Marko by a wide margin. The bullet hit Sean’s shoulder instead, throwing the body across the room.


    Marko closed the gap between Theodore and himself at a horrifying pace. He jabbed the knife right into Theodore’s stomach.


    Theodore gasped and dropped to his knee.


    Marko smirked and head-butted the officer to the floor, grabbing his gun.


    The door to the kitchen banged open.


    Marko whipped his head around.


    Eva was gone and the kitchen door waved backwards and forwards.


    “Hmm. That’s a pain.” He knelt down next to Theodore, putting his mouth to the officer’s ear. “You stay right here ok? I’ll be back for you later, Teddy. Don’t die ok? Don’t rob me of the satisfaction.”


    Marko patted Theodore’s cheek lightly and walked through the kitchen door after his prey.


    “Oh Eva!?” he cooed.


    Eva crashed through the back door and fell to the ground outside the diner, panting and sobbing. Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! JESUS CHRIST!


    The generator whirred away at its usual pace and the sky was no longer clouded. Moonlight illuminated the desert.


    Eva sobbed as she sprinted to the darkness, carrying the revolver she managed to snatch away as Marko killed Sean.


    “Sean, oh fuck… Sean…” she wept as she leapt over the small rocks and mounds of dirt.


    She’d known Sean for a few years and she treated him like a big brother. Now he was dead. Teddy could be dead too. And she was going to die as well. She reached a large rock and she wheeled around it to hide. She didn’t want to die. She wasn’t ready. She had so much to do.


    She peeked around to see the silhouette of a man standing at the backdoor of the diner. She could see his head tilting. He was scanning the desert for her.


    His hands were doing something and Eva’s heart dropped, her blood ran cold, her courage died when she heard the tell-tale sound of a gun being reloaded.


    Oh fucking Jesus. Teddy’s gun. He has Teddy’s gun. A gun.


    Then she looked at her revolver.


    But so do I.


    She stood up straight and thought back to her times at the diner. Her happy days where she wasn''t bothered by abusive fathers or douchebag boyfriends or psychopathic killers. Where she was herself. Where she was respected by kind people.


    “Eva!” Marko yelled, then he laughed in a guttural tone. “Eva?! Come out, come out, wherever you are…” He began walking towards the desert and in Eva’s general direction. “Make this easy for me, little lady. Give me your car keys and just forget you saw me. A little kindness goes a long way…well, the thing is, if you’d given me a little kindness in the first place, you know…like, give me a lift and not be a bitch - maybe a fun blowjob for kicks or a tumble in the backseat - then your little boyfriends back there wouldn''t be dead right now.”


    Teddy… she thought in despair. She closed her mouth with her hand to stop her loud breathing. She was in hysterics, her hand holding her gun shook violently. She grabbed her hands together, keeping them still.


    She took a breath. Time slowed down.


    She released her breath after an eternity.


    She let out a shout of rage and dove out from behind the rock as the clouds moved across the moon, swallowing the desert and Eva in darkness.


    Marko aimed and fired, missing Eva by an inch. The dirt to her right exploded as the bullet ricocheted off the ground.


    Eva aimed and after time stood still and the world seemed to centre around her, her target and the gun in her hands, she fired.


    The revolver kicked back with the recoil, causing the gun to jump out of Eva’s hand. But, amazingly and against all the odds, the bullet managed to hit Theodore’s gun.


    The gun exploded in Marko’s hand.


    He screamed, dropping the shredded weapon and holding his bleeding hand.


    Eva scrambled for her gun, but she couldn''t find it in the darkness.


    A snake-skinned boot came in from nowhere and collided with the side of her head. Stars exploded in her eyes and she crumpled to the dirt.


    A hand came down and snagged her hair, yanking her back towards the diner.


    Eva shrieked, instinctively clawing her hands at the strong hands, ripping into her hair. Her hands slipped on Marko’s blood.


    She felt herself being thrown down to the dirt and a fist collided with her face.


    She saw stars again and the world span furiously. Her nose was warm, wet and broken.


    She dropped onto her back she could see Marko, standing over her, pulling out the kitchen knife from his jacket. Blood dripped onto her face. Not her blood.


    Marko raised the knife into the air, his face demented and sickening. His large toothy smile shined in the darkness and his eyes seemed to flare.


    Faced with the end, her end with no words to think of, Eva could only scream.


    Then another loud snap cracked echoed through the night.


    Marko leapt back, shrieking like a cat.


    The knife dropped and sunk into the dirt, next to Eva’s face.


    Eva scrabbled to her feet and looked at where the crack came from.


    Theodore, bleeding from his stomach and looking very pale, was leaning against the doorframe. In his hand was a .35 snub-nosed revolver, recently fired.


    Marko darted backwards and stood there, staring at Theodore. Marko’s previously injured hand now had a large bullet hole in it.


    Eva ran towards Theodore.


    Marko made a break for the knife, but Theodore fired again.


    It missed Marko’s head.


    Marko stopped dead, turned and immediately ran back towards the darkness.


    Theodore aimed and fired in Marko’s general direction.


    There was an animalistic cry of pain in the darkness, possibly Marko. But he was gone.


    Theodore fell down towards the ground. Eva managed to catch him and cushioned his fall.


    She turned him around and lay his head on her lap while she sat on the steps of the backdoor. The generator was now whirring down, timed to switch off as midnight approached.


    “Hey, - hey- Teddy. Are you ok?”


    “Hmm? Uh, yeah…I think. Did I get him? Is he dead?”


    “I think you got him, but he isn''t dead.”


    “Ah shit…need to work on my shooting skills, right?” Theodore laughed crookedly, coughing up blood. Eva wiped away the blood from Theodore’s mouth.


    “Don’t laugh. You’ll get your clothes dirty.”


    “Nah, they’ll be fine. You ok?”


    “Oh? Yes, I’m fine.” Eva began to cry, wiping away her tears and blood from her face. “I’m sorry, just a little in shock.”


    “It’s natural…” Theodore’s breathing was getting heavier as the seconds slipped away. “…Just shock. You shouldn’t apologise… anyways, you look somehow prettier when you cry.”


    “Wow, thanks.”


    “I’m…sorry about Sean…I tried to stop that guy-”


    “That’s alright, Sean was… he was trying to save me as well. I’m sure he’d had no regrets.”


    “I guess so- kuh-kuh!” Theodore coughed again and more blood leapt out from his mouth.


    Eva hugged Theodore tightly. “Theo! No, don’t talk.”


    “Eva?”


    “Teddy, please don''t die!”


    “Eva?!”


    “What?”


    Eva looked at Theodore right in his eyes. Theodore smiled calmly.


    “I’m not going to die. Someone’s gonna have to keep an eye on you.”


    Eva smiled as well. “I guess so. And I haven''t given you permission yet.”


    “No, you did not. So I’m not going anywhere.”


    “Neither am I.”


    Eva lowered her head and tenderly kissed Theodore’s lips, which were growing colder and colder.


    “Thanks, Theodore.” she whispered.


    Theodore smiled. That was the first time she called him by his proper name. It felt nice. Satisfied that Eva was safe and his men he radioed were now on their way, he finally relaxed in Eva’s arms.


    Marko limped as hard as he could into the dark desert. He was blindly running now. Wasn''t thinking straight at all.


    The bullet wound in his leg continued to bleed like a hole in a water balloon. The cut on his shoulder didn''t help and neither did his damaged, useless hand. He slowed down and found a rock to sit on.


    After sitting, he panted then grinned that he had eluded capture once again.


    He looked at Eva’s diner, at the many police cars that have now swarmed the building. An ambulance quickly followed and people rushed in and out of the diner. He could see the bitch Eva and the pig Teddy being loaded into the ambulance and driven away.


    He thought of the bitch. Eva…that little bitch. How he’d give anything, even his freedom, if he could have an hour to do whatever he could do to her body. Then after he had his fill, he would kill her in the slowest way. Make her suffer and rue the day she was squeezed out along with her whore mother’s filth.


    “Next time. Next time. After all…tomorrow is another day.” He smirked.


    A twig snapped.


    Marko looked around frantically, expecting a highway patrolman to appear from the bushes, gun raised and yelling at Marko to lay on the ground. Marko preferred to die that way, go out fighting and take as many as the bastard pigs as he could.


    But no man came. Just more twigs snapping and sandy mud crunching.


    Marko suddenly remembered his torch, jammed into his trouser pocket.


    He fumbled for it and switched it on.


    Illuminated by the light, Marko now saw a coyote curiously watching him with wide brown eyes. Judging by the size, Marko guessed the coyote was female.


    “Go on, get lost! Fuck off, you bitch.” Marko grabbed a rock and pelted the coyote’s black-furred muzzle. The coyote yelped in pain and bounded away. “Heh.” Marko grinned.


    He stood back up and continued walking away from the road, his path now enlightened by his torch. His plan was to find another road, hitch another ride, kill the driver, leave the county, then come back for Eva. And Teddy. Simple and easy to execute.


    Another twig snapped. Marko wheeled around in a vile rage.


    “Oh for the love of God, will you just fuck off, you-” His voice died in his throat.


    The female coyote was back, with a bloodied muzzle, watching him now with animalistic rage and hunger. But she wasn''t alone. Nine more coyotes were rallied behind her, all sharing the same look. The light of the torch reflected in their eyes, causing them to shine eerily.


    The female coyote knelt down and sniffed Marko’s blood which stained the sand.


    The coyote then stared at the bleeding human, panted, snarled and then howled shrilly. The other coyotes joined in the howl.


    For the first time in his life, Marko felt fear.


    He screamed as the pack of coyotes charged forwards and tore him apart.


    Four weeks later, Theodore and two deputies were called in by two backpackers on a weekly hike.


    They were led to a clearing amongst the bushes. It was dry and dusted over, but clear to everyone present. There were signs of viscera and blood spread in the clearing. Pieces of sun-kissed bone strewn amongst the dirty rags of clothes that wrapped them.


    And knocked under the shade of a thorn bush were a dusty pair of blood-covered snake-skin boots with what was left of Marko Escorpión still inside.