I wish my baby could save me, mend me, they only hardened me.
The life given to me by a monster was innocent, but also a constant reminder of all I lost. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Willis had taken all my love and discarded it in blood and violence, leaving me in ruins with a life inside me that fed from the rotten core that was now my soul.
I tried so hard to be a good mom, did everything I was supposed to. I fled, I kept us safe, but deep down, I knew this day would come.
I would never escape him.
You can’t outrun fate.
Willis was always going to be my undoing. My end. My fate.
I squeeze the telephone receiver to my ear, my body numb, frozen to the spot.
“Mrs. Langford, did you hear what I said?” Detective Hernandez asks.
I haven’t heard his voice in such a long time, but recognize it immediately. My blood chills at his use of my former name. I thought he was going to tell me Willis was dead. You hear about prison riots and killings all the time. Mixed emotions collide inside me. Did I wish him dead? I want to tell him Mrs. Langford isn’t my name anymore, but it’s irrelevant. To him, I will always be the wife of the Hollywell Slayer.
“Have you been watching the news?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. I don’t watch the news. I have enough horror stories in my head.
“A prison bus transferring thirteen convicts to the new prison in Ironport was hit by a truck yesterday. Three inmates escaped.”
Thud.
“And?”
Silence…
“Willis was among them.”
Thud.
“He doesn’t know where I am,” I say the words, assuring myself more than for his benefit.
“All the same, a patrol car is going to be stopping by over the next few days until we apprehend him.”
“How could this happen?” I whisper. My fingers squeeze the receiver, a knot twisting my stomach.
“It shouldn’t have, I’m sorry, and I assure you we’re doing everything we can to find him.”
Will you find him before he finds another victim?
“Mrs. Langford?”
That’s not my name.
“I have to go, bye, Detective.”
“Viv, who was that?” Kathy asks, following me over to the window where I watch our children racing around the yard.
Kathy is my best friend and neighbor. She lost her husband in a friendly fire training exercise eight months into her pregnancy. We bonded over being single parents, our children only months apart in age. Kathy is a doting parent. It comes naturally to her. She’s warm, attentive, not hardened by evil.
“Viv? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She turns me to face her, her pale green eyes searching.
“Willis is out there,” I tell her, picking up the laundry basket and carrying it outside.
“Your ex-husband? Out where!” she exclaims, following my hurried pace.
“Help me with this?” I ask, handing her one corner of a sheet.
“Viv, what happened?” She takes the material, pegging it in place.
The laughter of our children sings through the air.
Lizzy folds her body in the now-empty laundry basket, calling out, “Polo,” and giggling when she hears Jack’s returning, “Marco.”
Their bond is so pure, innocent. Will he break her heart one day?
A car sounds in the distance, drawing our attention.
“You expecting someone?” Kathy frowns, holding a hand above her eyes to block out the offending sun. She doesn’t know all the details about Willis. I couldn’t bear to see the horror in her eyes.
“Why are they coming at that speed?” she grinds out.
No one comes here. Our properties are way out in the middle of nowhere.
“They said a patrol car would be stopping by,” I croak out, wringing my hands.
“That’s not a police car,” Kathy almost whispers. Thunder roars in my ears, my stomach dropping to the ground beneath my feet.
Fate thickens the air.
He found me.
Us.
Two
Present
August 9th, 2018
Lizzy
22 years old
Clear skies make the sun burn so vivid, I have to squint to seek out Jack through its rays. The breeze makes my summer dress dance, and brings the giant trees surrounding our house to life, their leaves whispering as they sway, our audience as we play.
Jack’s voice cuts through the air. “Marco.”
A giggle bubbles in my tummy. “Polo,” I call out, climbing into the empty laundry basket.
Thunder clouds eclipse the sun, plunging me into darkness
You’re dreaming. Wake up.
“Jack! Lizzy!” A startling cry makes my heart flutter in my chest.
I feel an ache in my bones as I’m yanked from the basket. “Mama?” I cry. She’s running now, her hand squeezing mine. My feet drag through the dirt