Escape or Drown

The Devil’s Road — CHAPTER 04: TALL IN THE SADDLE

Welcome to Issue #11 of The Devil’s Road, a serial novel following the exploits of Samantha Hart, a Sequoyah County Sheriff, full of vengeance and fury using her badge to hunt down her sister's killer as she uncovers a trail of bloodshed that coats the heartland. If you missed it, you can read last week’s Chapter 4: Tall in the Saddle, Issue 01: Shadows of the Rope.

If you are new to the series, I recommend you check out Chapter 1 which you can read or listen to for free here:

The Devil's Road

If you are enjoying this series, please consider sharing it with others, and don’t hoard all the good tales for yourself.

And now, please enjoy Chapter 4 Issue 2 of … The Devil’s Road.

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In 2004 an Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations analyst discovered a crime pattern along the Interstate 40 corridor between Oklahoma and Mississippi. Subsequently, The Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I.) started the Highway Serial Killings Initiative. They discovered over 500 bodies of women along the interstate highway system with more than 200 potential suspects, a trail of bloodshed that coats the heartland. The Devil’s Road is a serialized novel based on this horrific discovery.

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There’s not much use in cleaning up after yourself when all you ever think about is escaping. At least, that’s how Heather always views her current situation. Needless to say, her little trailer reflects this dilemma. However, her girlfriend prefers things on the clean side, and if Heather is going to ask for what she needs from her, the current pungent aroma coming from the kitchen sink needs some attention.

The dark green duffle bag full of drugs sits on top of a purple plastic bin from Walmart that doubles as a coffee table in the tiny living area. The bag has a gravitational pull for Heather. She can’t help checking two or three times a minute to make sure it’s still where she left it. As she scrapes week-old melted cheese off a plate over the sink, her eyes stay fixated on the unzipped bag and the crystals inside. She knows she has to put it away.