The Dead Weight

by Zia Black

Rocky Forest Exit 5 Miles, the sign said.

  It should've been a peaceful cruise to the forest. Another twenty minutes and he would've been at the entrance. Then no one could stop him.

  Thump! Thump! Thump!

  It can't be, he thought. She's dead.

  Thump! Thump! Thump! Smash!

  He stuck his head out the window and saw the right reverse light rolling away. Another smash and he looked in the rear view mirror. The second light bounced off the road before tumbling into the grassy hard shoulder. He pushed down on the accelerator, his eyes straight ahead. He heard the next two lights hit the gravel, but he didn't flinch.

  Rocky Forest Exit 4 Miles.

  Now she was screaming, so loud he heard every word as clear as if she'd been right beside him. He checked over his shoulder and straight ahead, but the road was near empty. The few cars that passed were on the other side, and speeding so fast they were a blur. As long as he reached the forest, she'd be dead. For real, this time.

  Rocky Forest Exit 3 Miles.

  She grunted, now tugging on something. He couldn't think of what it was. The trunk was full of Jayne's things, his girlfriend's things, and burnt artwork.

  Then his thoughts shifted to the knife. He shuddered at what she might be capable of.

  Click.

  The boot popped open. He looked back, gasping when he met her eyes.

  "I warned, you," Bonnie spat. "You bloody bastard!"

  He swerved, throwing her back into the boot. She clung on, her brown locks flailing about. She screamed at him, so he drove faster and faster until the wind made his eyes fill with tears. He blinked to clear his vision, just in time to see the next sign.

  Rocky Forest Exit 2 Miles.

  Bonnie stopped screaming.

  Thump! Thump! Crack! Crack!

  A piece of plastic flew past his face. He turned back and saw the butcher knife tearing apart the backseat behind him. He tried swerving but she kept hacking away until he could see her face.

  "You bastard," she spat, her eyes bulging. "I should've called the police. You took the dog! I bloody knew it! I told her..."

  She kept hacking and he kept driving. When one moved faster so did the other. The accelerator was to the floor when she squeezed her torso through the gap. Her hand reached up and pulled up the lever by the seat. The backrest fell down, knocking his seat. His hands slipped off the wheel, sending the car into a tailspin. He slammed into the window, clinging to the armrest with all his might.

  And she wasn't done yet.

  Rocky Forest Exit 1 Mile.

  Bonnie grabbed the wheel and stopped the car spinning. Neil pushed his feet on the brake and pulled up the handbrake. The car skidded off the road and slammed front first into a lamppost. Bonnie was thrown out. She flew past the post and head first into a tree.

  It was as if she was in slow motion. Her hands torn off the wheel. Her angry eyes giving him the look of death as she crashed through her reflection. A deafening scream when the tree was within sight. The loud crack when her head smacked into the trunk, snapping her spine. Her body flopped over, her head quickly followed.

  Neil looked over the dashboard at her mangled corpse. Laughter erupted from his stomach and burst out his mouth. He clutched his aching sides, tears streaming down his cheeks. On the verge of wetting himself, he breathed deeply to compose himself.

  He got out and dragged her into the car. Now her head was crushed, and her spine broken, it was much easier to pack her out of sight. She easily fit between the front and back seats, right there on the floor. The boot wouldn't close, so he placed Jayne's trunk on top of Bonnie's corpse. The straps had blown out onto the road, so he had to hope Jayne's coffin would stay put.

  "Stay," he ordered. Neither of them moved. "Good girl!"

  He thought of the engine, willing it to start. Still praying for a miracle, he climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key. The car spluttered and coughed out black smoke. He tried again, the engine snarling at him. He closed his eyes and said another quick prayer before turning the key.

  The engine started.

  "Some things are just meant to be." He glanced back at Bonnie's crooked foot. "And some things aren't."