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If you missed the first part of The Widow in the Woods, you can find it here.
Part 2 is located here.
Here’s Part 3.
Find Part 4 here.
And Part 5 is here.
Beth was suspicious of the old woman, but then she had never really gotten along well with other women. She wondered if the woman had been making people sick, or if their luck had simply run out.
She would watch the old gal like a hawk and take special care with what she ate in the future. Luke wasn’t doing well, and Beth wasn’t about to join him in his decline.
Before things in the world had collapsed, Beth had met Luke Hill in a bar, a real honky-tonk kind of place that smelled of old cigarette smoke and spilled beer. She’d been struck by how handsome he was as she sipped her drink, and when he started a conversation with her, she found his streak of wild recklessness appealing. She hadn’t known any other men like this, who could keep up with her appetite for cruelty, whiskey, and manipulation. She thought he was the one, so taken was she with Luke Hill.
But when Luke took her to meet his family during a holiday lunch, she met his brother Christopher and her life changed forever.
The Hills were loyal, so Christopher never flirted with her or even showed that he noticed her. But she knew, deep down, from the moment their eyes met, that Christopher was the man she had been waiting for her entire life.
Not only was he incredibly good-looking, but he also had an aloof manner that belied his capacity for rage. In Beth’s mind, rage was just another kind of passion, and she was instantly convinced that Christopher had that in spades.
She felt uncertain how to proceed with him, and that was a novelty for her. Beth had been strikingly beautiful from an early age, when she was the unfortunate recipient of unwanted attention from family members. Her turning point had been when she realized her looks gave her power over men. She no longer looked at what had happened to her as abuse, but as her own personal training camp.
She learned how to manipulate men, how to wrap them around her pale, dainty finger with the long, pointed nails that she regularly painted an arterial color of scarlet. She didn’t just play hard to get. She was hard to get. And because of it, most of the men she met fell all over themselves striving to impress her. She never felt much in the way of connection until she met Luke. In him, she recognized a kindred spirit, someone who saw the world the same way she did: people were there to be used and discarded.
But then she met Christopher and realized that he was her soulmate, a concept she’d never believed in before. He would be hers, she decided. He just didn’t know it yet. Luke was now an obstacle that had to be tolerated to keep her near the one who had captured her heart.
Then, before she could develop a plan and put it into action, the lights went out, society went sideways, and all hell had broken loose. Luke brought her with him to the family home, and she recognized immediately that her survival in this new world was dependent upon this family. She’d have to go along with things and wait for her chance.
She knew that chance would come.
The longer she spent with them, the more deeply she recognized that she was on a path. She was positive that her destiny, one day, was to be with the eldest Hill brother.
No matter what it took.
Maybe, the old lady had given her the opportunity she had been waiting for. All she knew was that she had bided her time long enough, and she might never again have a set of circumstances like this.
Whatever she did could be blamed on the old woman. She would weep prettily, and Christopher would comfort Beth in her time of loss. She could just imagine the scene that would play out.
And finally, she would have the man deserved in a time so gloriously lawless that all the old rules that had confined her were nothing but a memory.
…
When Beth quietly entered the screen porch, Lexie was already awake. Quickly, she closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping. The last thing she wanted was the red-haired woman’s attention because that was never a good thing.
Through her lashes, it seemed like Beth was sneaking in, but that was silly. Why would she try to be sly? She had every reason to be in there to check on her boyfriend. Maybe she was just being careful not to wake Luke up from his exhausted slumber.
But Lexie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
The bad feeling multiplied when Beth just stood there, staring silently at Luke. The stillness went on and on, and Lexie was just about to get up and visit the outhouse when Beth picked up a pillow from a cozy wicker chair.
Lexie didn’t know why, but she froze, barely daring to breathe.
Beth held the pillow, her back to Lexie, and didn’t move for a long time. Her shoulders were squared like she was preparing for a battle. She cast a long look around as if checking to be certain nobody could see her.
Then, Beth gently laid the pillow on top of Luke’s face. He didn’t stir. She took a deep breath and began to quietly and firmly press the pillow down. Luke began to struggle, but he was in a weakened and dehydrated state. Beth pressed the pillow harder and climbed onto the couch, planting her knees firmly on Luke’s chest. Her face was frozen in a grimace of determination. She was relentless.
He thrashed, and he fought, but he couldn’t dislodge her as the silent battle played out. Lexie choked down her horror and stayed as still as she could. She dared not make a sound. She dared not move.
She had never seen it take so long to commit a dreadful act like the one she was witnessing. It was made particularly horrible because this was Luke’s girlfriend doing it. She was supposed to love him. What on earth would she be capable of with someone she hated? What would she do to Lexie?
A minute passed. Five. Was it actually ten minutes? An hour? It seemed like an eternity that Lexie was utterly paralyzed as she tried not to make a sound or move a muscle. She felt like she herself was being smothered, so difficult was it to catch a quiet breath and remain outwardly sedate.
It seemed like it took forever for Luke to stop fighting, and even then, Beth remained on his chest, pressing down the pillow for all she was worth. It was like she was under a spell, frozen in a horrific act.
Lexie’s mind raced frantically. Would Beth kill her next? What could she use as a weapon? While trying to keep still and continue faking sleep, she mentally braced herself. She would fight, she would scream, and she would not go down easily, she told herself.
Finally, Beth removed the pillow from Luke’s face. She checked the pulse in his neck, then dismounted from her place on his chest.
She replaced the pillow back on the chair where it had been. Luke’s eyes were frozen open in horror. Gently, Beth closed them. Lexie thought she glimpsed a cast of blue to his face through her lashes, but she couldn’t be sure if it was her diffused view or if he was actually discolored.
Beth was insane, thought Lexie wildly. She wasn’t just mean. That woman was bat-crap crazy.
When she turned, Lexie squeezed her own eyes closed and steadied her breath. She could feel Beth’s eyes on her, studying her. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, making it nearly impossible to be still. But she knew that her life depended on pretending to be asleep, and she managed to feign peaceful rest and breathe evenly.
Beth watched the sleeping girl for a moment more.
Then, she quietly slipped from the room, a small smile playing upon her full lips.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
