Bait: A Novella by Trent Pettry

Author:Trent Pettry [Pettry, Trent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Trent Pettry
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Saturday Afternoon

After her shift ended, Val bolted home on her bike. Since the meeting at the aquarium, all she could think about was checking out the strange RV to find out what was going on there—shotgun lady or not.

She pulled to a stop by the back sliding door and quickly typed out a text to Freddy. Just got home. Heading up to that corner lot, meet me out front in five.

When she entered the trailer, Lloyd was working on the dryer, and Nikki was cleaning the house.

Nice change of pace, Val thought. She was half expecting they would be strung out on something by now. It’s early though.

Val was in and out in minutes, grabbing Shane and her prized pair of binoculars. They had been a gift on her tenth birthday and one of the few possessions that she still had from her father, Cal. They were carefully hidden in the box springs of her bed, fearing they would be scavenged by her mother, uncle, or the occasional friend they had over to pay for more drugs. She also snagged the knife Bobby had given her, clipping it to her shorts under her shirt.

She and Shane rode out on their bikes to meet up with Freddy on the main street. He was waiting for them.

Freddy rolled up next to Val before slipping her a twenty-dollar bill. “Your finder’s fee,” he said with a wink.

Val put the bill in her pocket. “I was kidding, but thanks.” She winked back at him.

They headed north along the lane. The sky was overcast and grey, and a cool easterly breeze was blowing another storm in.

Given the vantage point, distance, and available hiding places, they decided to observe from a partially collapsed woodpile in Bobby’s backyard—about a football field away from the corner lot.

They noticed a person on the roof of the dilapidated RV. Val pulled out the binoculars and peered through them.

Dressed in plus-sized shorts and a grimy T-shirt, the woman that had threatened them the night before, appeared to be dumping a cooler full of liquid into an opening at the top of the trailer. She had short wiry grey hair and a bestial face partially covered by a large pair of sunglasses. A hose was looped into the same hole in the structure.

“Yeah, it’s that lady. The bitch from last night,” Val grumbled.

“Let me see.” Freddy pulled the binoculars away from her and drew them to his face. “What the fuck is she doing? Is she washing it?”

Val grabbed them back and looked. “She’s down now, looking arou—get down!”

They all ducked behind the woodpile. Val’s heart was in her throat, but she rallied her courage and peeked over the top. The woman was gone.

Val scanned the horizon, then spotted her behind the truck carrying several large buckets back to the RV. She wore long blue gloves that covered her arms past her elbows. She set the buckets down before opening a bottom panel close to the hitch. The woman positioned one

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.