The rustling came from behind at first.
I stopped, turned around and assessed the land behind me.
Nothing seemed to move.
By
Updated 3 years ago,September 23, 2022
Marsha hadnt stopped smoking cigarettes since we left LA.
I had the urge to tell Marsha to tone it down, but guilt stopped me.
She had just been presented with divorce papers and a 23-year-old mistress on the same day.
She was entitled to smoke as many heaters as she wanted without protest.
We wouldnt make it to the California/Nevada border.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
I heard Marsha scream from behind me just after I undid the clasp of the trunk…
The first thing I saw was a virginal white dress splotched with blood.
The trunk smashed close before I could even have a go at make out the bodys face.
You werent supposed to open that, Marsha screamed in my face.
I looked to Marsha and saw her throwing her eyes around the dusty parking lot.
Do you think anyone saw?
You think anyone saw?
That was too many, I said.
What was that Marsha?!
I didnt mean to.
I didnt mean to.
What the fuck did you do?
Marshas entire being crumbled right in front of me.
Lets just get in the car, I offered the only solution I could think of at the time.
The car reeked of body odor and alcohol.
Im not sure why I didnt notice it before.
Then again, maybe it was just the stench of Marshas soul sweating out of her pours.
Marsha cried into her hands and tried to tell me what happened.
Marsha found out about her husband leaving her for the younger woman.
Now here is where Im not sure if Marsha is telling the truth.
I am just relaying to you what she said to me.
I cant vouch for how it actually happened.
Marsha was able to stalk the woman on Instagram enough to where she actually figured out where she lived.
In a cul-de-sac at the end of the her development on the other side of town.
She could actually see the womans address in some of her pictures.
Marsha claimed that she confronted the woman at her front door.
Not knowing what else to do, Marsha threw the womans body in her trunk.
A sheriffs car pulled into the gas station when Marsha was halfway telling the story.
She panicked and drove out of the station, got back on the freeway and finished her story.
I tried to talk Marsha down.
She knew just the place.
She went shooting with her husband there once.
There was just sand, brush, rocks, and soon, a dead girls bones out there.
Agreeing to Marshas demands was my only choice.
It felt like we drove on that unmarked dirt road for 30 minutes.
Marshas scream stung my ear and made me jump in my seat.
I looked ahead to the road and a burnt to a crisp car blocked the path.
Marsha screamed out again.
We gotta just do this.
Marsha jumped out of the car and walked around the back.
I checked my phone.
The idea of running out into the desert ran through my mind when I stepped out of the car.
I figured the best strategy might be to just speak my peace with Marsha and go from there.
I got out of the car and immediately groaned.
Marsha was already about 20 yards away from the car by the side of the road, digging furiously.
Come on and help and we can get to Golden Nugget before last call, Marsha called out.
I cant help you with this.
I wont touch this thing with a ten-foot pole.
I wont turn you in…
I had to stop.
The power and emotion of the scene was too much.
I jaw began to quiver to the point where I couldnt talk.
But, I…I…I..cant…I cant…
I heard something rustle behind me.
Just a lazy tumbleweed stuck up against a dead cactus.
I let out a deep breath.
Did you launch the trunk?
I turned to Marsha.
She stopped the second the question came out of my mouth.
She ran right past me and to the trunk of the car.
Marsha screamed out, her rage echoing across the desert.
Marsha turned back to me the rage which burned in her eyes turned to fear.
We have to find her, Marsha yelled.
No, I fired back.
You gotta go track her down on your own.
I want no part of this.
Youre on your own running down this girl like a wolf and killing her.
I dont want to go to prison for nothing.
Marsha stared me down for a few seconds.
She kicked her feet around the dirt and laughed a little bit.
I couldnt have been more bewildered.
Fuck you, Marsha muttered and then took off for the car.
Wait…I, I screamed at Marsha.
My plea was useless.
I watched her taillights fade into the darkness and dust.
The desert suddenly got a lot colder.
First check, cell phone.
Second check, purse.
I had it on me.
I had my ID so they would be able to identify my dead body if/when they found it.
Then I checked my surroundings.
All I could see was desert all around me, glowing in the moonlight without a sign of life.
I had less than five percent battery on the thing.
That light went out about 50 steps into my walkathon.
I was thrown into near darkness.
Thats when it started.
The rustling came from behind at first.
I stopped, turned around and assessed the land behind me.
Nothing seemed to move.
I figured it was a jackrabbit or a lizard or something scuttling around.
The sounds came from the side of the road the next time.
I opened my mouth, started to mutter.
The shadow moved before I could get a word out.
It looked like a human, but I couldnt quite be sure.
I didnt waste any time running analytics on what it was.
I just started running away from it, up the road, praying for a miracle to save me.
I was tired, and utterly defenseless in a place that might as well have been outer-space.
No one would be able to hear me scream.
I heard footsteps behind me.
I tried to run faster, but couldnt.
I was out of juice.
Whatever was after me was going to get me at any second.
The rabid huffing and puffing sounded as if it was coming from some hulking predator.
I closed my eyes and tumbled to the dirty ground.
The weight on my back was distinctly human.
I felt small feet on my back.
The woman changed her position, dropped her hand and started combing through the dirt.
I saw her pick up a large, jagged rock.
I collapsed beside a cactus and tried to catch my breath.
The darkness all around made it seem as if everything was moving in the entire world.
Maybe I was just delirious?
The only place where things didnt seem to be moving was the road where I came from.
Just some dirt and sand.
I took a few moments to recover and collect my head.
What the hell was I going to do?
I felt blood leaking from my mouth and nose.
A stiff wind greeted me when I started to trudge back to my road.
It pushed me backwards and almost knocked me over.
I only had the light of the moon and the stars.
I was now officially wandering alone in the desert.
The rising sun quickly faded into the background of things I had to worry about.
My brain probably too twisted to notice.
I turned back around and headed in the right direction.
The noises stopped me in my tracks.
It was a mother coyote with a few pups at her side.
They were huddled around something on the ground.
The scene almost looked cute at first.
The protective mother looked back at me as she flanked her fuzzy pups.
I didnt take any more steps forward.
I knew what it was.
I instead veered off in the direction where the rising light seemed to reveal some kind of civilization.
My thoughts were correct.
The emergency room got me back to homeostasis pretty quickly.
I was just a little banged up and severely dehydrated, not even a broken nose or bone anywhere.
He started with a line of questioning about what happened out there.
The sheriffs deputy warned me to be prepared for some tough news before he said it.
The images of the incident played through my head briefly before I agreed.
It all started to make sense when the officer finally said what he had to say…
I have to stop you because the body we found in the desert belonged to your friend Marsha Gabbert.
We have been unable to find the whereabouts of her vehicle.
