Life After Death: The Shocking True Story of a Innocent Man on Death Row

collapse from heatstroke. I was positive that I couldn’t force myself to keep going, yet I still did, one step after another. One foot, two foot, red foot, blue foot.
    We finally arrived in Lakeshore and proceeded to an abandoned trailer that we knew would be empty. The door was unlocked so we went inside and collapsed on the floor to rest. Even that hot trailer was a relief after facing the blistering sun. I handed Jason a wad of sweat-soaked dollar bills and moaned, “Drinks.” He left and made his way to the Lakeshore store. While he was gone Deanna changed into a set of my clothes that weren’t wet with sweat, as I’d had the presence of mind to bring along some extras. I didn’t bother changing, but I became obsessed with one idea. All I could think about was how wonderful it would be to wait until nightfall, then slip into that cool, crusty green lake. I no longer cared that it was filthier than a septic tank; I could practically feel its coolness against my skin. My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. We were alone, but so hot, tired, and nauseous that we could do nothing.
    Jason finally returned with a paper sack of Mountain Dews and Dr Peppers. I drained a Mountain Dew in one long swallow, then popped open a Dr Pepper to drink at a more sedate pace. I felt life returning to me. He’d even had the wisdom to pick up some candy bars, so I quickly scarfed one of those. Full of sugar and caffeine, I was ready to juke and jive.
    I investigated my surroundings while Jason told me breathlessly, “Man, every freak in the world is out there.” When I suggested it might help if he were slightly more articulate, he explained that all the neighborhood kids were looking for me like a pack of hounds, because the police had been looking for me, and they were now convinced they might receive some sort of reward for finding me. It seemed Deanna’s parents had wasted no time in calling the authorities to report her missing once they realized skulduggery was afoot.
    “No shit?” I asked as I sat down in front of a piano, the only piece of furniture in the entire place. I found it slightly odd that someone lived in a trailer park but could still afford a piano. A few of the keys were busted, but I could still manage to play it a little (Nanny had taught me as a kid how to play church hymns on the organ), which I did while Jason told me they had tried to follow him, thinking he’d lead them to me. Deanna came and sat next to me on the piano bench while Jason peeked out a window. He turned to me and said something that hadn’t crossed my mind—“You better stop that, because if one of those freaks hears a piano playing in here they’re going to be pretty sure it’s not a ghost.” I snatched my fingers from the keys.
    I sat quietly in thought for a few minutes before telling Jason that Deanna and I would sleep there that night, then say good-bye to him in the morning. There was no chance of him going with us because he was the only pillar of stability in his home. His mother, Gail, was unstable and suffered from schizophrenia; she might take medication for a period of time and improve, but once that happened, she frequently stopped taking it. She might tell Jason she was going out for a few hours and return several days later. If he was not there to take care of his two younger brothers, they would go feral like the Lakeshore dogs. He truly did have to be like a father figure to them, and I was always impressed by how competently he handled the task. Most people twice his age couldn’t do the job half as well. He left to go make supper for them.
    The moment he was gone Deanna and I fell upon each other. Next came a mystery that I have never found the key to. Somehow, we were found.
    For the last half-hour the sky had grown steadily darker, until the sun that had scorched us earlier was no longer visible. It signaled not the approach of night but the coming of one big, God-almighty storm. The wind picked up until I was absolutely certain a tornado would arrive at any moment. The sky was black as night and the wind continued to howl and blow so fiercely that it seemed the trailer would roll over, but not a single drop of rain fell.
    The wind suddenly stopped. It didn’t die down, it just stopped all at once. A really bad feeling rippled up my spine. I stopped what I was doing and cocked my head to the side like a dog listening for a strange sound. “What is it?” Deanna asked.
    I waited seconds before