The Swamp

He told me to call him Teddy Bear. It was 3:00 am and he had just picked me up hitchhiking. I was very grateful when I saw the brake lights come on and the car stop about 30 feet ahead of where I was standing. The car itself was not visible because the fog at that time of the morning was so thick.

As I said, once inside the car I was to call the driver Teddy Bear, which didn’t strike the 17-year-old boy, which I was at the time, as a strange or unreasonable request. The road was a deserted two-lane affair, which went right through a swamp, which accounted for the excessive fog. And I was damn glad he had happened along. It was mighty wet and cold standing out there on the side of the road; and I had been standing out there for some time. However, if I knew what I was letting myself in for, I would have run the minute I saw those red brake lights.
Because of the low visibility we were going about 20 mph and Teddy Bear was in an expansive and talkative mood. He told me in great detail of his job as an ambulance driver. He especially enjoyed picking up and transporting dead bodies. Still no alarms went off in my head. As he talked, I noticed he was slowing the car down even more than was necessary, given the conditions. As he spoke of his fascination with death and dead bodies, I just sat nodding my head and agreeing with whatever he said. I was not about to be put out into that inhospitable climate again for being an inattentive guest. The first time I found myself on the side of that road was about four hours earlier, and in those four hours, I had not seen one car until Teddy Bear had come along.

We traversed the swamp at an annoyingly slow pace as I learned of the joys of being in close proximity to the dead. We had traveled together for about fifteen minutes, and in that time we had not seen another vehicle, coming or going, when Teddy Bear started fishing around in the console that separated us. He did not seem to be trying very hard to find whatever he was looking for, his eyes never left the road, and at times, his hand would stop moving and just lay there in the console. Then with his hand still in the console he said, “You know I could kill you, throw your body into the swamp and nobody would ever find you.” That got my attention! However before I could digest the statement and make the appropriate reply, his hand flew out of the console and came up to the area of my neck. It would not have been so bad; of course, the swiftness of the movement gave me a slight start, he had not been holding the largest damn hunting knife I think I’ve ever seen, before or since.

When you are inside a car that is traveling at about ten miles an hour it does not seem like a very high rate of speed. However, if one tries to exit a vehicle while going 10 mph that’s a different story all together. And that is exactly what I did as that knife came up to my throat. I grabbed the door handle and yanked as though my life depended on it, which it did. I meant to put one foot after the other onto the pavement, and walk, no run away was more like it. But that is not what transpired. Before I could get my other leg out the door, I found myself falling, with the asphalt coming up to my face alarmingly fast. I just had time to get my hands out in front of me before my face met the road. It sure wasn’t like the movies; there was no tuck and rolling, just spastic clown time.

The car had continued forward as I was doing my little ballet, and as I lay prone on the ground all I could see were the red taillights slowly receding into the fog. Then my heart jumped straight into my mouth, the brake lights came on, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the white backup lights came on immediately thereafter. I did not wait around to see what further mischief Teddy Bear had on his mind; I raised my self to a standing position, turned, and took off in the opposite direction. Remember, I was 17, and as all 17 year olds, I was in top condition. I was a quarter of a mile down the road before I had realized I was even running. Having covered such a fair distance, I thought it might be safe to stop a moment to see if I was still being pursued. I turned to see those goddamn taillights slowing coming toward me. I could not make out the outline of the car through the fog, but those lights seemed to be the red eyes of a demon, which would not be satisfied until I was run to ground and devoured.

As I stood there contemplating those red orbs, I became cognizant of my folly. Staying on the road was a mistake. Teddy Bear could follow me at his leisure, there sure wasn’t any other traffic to impede his amusement; and an automobile will always win the race with a pedestrian. If not for the lights, I wouldn’t know his location, which meant he could not see me either. That son-of a- bitch was toying with me! He must have thought with nothing but swamp on both sides of the road, I had no where to go, and that he had ample time to catch up with me. That pissed me off, though not enough to confront that over sized knife. As I pondered the best course of action, I wondered if I was the first of Teddy Bear’s playthings. Had he done this before? Did he indeed throw dead bodies into the swamp, never to be seen again; as he had told me he could do with my deceased carcass?

Well, there was only one thing to do, get off the road and into the swamp. When you’re running for your life, you don’t sweat the little things, such as snakes and alligators. At that point my thoughts were, unless I wanted him to know at what point I had left the road I had better get moving before he gets any closer. I turned to my right and proceeded to the tree line, which lay about fifty feet from the road. I could not see the trees, but I knew they were there, having seen them earlier in the night before the fog thickened. I ran perpendicular to the road in a straight line. A few feet after leaving the pavement, I stepped into a foot of water. My initial reaction, because the water was so damn cold, was to halt and take a step backwards. But as I did, the car pulled up level with my location and stopped, this propelled me onward. The only problem with this strategy was the noise I made as I blundered through the slough. But I kept moving; fear had a vice-like grip upon my psyche.

After what seemed an inordinately long time I reached the tree line, stopped and listened for sounds of my nemesis. He did not disappoint me, from the sound of his splashing he was no more the 30 feet behind me. Then all of a sudden, the splashing stopped. We were no more than 30 feet apart, but we could not see one another through the fog. I held my breath and listened, nothing. He must be doing the same I thought. But now I had something to hide behind, the trees. So without making a sound, I inched myself behind the tree I had stopped at when I encountered the tree line. Then it started. Out of the fog I heard, “Hey chick, chick, chickie. Hey chick, chick, chickie. Come to Teddy Bear.” God, if things weren’t creepy enough already.

For fear I would be set upon and eviscerated by my pursuer, Teddy Bear, I held my breath and I dared not move a muscle. And then I caught some luck, the mantra of Hey chick, chick, chickie started to fade, he was moving away. I let out a deep breath and ventured a peek around the tree. To my surprise, I could make out his figure as he walked away. Then it occurred to me that this was the first time I had set eyes upon him since leaping from the car. He was wearing his white ambulance driver’s uniform. It wasn’t much, but it would give me a slight advantage in our game of hide-and-seek. Even though he was moving away from me, he was still within twenty feet of my position. I was not about to move and make a noise unless it became necessary. I watched the retreating figure until it became an iridescent blur, fading into the fog.

Even before he was out of sight completely, I started my retreat. I had to move slowly so as not to make the racket he was making as he indecorously made his way through the swamp. It was slow going trudging through that quagmire, but I seemed to be making progress when all of a sudden I heard him coming up fast behind me. I did not know if he had ascertained my location, had been playing with me and knew my location all along, or was just doing the logical thing in searching in the opposite direction when he had not found me back where we had both left the road. I took off like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell. I blindly ran in the direction I was facing when I first heard his approach. At this point, I just wanted to get away, I reacted like an animal pursued. As I frantically made my way, I noticed that the water was getting deeper; it was now knee deep, which considerably slowed my progress. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I was going deeper into the swamp. Without thinking, I pivoted to retrace my steps in the hope of finding shallow water again. And there he was, or more to the point there “it” was; not ten feet away stood the white jump suit I had been running from for what seemed an eternity.

His face was indistinct, but there was no mistaking the menace in his voice as he said, “Hey chickie, I’ve been looking for ya.” At that point I just gave up, what was the use. This guy knew the swamp; he would always be right behind me. And then any doubt I had that he was playing with me, as a cat plays with a mouse before devouring it, was put to rest as he turned and took a step backwards before saying, “You’ve got two minutes chickie, I suggest you use ‘em.”

That got my Irish up. Not enough to tackle Teddy Bear and the knife, but enough to give me the strength to run once again. Where a few moments before I was willing to play the sacrificial lamb, I was now determined to play his game to the end, come what may. All this was decided in less than two seconds, which meant I still had one minute, and fifty-eight seconds before Teddy Bear renewed his pursuit. And for some reason I had no doubt that he would hold to his timetable. So, “Once again, into the breach. Cry havoc, let lose the dogs of war.”

I restarted my trek, in what direction I knew not. I blundered to and fro. And then I heard the inevitable thrashing of Teddy Bear behind me, and to the right. This reinvigorated me and I ran pell mell into the swamp. I was doing a good bit of thrashing myself when my foot caught on a root, or something, and I pitched head first into the miasmal water of the swamp. I got my hands out in front of me just as I hit the water, but not soon enough to keep my head from going under the cold water. As I raised my head from that putrid liquid, the putrescent aroma clung to me as though we were fast friends. Though my head was above water, the rest of me lay prone, half submerged. It was then that I felt it. My right hand had come to rest on something alien, something apart from the swamp. What it was I did not know, and I almost raised myself fully without inspecting it. However, at the last possible moment, I hesitated and felt along the length of this marvel. It floated, it was smooth, and by God it was a 2 x 4, about four feet in length! This may come in handy, was the first thought I was able to muster. I took a hold of my new friend, raised myself from the mire, and continued on my journey of fear.

I only got a few yards when the assault on the swamp resumed. Not my assault, but Teddy Bear’s. He was coming up fast. I panicked at first, which was a good thing because it froze me in my tracks and I made no noise in which to help him locate me. But, he was getting closer and closer with every second, but I still I stood there motionless. After what seemed an eternity, I spotted two trees directly before me; one with a large enough a trunk in which I could easily hide behind. The other tree was only half the size, and if I got behind that, I’d have to suck in my stomach in order not to be seen. I was about to step behind the larger of the two when it struck me that if I, a snot nosed kid of 17, could deduce the larger tree would be the appropriate hiding place then, if Teddy Bear had the experience I believed he had sloshing through this swamp, he would make a beeline for said tree. All this assuming went on in a fraction of a second. But when I had finished with my deductive reasoning, I headed for, and got behind the smaller of the two trees.

And just in the nick of time. I was no sooner ensconced behind my tree before I saw the faint outline of that goddamn white jumpsuit. Man was that getting old; I mean I’ve been running from that thing all morning, when was I going to catch a break? Sooner than I thought, as it turned out.

As Teddy Bear approached the larger tree, I took the chance of peering out from my concealed position, but I needn’t have fretted, his entire attention was focused on the tree next to mine. For the first time since the nightmare began, I had the luxury of observing ol’ Teddy Bear in his natural habitat. It looked as though he had played this game many times before, he would feign going left, but all his concentration was to his right. I reckon his modus operandi was to scare his victim/prey to move one way while he moved in the other, which meant they would meet face to face. This must be the game he was trying to play with me.

He was moving in my direction, slowly. To him it was the old cat and mouse game; one I am now convinced he had played on numerous occasions. As he came toward me I hefted the 2 x 4 as through I was Hank Aaron. He was now moving so slowly I thought he would never get into striking distance, but before I was aware of it he was there, three feet from me with his head facing towards the other tree; he seemed intrigued by something.

I planted my feet in my best batting stance and let fly. I was aiming for the head. I missed; I hit him on the shoulder. His paroxysms of rage reverberated throughout the swamp. Though his fulminations were ringing in my ears, I set my stance once again and let swing. This time the only sound I heard was a loud THAWACK. Both of us, Teddy Bear and I, were stunned at this turn of events. He just stood there for a moment before collapsing like a wet dishrag. Me, I was so amazed that I had connected, that I stood there as if it were I who had been hit the across the head.

But my stupor did not last long. When I saw he wasn’t moving, I dropped my weapon and started running. Teddy Bear had left his lights on, so it was no trouble finding my way back to the road. I had thought we had traversed well into the swamp, but in reality we were only a few hundred feet into the goddamn place.

I emerged onto the pavement only a few yards from the car. Both doors were wide open, and as I said, the lights were on. Now if only the keys were in it I could take the first easy breath since that nut job picked me up. I approached the car warily; I thought there might be some sort of Teddy Bear hex on it. I peered into the vehicle and thank the Lord; the keys were in the ignition. I slipped into the driver’s seat; I did not concern myself with trifles, such as the passenger door being open. I just got in and started the engine, put her into gear, and accelerated away from that accursed place. As I drove away I wondered, had I killed him, or was he just stunned and awaiting his next chance at me?

You would think at that point my troubles would be over. Well then would have thought wrong. I had this vision of Teddy Bear coming after me like Frankenstein’s monster, arms outstretched, and walking down the middle of the road in his never-ending quest for blood. The fear that he engendered was still persuasive. So I drove that car as though my life depended on me breaking the quarter mile speed record. And that is where I made my second mistake of the night. The first mistake was accepting a ride with Teddy Bear in the first place.

In my desire to be rid him, I went way too fast for the conditions, and the road. I came to a curve in the road and missed it. Instead I plowed into the swamp for the second time that night; though this time I took the car with me. The car hydroplaned over the first expanse of water before becoming mired in the effluvium of that bedeviled swamp.

Wouldn’t you know it, now that I was relatively safe a car pulls up, and not just any car, a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser? The first words out of my mouth after I made my way back to the road, was, “It’s about time you showed up, where the hell have you been?” Now, ordinarily I would not have spoken to an officer of the law in such a disrespectful manner, but my juices were flowing and under the circumstances, I thought I was allowed a little leeway. Well, that was my third mistake of the night. He grabbed me, threw me up against his car, and handcuffed me before I knew what was happening. Now from his point of view I can’t blame him for his actions. I was a sight, covered in mud, stinking to high heaven, and raving like I mad man.

Well, the rest of the story is pretty cut and dry. It didn’t take them long to find out whose car I had driven into the swamp. And when I told my story, it was met with skepticism, to say the least. It turned out Teddy Bear was the scion of an old southern family. The only question I was asked repeatedly was what had I done with Orville Jackson Montclair, some moniker for a guy who preferred to be called Teddy Bear.

I told them a thousand times the same story, but it fell on deaf ears. Orville was too nice a boy to have done such a thing. They took me out repeatedly to show them where the alleged attack took place. But in the bright sunshine, nothing looked the same. It wasn’t until they allowed me to retrace my movements from the place where I drove the car off the road that I was able to approximate the location of Teddy Bear’s and my final confrontation. After that, it was easy to locate his body. They claim the knife found under his body belonged to me, and that it was I who had chased poor Orville into the swamp after, from the goodness of his heart, he picked up a miscreant on a cold lonely night.

At my trial, they almost had me believing in the sainthood of Orville Jackson Montclair. And if I, who had lived the horror, could come to doubt my own veracity, then what could I expect from a jury of 12 men good and true? Not much that’s what! They were out for all of forty-five minutes before returning a verdict of guilty in the first degree.

I have spent the last 12 years of my life on Florida’s death row as appeal after appeal was denied. But things are looking up; I was recently moved from death row. I am now in what is called the deathwatch cell. In an hour, they will come into my cell, slit my prison issue pants at the inseam from the knees down, shave the hair from my legs, from the knees down, and then shave my head. Shortly after that I will be led into a small anti room adjacent to the room in which Old Sparky is housed. Old Sparky is the affectionate nickname us cons have given to the electric chair, which carries out the mandates of the people of the State of Florida. I will then have a jelly applied to my freshly shaven head, and my freshly shaven legs. This is done to make sure there is plenty of conductivity for the electric charge to flow through my body, all 50,000 volts of it. After that, I will be taken to Old Sparky, sat down, and strapped in. A few minutes later, I’ll receive my allotted 50,000 volts of electricity. That will then be the end of me. But, the 17 year old boy who was only trying to get home on that cold, damp night so long ago, and did not want to harm anyone, will have finally made it home.