Eighteen Wheels

Eighteen Wheels is a dark fiction of a careful, methodical serial killer (Shane Carver), who preys on his innocent victims along interstate forty, between Western Texas and California beginning in the early two thousands. It is also a psychological thriller and suspense novel depicting some of the victims and other characters being pursued, sometimes escaping; sometimes not. Finally it's Mystery and Crime story involving Marylyn (escaped victim), a private investigator (Paul Keller), and an FBI agent (Carl Yans). The three of them are challenged morally and legally in choices that they make in an attempt to identify the serial killer and then put a stop to his killings.

Following is a sample excerpt of the book:

Marylyn gets on Highway 27 towards Canyon and is driving fifteen minutes, when the engine starts hesitating and then stops. She's in the second lane from the right, but she's going downhill, so is able to roll off to the side of the road and parks the car there. The whole time she was driving, she was thinking of what to do if this happens. She can't call for help. In 2003 half the people in the United States have cell phones, but unfortunately she's not one of them. Now, she understands their value.

She has not hitchhiked in years, but she is not afraid to, and that's what she's going to do. If she gets a ride quickly, they could still possibly be on time to meet up with Tanya and James.

She gets out of the car, locks it up, and starts walking down the highway, thinking she might as well, rather than just standing in that same place. She turns around and puts her thumb out every time she hears a vehicle approaching from behind her.

She doesn't get very far when she sees a black truck with no trailer approaching. It pulls up next to her and after a few seconds, the passenger door swings open. A rather young, dark-haired man is looking down at her. She approaches the door, unafraid, as she has done this many times.

She says, "My car broke down, and I need to call someone. Do you have a cell phone?

He says he does not.

She says to herself, "I need a cell phone." Then she pauses and asks, "Will you drive me to the next exit about five miles down the road?"

He smiles and says, "Sure. Climb on up."

She climbs up and sits down in the passenger seat. She reaches over to close the door. She thanks him without really looking at him and begins to put her seatbelt on. As soon as she turns toward him, he punches her in the face. Her eyes close and then open. He punches her in the face again. This time, her eyes don't open... at least for a while.

After some time that she doesn't know, she wakes up to the sound of someone knocking. Her face hurts. Her hands are tied. Her mouth seems to be taped. And her eyes are covered. Her freak-out meter jumps from zero to a hundred instantly. Adrenaline is running through Marylyn at an alarming rate. She begins to scream, but it is muffled by the tape. Someone opens a door. She can see some light through the blindfold, although she cannot see much else. Someone says, "It's alright. Just be as calm as you can be."

This confirms to her that it is not alright. Someone grabs her arms and tries to pull her up. She instinctively pulls back. He is strong and keeps pulling her away. She's pulling back, thrashing to the left and right now. She senses that she's going through some door and pushes her feet out against the doorframe to keep from going through. She then feels a large, strong hand clasp around her neck. Like a vise, it squeezes in on the sides, causing pain to shoot up her neck. She understands that this person has the strength to snap her neck and stops resisting. The adrenaline is still pumping, though.

YOU'LL HAVE TO BUY THE BOOK TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY. I HOPE YOU HAVE AS MUCH FUN READING IT AS I DID WRITING IT... JEFF JONES