Endless.
Dark.
That was the road in front of me, stretching out farther than the eye could see in this inky blackness. Not a star in the sky tonight, and the moon seemed to be hiding from view as well. That was okay because I actually preferred the dark stretch- I found it calming to drive the narrow strip alone in the night.
It wasn’t often I had the opportunity to drive it and visit my parents is the country, and I was excited to see them. It had been a long time…too long. Being an only child, my parents had been devastated when I informed them I was moving to the city. With that being said, they of course supported me and invited me to visit often, which is how I found myself driving out after work. It was a long weekend, so I could stay Friday and Saturday and head back to the city on Sunday to have some me time.
The road had been fun when I was a child- the hills and bumps always had me lifted off my seat, giggling and shouting “wheee!” Every time we hit a large hill, my stomach would drop. I smiled at the memory, speeding up a little, intending to replicate the experience. The radio blasted a pop song, up way too loud to be good for anyone’s ears, but let’s be honest- it wasn’t like the music was that good anyway.
I checked the speedometer. I pressed a little harder on the gas, confident that I could maneuver this particular road with little danger. My car loyally leapt over the hills, bouncing me off my seat time after time. I laughed as my stomach flipped and flipped. I saw a curve up ahead and I started to gently hit my brakes. Just as I was going through the curve, a flash of blue up ahead caught my eye.
“Stop!” Someone screamed. My reaction to seeing a person standing in the middle of the road was to stop immediately to avoid hitting them. When I saw it was a young girl, I felt a wave of guilt crash over me. I almost hit that girl! I admonished myself. Her dress was a pale blue, torn at the hem and at the shoulder. The tear in the shoulder neatly matched the scratch on her arm, so I guessed she must have been running and caught a branch. Her hair was wet, matted down on one side, and she looked panicked. I felt sorry for her, but I was also scared. Do I help this girl? What was she doing in the middle of the road at this time of night? She stared at the car for a second, and then began screaming again.
“Help me! You have to help me! He’s going to kill me!” she cried, running toward the car. I had the doors locked, but her sudden movement had me reaching for the lock button. I glanced around but I didn’t see anyone else. Suddenly, I saw a man break through the bushes on the left. He was tall, with dark hair and a thick beard. Most importantly though, he was covered in blood and holding a knife. He seemed to look around for a minute, taking in the car’s bright lights, and then noticed the girl. He started in the direction of the car, obviously going after the young girl who was frantically pulling at the door handle.
“Please!” she cried, tears pouring down her face. More afraid of the bloody bearded man than the child, I pressed the unlock button hurriedly.
“Get in! Get in!!” I practically screamed, my heart racing. The man was so close to the car now, any second he was going to reach it and kill us both. The girl slammed the door shut and locked it just as the man reached the front of the car.
“Get out of the car!” he screamed, banging his fists against the hood. The girl cowered in the seat, taking in the environment of the car and stealing a glance at me. She didn’t respond to him.
“Get out of the car right now! It’s for your own good.” He said emphatically, banging his fists on the hood again, knife gleaming in the headlights and the glare momentarily blinding me. Suddenly, he began to move from the front of the car to the driver’s side window.
“Please get out of the car.” He pleaded, his voice a little different this time, almost begging for her to get out of the car. I looked at him and noticed for the first time that he was looking at me.
“Please get out. You’ve made a mistake. You don’t know what-“
I felt something hard and cold slide through my lower ribs. I cried out in pain and looked at the girl incredulously. With a malicious smile, she slowly began to twist the knife.
Me.
He had been warning me.
–
Credits to: krshann
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