By Michelle Pickett (Broken-Desert-Voices)
I ran down Janie’s driveway with a wave. I loved our girls’ night out parties, but hated driving home so late alone. I shivered, imagining vampires, werewolves, and serial killers watching from the shadows.
“I’m ditching the horror novels and sticking to TV sitcoms from now on,” I whispered. “Maybe then I’ll outgrow my fear of the dark. It’d also be nice if I stopped talking to myself.”
I shifted into drive and pressed the accelerator too hard, cringing when the tires squealed against the asphalt. Janie, still watching from the door, rolled her eyes. I smiled and shrugged.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” I mumbled – remembering I’d decided to stop talking to myself – I was ready to get home and change into my comfortable, ratty sweats and curl up on the couch with my persnickety cat. Then I planned to start reading the novel I bought on my lunch break. So much for my vow to stay away from scary books. Two resolutions broken in a matter of minutes.
I turned on the old desert road that was my favorite route between my house and Janie’s. There were no headlights ahead or behind me and no homes in the area, making me feel vulnerable in the black night. A shiver slithered down my spine and goose bumps dotted my arms.
I put more pressure on the accelerator. The car wobbled and groaned, emitting a loud roar as it jumped down the gravel road. I silently willed my old jalopy to move faster, praying it wasn’t the night it decided to heave its last wheezing breath and die. I wanted to get home and lock myself in my house, leaving the dark night, and the shadows lurking in it, behind.
“Stop being a baby,” I whispered through clenched teeth, leaning over to flip on the eons old cassette player. I fiddled with the gizmo that would play my IPod through the car’s speakers, scrolling through the songs until I found the one I wanted.
Sitting up, I saw a large shadow dart in front of my car. Screaming, I jerked the steering wheel to the side. The car’s tires lost traction on the gravel. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. I couldn’t breathe, the tightening seatbelt like a noose cutting off my oxygen.
I felt a sickening thud just before my car jerked to a stop. The force jolted me hard against my seatbelt, leaving burn marks where it scraped the flesh on my neck. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs and pain exploded where my head slammed against the steering wheel.
I probed the welt forming on my forehead. Warm liquid dripped from it, into my eyes and down my nose. I swiped it away, smearing the warmth across my face. Dizzy and disoriented, I roughly rubbed my eyes to erase the stars floating in front of them. Slowly the flashing lights faded and my head cleared.
I grabbed my flashlight from the glove-box and pushed open the door, the old hinges groaning as it swung aside. I climbed out, shining my flashlight on the back end of my car. The tail light was broken, red glass covered the ground. But my eyes were pulled to another sight. Blood.
“Oh no,” I breathed, “please, please be alive.”
I crept to the back of the car. Shining the flashlight’s beam around, I looked for the animal I’d hit. When the light fell on blood covered fur I jerked to a stop.
“Whoa, what are you?” I mumbled.
I stood on my tiptoes, straining to get a better view. It was unlike any animal I’d seen. It looked like a wolf, but it was much larger and the body shape was wrong. It had a long, protruding snout. A bear? No, it didn’t look like a wolf or a bear.
I moved carefully toward the animal. My boots crunched on the rocks covering the ground.
Looking at the blood matting its auburn fur I was sure the strange animal was dead. I knelt, laying a trembling hand on it. It tensed at my touch and I recoiled, falling backward and dropping my flashlight.
The animal jumped into a crouch. I froze, frantic thoughts raced through my mind. Should I run? Should I sit here motionless and hope it leaves on its own? How should I know! Not taking my eyes off the animal I felt for my flashlight. Moving my shaking hand back and forth across the rough ground, I searched for the metal handle I could use as a weapon.
It stared at me, its fur spiked along the ridge of its bowed spine, making It look like a cat with its back arched. I jumped when its big head snapped to the side. Its pointed ears twitched. Just seconds later I heard the sound that made me forget to breathe.
The whispering voices sounded like a breeze, but the night was still. I strained to hear. The sound grew louder. The voices sounded like chanting.
Turning in a circle, the animal growled low in its throat. I took advantage of its distraction and crawled backward toward my car. Its head swung toward me. It growled louder, baring teeth dripping with saliva.
Slowly it advanced, crouched low in warning. I moved faster. Thistle and broken glass pressed into my palms, slicing them open and leaving drops of blood as I strained to reach my car.
Feeling the car’s frame scrape my back, I scrambled inside. I pulled the creaking door hard, slamming it shut. Jamming the car in gear I stomped on the accelerator, the back end fishtailing on the gravel road. I sped home, leaving the people whispering in the forest and the strange animal behind.
I ran down Janie’s driveway with a wave. I loved our girls’ night out parties, but hated driving home so late alone. I shivered, imagining vampires, werewolves, and serial killers watching from the shadows.
“I’m ditching the horror novels and sticking to TV sitcoms from now on,” I whispered. “Maybe then I’ll outgrow my fear of the dark. It’d also be nice if I stopped talking to myself.”
I shifted into drive and pressed the accelerator too hard, cringing when the tires squealed against the asphalt. Janie, still watching from the door, rolled her eyes. I smiled and shrugged.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” I mumbled – remembering I’d decided to stop talking to myself – I was ready to get home and change into my comfortable, ratty sweats and curl up on the couch with my persnickety cat. Then I planned to start reading the novel I bought on my lunch break. So much for my vow to stay away from scary books. Two resolutions broken in a matter of minutes.
I turned on the old desert road that was my favorite route between my house and Janie’s. There were no headlights ahead or behind me and no homes in the area, making me feel vulnerable in the black night. A shiver slithered down my spine and goose bumps dotted my arms.
I put more pressure on the accelerator. The car wobbled and groaned, emitting a loud roar as it jumped down the gravel road. I silently willed my old jalopy to move faster, praying it wasn’t the night it decided to heave its last wheezing breath and die. I wanted to get home and lock myself in my house, leaving the dark night, and the shadows lurking in it, behind.
“Stop being a baby,” I whispered through clenched teeth, leaning over to flip on the eons old cassette player. I fiddled with the gizmo that would play my IPod through the car’s speakers, scrolling through the songs until I found the one I wanted.
Sitting up, I saw a large shadow dart in front of my car. Screaming, I jerked the steering wheel to the side. The car’s tires lost traction on the gravel. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. I couldn’t breathe, the tightening seatbelt like a noose cutting off my oxygen.
I felt a sickening thud just before my car jerked to a stop. The force jolted me hard against my seatbelt, leaving burn marks where it scraped the flesh on my neck. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs and pain exploded where my head slammed against the steering wheel.
I probed the welt forming on my forehead. Warm liquid dripped from it, into my eyes and down my nose. I swiped it away, smearing the warmth across my face. Dizzy and disoriented, I roughly rubbed my eyes to erase the stars floating in front of them. Slowly the flashing lights faded and my head cleared.
I grabbed my flashlight from the glove-box and pushed open the door, the old hinges groaning as it swung aside. I climbed out, shining my flashlight on the back end of my car. The tail light was broken, red glass covered the ground. But my eyes were pulled to another sight. Blood.
“Oh no,” I breathed, “please, please be alive.”
I crept to the back of the car. Shining the flashlight’s beam around, I looked for the animal I’d hit. When the light fell on blood covered fur I jerked to a stop.
“Whoa, what are you?” I mumbled.
I stood on my tiptoes, straining to get a better view. It was unlike any animal I’d seen. It looked like a wolf, but it was much larger and the body shape was wrong. It had a long, protruding snout. A bear? No, it didn’t look like a wolf or a bear.
I moved carefully toward the animal. My boots crunched on the rocks covering the ground.
Looking at the blood matting its auburn fur I was sure the strange animal was dead. I knelt, laying a trembling hand on it. It tensed at my touch and I recoiled, falling backward and dropping my flashlight.
The animal jumped into a crouch. I froze, frantic thoughts raced through my mind. Should I run? Should I sit here motionless and hope it leaves on its own? How should I know! Not taking my eyes off the animal I felt for my flashlight. Moving my shaking hand back and forth across the rough ground, I searched for the metal handle I could use as a weapon.
It stared at me, its fur spiked along the ridge of its bowed spine, making It look like a cat with its back arched. I jumped when its big head snapped to the side. Its pointed ears twitched. Just seconds later I heard the sound that made me forget to breathe.
The whispering voices sounded like a breeze, but the night was still. I strained to hear. The sound grew louder. The voices sounded like chanting.
Turning in a circle, the animal growled low in its throat. I took advantage of its distraction and crawled backward toward my car. Its head swung toward me. It growled louder, baring teeth dripping with saliva.
Slowly it advanced, crouched low in warning. I moved faster. Thistle and broken glass pressed into my palms, slicing them open and leaving drops of blood as I strained to reach my car.
Feeling the car’s frame scrape my back, I scrambled inside. I pulled the creaking door hard, slamming it shut. Jamming the car in gear I stomped on the accelerator, the back end fishtailing on the gravel road. I sped home, leaving the people whispering in the forest and the strange animal behind.
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