Inside 863

Chapter 3 | 12/3/2020

I woke up confused. Why was I sleeping in my car? Then, the events of yesterday came flooding back to me. I was lucky to be alive. I fished my phone out of my pocket so I could call Matt, but unfortunately my phone was dead.

"I guess I'll drive back," I said to myself. I turned the key, but the car didn't start. I tried again, but it still didn't work. I realized that Syphus and his accomplice had left me to die. No phone, no car, and stuck in the middle of nowhere. I was forced to walk. I opened the car door and stood outside for a moment, stretching my arms into the air. It was dawn and the last of the stars looked beautiful. The red mercury mountaineer sat parked in front of my car. It gave me chills. Suddenly, I didn't like being alone out here. I closed my door and started to walk back up the dirt road. I walked faster and faster. I felt like someone was watching me, but every time I looked over my shoulder, there was no one in sight. I arrived at the main road and turned left onto it. I hoped that a passing car would be willing to drive me to the nearest place with service. I walked a few miles, but there was still no car in sight. After walking for what felt like an hour, I heard the rumbling of a car. I stopped and waited for it to come. A blue pickup truck came into view and I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike. I hope this works, I thought desperately. The truck slowed and pulled over on the side of the road.

"Hallelujah, I'm saved!" I rejoiced under my breath. I hurried towards the truck and the man rolled down his window.

"What in tarnation are you doin' walkin' all the way out here?" the man asked incredulously in a light southern accent.

"Car broke down," I told him. I purposely left out the "I got hit in the head with a shovel last night and left to die," part.

"Go ahead and get in," he said, motioning to the passenger seat. I went around to the other side of the truck and got inside. The floorboards were muddy and the backseat was filled with gloves, ropes, screwdrivers, and other handyman equipment. He was playing country christian music on his radio. As we drove, I further inspected his truck. I noticed his phone charger plugged into the port and asked, "Mind if I charge my phone?"

"Not at all," he said with a smile. I plugged my phone in and waited a few minutes for it to charge. First, I anxiously checked my camera roll. I shivered. Sure enough, the recording had saved. I'll watch that later. Maybe I'll show it to Matt.

"Hey, is it okay if I call my boss real quick?" I asked the man.

"Of course," he replied kindly. He turned off the radio and I pressed my phone screen to call Matt. After a couple rings, he picked up.

"Payten, are you okay?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I got a very kind man to drive me back to the studio and I'll explain everything there. I'll be there in a half hour. Capisce?"

"The moment you arrive I want to hear everything. No details held back." He sounded angry almost.

"Alright. See you in a bit," I said, and hung up. The man didn't turn the radio back on. Instead we rode in silence. Every moment I grew more and more nervous. By the time we were a few minutes away, I was almost more afraid of my talk with Matt than my encounter last night. What if Matt fired me for being so reckless? I quit my old job so I could make a little more money while pursuing my dreams at the same time.

"What troubles you?" the man asked, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing. Just... stuff at work, I guess," I told him vaguely.

"Ah. I know there's more to it than that," he said knowingly.

"My car didn't just break down," I said, telling him the truth. "Last night I--" I stopped myself. I couldn't think of a way to put it lightly. "Some sketchy stuff happened last night," I ended up saying. Luckily, the man didn't pry any more out of me. We parked in the lot of Hi5 Studios. I reached into my pocket for my wallet to pay the man. He had really saved me from a lot of walking.