Devil's Backbone

28. Roadkill

EXT. ROAD - NIGHT

A married couple, Molly and David, were driving along a generic two-lane blacktop at night. House of the Rising Sun by The Animals played on the radio.

Molly, who was driving, said, "We're lost."

David, reading the map, replied, "No. This is a short cut..."

"Babe, it's just we've been on this road over an hour, and we haven't seen a single car."

"Molly, I know how to read a frickin' map, okay?"

"We passed a gas station a while back. Let's just go ask someone."

"That was 40 minutes ago. We're not turning around."

"Come on. Isn't this argument a little archaic? Men can ask directions these days."

"No, we can't. It's against our genetic code. Look, I know exactly where we are."

"Oh, yeah? Where?"

"Highway 99, okay? It cuts right through..." They passed a sign that read '41'.

"Highway 99, huh?"

"Okay, so we, we're taking the scenic route."

"David. It's our anniversary, and we're spending it stuck in the car."

"I know. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you, okay? Come here." He leaned over, kissing at her neck playfully.

"Stop. I'm mad at you."

"Oh, come on, Molly. Hey, you love me."

Molly smiled despite herself. "No, I don't. You're a jerk. David, I mean it." She pushed him off, taking her eyes off the road. A man appeared in the road before them.

"Molly!"

Screaming, she swerved to avoid the man and ran the car off the road.

LATER

The car had crashed into a tree. Molly woke up and looked around, disoriented as she called, "David? David?" She crawled out of the wreck. "David? David?" He was nowhere to be seen. "Da... David?!" She staggered through the woods, calling for him. "David?! David?" She came upon a cabin, with a candle burning in the window. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She entered. "Hello?" She passed a wall covered in tools, then saw the man from the road standing with his back to her. "It's you. You're okay. I'm so sorry." His stomach was impaled and bloody. "I didn't see you there. Are you... Are you hurt?" She reached out to touch him. "Sir?"

He turned towards her, blood dripping down his face. His mouth opened, spilling more blood, and his face turned dark and rotting. She glanced down and saw his stomach. She screamed.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

Molly ran through the woods away from the cabin. She staggered onto the road, where a car was approaching.

"Stop!" Molly cried, standing in the middle of the road, hands out.

"Holy-!" Dean began, stopping the Impala just in front of her.

"You've got to help me." She went to the passenger's side and pounded on the window, which Sam rolled down. "Please. Please!"

"All right, all right," Sam said. "Calm down, calm down. Tell us what happened."

EXT. ROAD - NIGHT

Sam, Davina and Dean had parked the Impala by the road and all four were standing around it.

"I-I swerved, a-and we crashed," Molly told them. "And when I came to, the car was wrecked and my husband was missing. I went looking for him, but that's when the man from the road, he... he started chasing me."