Have you ever seen a road construction crew working past midnight on the side of the freeway? Odds are that, yes, you have. They're pretty easy to spot considering the section of road that they work on has to be lit so well. In their own space of light, they may even feel like they were working during the day. That is, until they look into the darkness beyond their island of light. A lot of times these men work on isolated stretches of road with miles and miles between the nearest towns. The majority of these roads are in wooded areas; old forests that were never colonized. These places are some of the last bastions of mystery with the only sign of humanity's presence being the passages of asphalt and cement that cut through them.
What anyone who has worked on one of these crews will tell you is that the hours are long, drunk drivers can be jerks, and that it can be creepy out in the woods. What they won't tell you about are the voices. They usually have to wear earplugs to dampen the noise from their machines, but when the work slows down, just about everyone can hear the strange noises coming from the woods. Sometimes these voices are tantalizing whispers, sometimes cries for help, other times malevolent ramblings. There are some voices that will tell men that their loved ones are hurt or even unfaithful. Some try to make the crewmen do things like take their helmets off while they work or come closer to the tree line... Workers that have spent some time on these crews have to remind the newer members to ignore the voices. No matter what they hear, they should never venture outside their island of light. Of course, there are the curious few that do. It is not uncommon that they are then lost to the woods. Some workers opt to wear their earplugs for the duration of the night. Passing cars are a relief, signaling that there are still other people out there, that there are other islands amidst the sea of darkness and voices.
Still, these crews will avoid talking about them and instead tell you that the woods are simply "spooky." Or that the curious young guy decided to quit without saying goodbye... Maybe there is a reason why there are miles and miles between nearest towns.
