The Man in the Backseat (#FreeYourShorts #horrorthriller)

Quattuor

        No words.

        No words can even begin to describe the terror surging through your body like a tidal wave. Time seems to stop as you stare at the person laying down in your backseat. You were supposed to be safe. Nothing was supposed to happen to you. Everything was supposed to be okay.

        But it's not. 

        It's a thousand miles from being okay.

        And it probably never will be again.

        Your breathing is shallow now. Gooseflesh has erupted all over your arms and legs, covering them like an ugly rash. And suddenly, your throat feels constricted. You suck in air as fast as you can, but it's not working.

        You can't breathe.

        Your hands begin to shake like earthquakes are rippling through them, causing the car to jerk around wildly. You let out a shrill screech as you narrowly avoid collision with a tree. That shocks you out of your fear-induced state, causing you to glance again at the mysterious unmoving person in the backseat. A small bulge in the crotch area of their dark jeans allows you to guess their gender. So it's a man. This realization sends another cold shiver shimmying down your spine, because now that the person's a man, he can not only potentially kill you.

        He could potentially rape you.

        Your breath hitches in your throat as you wait patiently for the man to say something, anything that would indicate his intentions. The silence envelops you, chokes you until a noise similar to that of a strangled animal claws it's way out if your mouth.

         And finally, he speaks. His voice is low and silky, rolling right over you in calming waves. His voice travels straight to your core, sending a deluge of warmth dancing across your skin.

        "Fear. It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

        And just like that, the trance pops like a bubble that's hit a surface.

        "N-no," you stammer. "It's n-n-not."

        He laughs, slowly and full of amusement. "Well, I think it is. Do you want to know why?"

        He takes your silence as an invitation to continue. "Because fear... it changes people. Brings out things you'd never expect to see before. And what you see... it, in turn, changes you." The last word drips with so much malice you can almost taste it.

        "B-but..." you fumble for the correct words, but your tongue feels like leaden sandpaper in your mouth. The words are stuck in your vocal chords like flies in fly paper. This man sends something dark and chilling spider-crawling all over your skin.

        "Well, I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here," he says coolly, his voice implying that he knows something you don't. Which he kind of does.

        "Well, no shit," you snap suddenly. Where has this burst of sudden courage come from? Why would you speak to him like this? What impelled you to do something so fatuous? 

        The man jumps up from his seemingly uncomfortable position, and in a flash his hand is wrapped around your throat. But this is only a threat. His long, slender fingers are barely squeezing, but they're squeezing hard enough to quite literally petrify you in your seat. "You listen, and you listen right now," he snarls, his voice low but equally deadly. "You will not speak to me that way. I control you now, understand?" He squeezes harder when you don't respond. "Understand?"

        "Yes," you croak. "I'm sorry." Yes, yes that's good. Get on his good side.

        "Magnificent," he says, all traces of hardness expelled from his tone. He sits back, spreading his arms above his head casually. " Now, I've got a nice little cabin back here. Would you mind dropping me off? I'll give you directions."

        You don't believe him, not for one second. There's no way you'll just be dropping him off.

        "Oh, come now. I'm being quite honest here. I just need a simple ride. Is that so hard to believe?"

        "Uh, yeah," you mutter.

        "Ah, well now this just won't do. I'm in quite a predicament now, aren't I? You see, I absolutely have to get back. Time is of the essence. So hurry now, chop chop. Let us be on our way." He points to a spot just up the road. "Take a left there, all right?"

        You're frozen in place, unsure of what to do. What if he kills you if you don't take him? But then what if he kills you once you arrive? But then there's the chance that he might be telling the truth...

        You grab on to that sliver of hope and start the car again. Guess you'll just have to find out.