Creepypastas

The Diabolical Man

I was driving in Virginia, on my way to Delaware I believe, delivering a shipment of god knows what. I used to be a truck driver, not the best, but not the worst. 

This trip, was a long one, I knew this detail before I had even started. Being the driver I was, I knew I still had roughly 200 miles before I would get anywhere near where I had to go. I had already been driving for 19 hours, and I really didn't want to stop anytime soon. I knew I should have pulled over, and slept it off for a while, but I didn't. 

I could feel my eyelids growing heavier, and knew I needed something to keep my focus while going down this mountain. I switched on the radio, didn't pick up much, so I changed the station until I found a clear signal, on came "Something Diabolical," kind of fitting. 

This didn't hold me though. So I rolled down the window, letting some cold air in. This didn't work either. I found myself forcibly rubbing my eyes, trying to wake up in some way shape or form. I didn't even notice my temperature gauge. Before I could fully doze off, the engine blew, coughing up smoke and sputtering oil, this was not what I needed, but it would force a nap out of me. So I pulled the vehicle over with what little force it had left, just barely reaching the shoulder of the road. I shut off the engine, and laid my head against the steering wheel, just about ready to fall asleep. 

And then there was a rapping at my passenger window. "Hey! Hi! Hello?" Came a shrill voice. Sounded almost nervous. 

I looked up from my wheel pillow, and rolled down the window. "What?" 

There was a small man sticking his head through the window. He wore a back back, safari hat, and thick rimmed glasses. "I didn't think you would stop! You're the only car I've seen coming down this road so far!" 

"A hitchhiker?" I asked. "I didn't see you back there." 

He shrugged. "Most people don't." He then pushed up his glasses, and sighed. "Doesn't matter now, you stopped anyway." 

I shock my head. "Not by my hand. Engine over heated." 

The man looked over to my trucks engine and chuckled. "If I can fix that thing, will you give me a ride off this mountain at the least?" 

I too looked over at the engine. I figured a hitchhiker would be enough to keep me awake, at least until I could get off the mountain, it wasn't safe up there. "Alright," I submitted. "If you can fix it, I'd give you a ride off this mountain." 

The hitchhiker smiled. "Deal." He then tossed his backpack onto the passenger seat, and hopped over to the engine. I popped it for him, and put my head back to the wheel, knowing he wasn't going to fix it. A second later I woke up to a prod in my gut. I jumped awake, and looked toward the passenger seat where the hitchhiker was sitting. "Fixed it, start her up." 

"How..." I looked outside, it was still dark out. "How long did that take?" 

"One minute." He said smiling. "I went to a trade school for a bit, now start her up." 

I thought it was impossible that he would be able to fix the engine in the first place, but much less... I turned the key, and the engine purred to life.

I didn't know what he did to my engine, but it was moving faster than it ever had before. We were already halfway down the road. "Awake for that long?" The hitch hiker asked. "That's really something. You know, you might want to sleep, don't want to start seeing thing that aren't there now do you?" 

I shook my head. "Doesn't change the distance though. I want to be done with this trip already." I inhaled deeply, keeping my body active. "So, what do you do?" 

"I'm... A business man." He replied. 

"A business man who fixes cars, and hitchhickes?" 

He nodded. "Yeah, I get around on favors mostly, and deals. Like this ride, I fix your car, you give me a ride." 

"Hows the pay?" I asked. 

"Pay is terrible. It's like they pay me in babies you know? So useless I can't even do anything with them." He paused for a second before saying, "I guess that's the best way to put it. Useless payment. So I tend to do the leg work myself."

I got a laugh out of that. "So that how it works huh?" I asked. "So what? You'd do just about anything for a favor then?" 

"That's right, why? Do you have something on your mind?" 

I hesitated, that was my first mistake. 

"You do don't you?" 

"I... might." 

He smiled. "What would you like? For me to drive a while?" 

And my other mistake was nodding. 

"Everyone has something."

When I woke up, we were parked out in a gas station. My hands were tied behind my back, and I was situated in the passenger seat. It wasn't like waking from a nap, where it takes a while to think straight again. Instead, it was more like a blink. I looked over to the drivers seat, and there was the hitch hiker. "What the hell did you just do!" I shouted, sitting up. 

"Completed your route." He smiled back. "I also ran a few errands while I had the truck, and filled it up with some, how should I say, indebted significant who didn't pay back." 

I wanted to say more, but my lips went numb. Even with all my might, there was nothing I could say. 

"It was a pleasure doing business with you. Now, I need my favor returned, with a favor of your own. It is just a favor, there isn't a contract." He chuckled, stopping himself part way through. "Holding you to this favor, but you never know, you might wind up in someones truck, just keep that in mind." He patted me on the head and with a wave of his hand, undid the ropes. Maybe one day we can do business again." 

Though the ropes were off, I still had no use of them. 

"You'll find that this station had a bit of a leak, and it unfortunately covered your truck as well. All I need you to do it," He pulled a match out of an unseen pocket, it was already lit. "Drop this match. It doesn't matter where you drop it, just do so." 

My numb hand reached to the match, and grasped it firmly. 

"Do this, and we will be in good standing." He opened the drivers side door, and hopped out. I could feel my limbs returning to me. "We just might meet again. I like returning customers. Oh, and I wouldn't look in the truck. As long as you don't, then this whole thing wont even be connected to you." Another chuckled. "Ta-Ta." 

He slammed the door shut. 

In that moment I gained control of myself, and with that strength I lunged to the door and pushed it open. The man was gone. I leaned back in the seat, only now noticing the lingering scent of gasoline, and stared at that match. Somehow I knew that match wouldn't go out until I was to make a decision. Either drop it, or blow it out. That flame, it was a hard choice to make. But you already know which one I chose.

Amazingly, the police investigated the abandoned vehicle full of bodies, but never connected it to me. Apparently my truck was found somewhere near Delaware, with its license plate ripped off. All my personal items had been found in it as well, how odd right? I never did meet that strange man again, but something tells me burning that truck was the right thing to do.  

Though sometimes I wonder, if he will return, and I know that answer is yes. He's just waiting until he needs something done.