Perilous Journey

Untitled Part 1

Blast it, thought Matt, slamming his palm on the horn in sheer exasperation as his red Chevrolet Cruze came to an abrupt halt. Great, just great. It hasn't even been a year, and she's already given up on me. Matt was on his way to his sister's place in Charleston, approximately a five-hour drive from his residence in Chantilly. His sister, possessing a keen interest in law, and he, infatuated with science, had parted ways to pursue their respective dreams a few years ago. They hadn't been able to keep in touch as much as they'd wanted to. Now, however, they both had quite some time on their hands.

Matt was confident that the car couldn't have run out of gas; he'd filled it up at the last station, half an hour ago. He got out, and after a thorough inspection of the vehicle, discerned nothing of value. Letting loose a colorful string of expletives, he removed his cell phone from his pocket and, much to his dismay, saw the words, NO SERVICE, displayed across the screen, mocking him. He inspected his surroundings. There were trees on either side of him. OK, so I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere, my bloody car has shut down, and I can't get a signal. I have to get a move on; it'll be dark soon. As if on cue, the sky darkened overhead, the trees looming over him casting ominous shadows. Owls hooted in the distance. He felt unnerved, as though he were being watched. It's just your paranoia. Don't be a wimp.

After about half an hour of waiting for a vehicle to pass by, the heavens smiled down on him. A truck was approaching him from the distance. He waved. The truck slowed to a halt just inches from his car. The driver, a burly, unkempt man, who, Matt guessed, was in his early 40s, waddled over to him and flashed him a toothy grin.

"She's broken down, eh? Lemme have a look, if ya don't mind."

Matt simply shrugged. After inspecting the Chevy, the baffled driver turned to Matt and exclaimed, "Nothin' seems to be the problem with 'er. Tell ya what, we'll head up to town an' get some help, whaddaya say?"

Matt replied with a "Thanks" and a nod of his head.

Matt got in beside the man.

"So, what didya say yer name was?" asked the man, attempting to engage in small talk. Matt admired the folks who could strike up a conversation about something as trivial as the weather; it didn't come naturally to his taciturn self.

"Matt."

"Steve," came the response from the older man. "Pleasure ta meet ya. So, what brings you out 'ere?"

"Headed to West Virginia. Going to meet my sister."

"Ah, I see. Married?" Steve didn't wait for a reply, and proceeded to go on and on about how his wife left him and got custody of his kids.

Boy. This is gonna be one long ride.

Blocking out the garrulous man's incessant rambling, Matt gazed out of the window and reminisced about his childhood. He and Susan had been very close, bickering over the most trivial things, but also standing by each other through thick and thin. A faint smile played across his lips as he remembered his 7th birthday; Susan had bought him a comic set by saving up her allowance. He recalled comforting her after her first break-up. How could he forget those petty pranks they played on each other?

He was snapped out of his trance by a peculiar shape in the distance. He blinked, and just like that, it was gone. For a second, he thought he had seen a tall, slender figure with blood-red eyes staring right back at him.

TO BE CONTINUED