The darkness of night cloaked with thick, low-hanging clouds made seeing difficult. Relentless sheets of rain made it worse. A lone semi truck making its way down a stretch of highway plowed through deep puddles, headlights fighting to pierce the gloom. Lightning briefly lit up the world followed by a deafening crack and angry rumble. The driver peered through the windshield, his wipers working furiously.
Another flash erupted, illuminating the curving road ahead---and a human figure walking way too close to the center of the lane. With a gasp, the driver instinctively reacted, slamming on the breaks and the horn at the same time. The figure froze. The driver cursed and jerked the wheel sharply to the left. The large semi groaned in protest, swerving onto the opposite side of the highway, just barely missing the pedestrian.
The driver quickly steered back onto the right side of the road and pulled over, momentarily shocked. He quicky climbed down out of the cab. "Hello! Are you alright?" he shouted, shielding his eyes. Hearing no response, he nervously grabbed a flashlight and made his way along the side of the road, shining the beam back and forth.
"Where are you?" He swung the light off to the side of the road, and saw a figure crawling out of the muddly ditch toward the dense treeline. "Hey! Hey are you okay? I'm real sorry 'bout almost hittin' you, but you shouldn't be walkin' in the middle of the road! 'Specially during a storm!"
The figure didn't speak, just stood there. The driver squinted through the haze of rain and night. It was definately a woman; he could make out waist-length dark hair and soft curves. It didn't look like she was dressed for the weather; in fact another flash of lightning revealed she was wearing a soaking wet tank dress and no shoes.
The driver swallowed uneasily. Something was very wrong here. "Say watcha doin' way out here? Closest town's over twenty miles away! Do ya need a ride?"
Without a word, the girl suddenly spun and charged into the woods, vanishing from sight.
"Hey wait!"
The driver glanced down reluctantly at the ditch full of rainwater and mud separating him from the treeline, then turned back toward his truck. She clearly didn't want anything to do with him, and he probably wouldn't be able to find her in this storm anyway. He would call the police and tell them about the incident. It was the best he could do, he told himself as he drove off down the highway.
From just inside the treeline, the girl watched as the truck disapeared into the distance. She stood there for a good five minutes before venturing out of the trees, making her way down the embankment of the ditch, and up the other side back onto the road. Her body was caked with mud, but she showed no signs of caring.
Lightning flashed directly overhead several times in a row as she continued walking down the road, revealing many scrapes and bruises on her bare arms and legs. Gusts of wind caused the downpour to batter her from all sides as thunder again boomed and cracked from above.
On and on she walked, small feet pattering through the puddles on the pavement and leaving behind swirls of blood. After an hour or so the rain became less ferocious and the thunder grew more distant. The girl walked along slowly, her feet clearly in pain.
Finally she veered off the road and stepped onto the muddy grass. The treeline was thinner here and lined by an old fence. The girl pulled herself up onto the top rail with great effort and lay down on her back, allowing raindrops to pelt her face. As thunder rumbled, her eyes closed . . .
Leave her alone tonight, Jeff. She's just a baby! Please, take me instead.
Out of my way, bitch.
Don't talk to our mother like that!
Slap!
Mouth off again. I dare you. C'mon, Sarah. Time to play with Daddy.
Baby, please, just for tonight let the kids sleep--
Stop it! Stop or I-I'll call the police!
Jakob honey, put my phone down. We don't need--
Fucking brat.
CRACK!
Jakoooob!!!
Oh my god, Jeff, his head is bleeding.
Shut up or yer next, woman. Sarah, upstairs now!
Get away from her! Get back or I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!
Diana! PUT THE GUN DOWN!
Filthy little cunt. Gimmie that thing or I break her neck.
Let go of Sarah!
Gimmie the goddamn gun!
BANG!
Shit!
BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG!
Thud.
. . . Oh my god . . . Oh my god!!!
Mom . . . we need to get Jakob to a hospital--
You killed him!!! You fucking killed him, Diana!
He was a monster!
He was keeping us fed and off the goddamn streets!! We're dead now, you hear me? Dead!
We need to call for help! Just give me the phone and--
Get out.
What?!
Get out!! Get the fuck out! OUT!
No! I'm not leaving Sarab and Jakob!
GET OUT!
SMASH!
The girl's eyes flew open as she tumbled off the fence into the muddy dead grass. It was still raining but the sky was much lighter and there was no lightning or thunder. The girl sat up, wincing, then froze. Not three yards away stood a horse.
It was pure white with a dark nose, and was the biggest, most beautiful animal she'd ever seen. The girl sat motionless, but the horse completely ignored her as it nibbled at old weeds. It got closer, and closer. Finally it stopped about a foot away and eyed her while it chewed, ears swiveling.
Then it stepped closer and lowered it's head, sniffing at her bloody, dirty foot. The girl didn't move a muscle even when the horse's nostrils flared in her face, or when it nibbled at her hair. Suddenly losing interest, the horse moved away, turning it's attention to the weeds along the fence.
The girl stiffly got up, grimacing as she put weight on her right leg. She managed to climb back up onto the fence and sat there, rubbing her thigh. She watched the horse eat for a little while, and when it ambled alongside the fence, she reached out and touched its back.
The horse's hide was soaked. It must have been out in the rain all night too. It didn't seem to mind her petting, and when she stopped to rest her arm, it stepped closer to her as if asking for more. She reached out and started scratching it's mane. Moments later, the horse's head shot up, ears flicking back and forth.
After a minute the girl heard it too; a car was coming down the highway. With a snort, the horse abruptly wheeled away. Her fingers still woven into its mane, the girl was jerked off the fence. To keep from falling again, she launched with her good leg onto the horse's back, landing akwardly in a horizontal position on her stomach, desperately clutching the mane with both hands.
The horse let out a squeal and reared, nearly causing her to fall off. She managed to turn so she was half lying half sitting astride it, and wrapped her arms tightly around its slippery neck for dear life as it sprang into a gallop. It carried her across a wide hilly field and jumped over a stream, nearly unseating her.
The horse ran on and on through the rain, the ground and trees nothing but vague blurs. The girl began to grow dizzy and closed her eyes. The rhythmic pounding of hooves against dirt was the last thing she heard before passing out.
*to be cont*
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Mostly Good
General FictionAn unconscious girl is found on the back of a horse after a storm. No one knows who she is or where she is from, and she seems unable to speak. A kind ranch family take her in, hoping they can help her conquer whatever demons lie in her past. Little...
