A Dark Stretch of Road- Barnabas Deimos

A Dark Stretch of Road

Driving...
Melanie and Diana had been driving for days together. Recently married, the women had been travelling from Florida to California as a long and surprisingly stress-less honeymoon. Somewhere in Arizona or possibly New Mexico, the two had been driving for quite some time along a dusty stretch of road. Miles and miles of nothing stretched in front of them as they plowed down the deserted highway whose number both of them had forgotten. All they knew was that they were headed northwest along it.
In the day the road stretched on with nothing but dust and rock on the either side, Nile ahead of them was a range of short, squat mountains they intended to cross. Now, after they had driven for so long, the sun had gone and abandoned the dust, rocks, and mountains to be devoured by the near total darkness on a moonless night. Only the smallest bit of starlight illuminated their world.
Both talked and let the time pass as they drove. They were in no rush. But slowly they began to wonder when this stretch would end. "Shouldn't we at least start feeling an incline?" But white-line fever often sinks in without you noticing it. Besides, they were enjoying their long overdue and well-deserved time together as wife and wife.
As they drove and drove, their highway hypnosis finally gave way. They both saw it, and a dreadful feeling began to seep in, replacing the happy and carefree feelings they had felt along this trip. Each time they noticed it, Melanie would grab Diana's hand and squeeze it. A comforting motion to assuage the worry and dread nailed into them each time they saw the fuel gauge slowly drop and drop.
They had been driving for so long, they should've gotten there already. Something was wrong...did they really misjudge the length? Did they not fill up before? Things simply did not add up.
And like the inevitable swing of the reapers scythe on all our mortal coils, the car began to slow as the gas that had turned into fumes turned into nothing.
With a crunch on the gravel ground, the car stopped.
Checking both their personal phones and Diana's work cell phone, they found—not much to their surprise—that the signal was nonexistent. It wasn't really a shock considering they had suffered dead spots often in the drive thus far. So the conversation began as to what to do: Stay in the car or walk forward?
A compromise was reached: They would walk forward a bit to see if, a stroke of luck, there was a sign of civilisation close by or even perhaps a roadside assistance call box.
Granted, it was nearly pitch-black out with but a small bit of ambient light. The road was a black stretch touched by oceans of deep purples and blues dotted with shadows,
It was still rather warm outside and they both felt that the fresh air could be good for them. They did their best to make fun of their situation by joking and being playful in order to ignore the possibilities of their unfortunate situation.
        The two trod for but a few minutes before the car was out of sight. They discussed wether they should turn around and go back, and each time they did the discussion ended with "just a little longer," "just a little farther."
        And so they went on farther and farther, wrapped up in their quest and in each other, not noticing much else, until it snuck up on them. Clouds. Thick rolling clouds spreading across the sky. Blotting out the already feeble starlight with their inky black.
        "Go back...we have to go back," they both agreed as the last bit of starlight was voided out. But as they walked back toward the car, that realised it was too late for such a choice. Blackness stretched before them, behind them, above them. The only way they even knew the other was there was by their clapped hands and breathing.
        "We'll eventually get to the car," they thought. "Just keep a straight line, and walk we'll get there."
        On they walked but nothing broke up the monotonous pitch-black world.
        Worry, panic, fear, and frustration seeped into their voices. Only the fact that they held each others hand throughout it, and knew the other was there, kept them from developing into abject loss and hopelessness.
        It felt like an eternity...
        Then light.
        A small flicker of light springing to life in short bursts then finally stabilising to a constant one.
        It appeared to be a roadway light, which meant that something there or at least nearby. At least they hoped so.
        The women ran to it, towards the light bobbing up and down in their sprint toward what felt like a light of salvation.
        As they got closer they noticed hat the night was so dark that the light barely illuminated the ground beneath it and it didn't even shine on its own post.
        They both ran up to it, and underneath the feeble light, they embraced. Not even realising the ground was wet though it had not rained.
        They lost themselves in a celebratory and relieved a kiss. So relieved that they didn't even mind the strong smell.
        Suddenly, the light bobbed a bit. They both looked up.
        Two bulbous cloudy white eyes were revealed by the moving light.
        The tongue they were standing on moved.
        The light went out.
        The wives screamed, holding each other, as the monstrous jaws they had walked into slammed shut.