Cedar Port

Annie drove along the dark and winding road, desperate to just reach her destination after days of traveling.

She had been driving for at least ten hours to visit her sister's place. And while she had made the drive countless times before, she never got used to it. Night had long since fallen and cloaked the long road in black. So now, all she could see was shadows and the trees flickering out of view as she drove past.

Annie hated driving alone. Especially on this road. She always felt creepy, like someone was watching her. And it didn't help that it was night and the nearest town was miles away. No one would hear her if something happened.

Annie turned the radio on. She couldn't think about that right now, or she'll start spiraling. And you don't spiral in the middle of a dirt road in the countryside.

The radio played a few songs, Annie listened and tried to ignore the suffocating darkness of the road. Her heart dropped when the radio changed to news.

The staticy voice filled the car and resonated within Annie's cold blood. "We would like to warn all of our listeners about a short white man with long brown hair. The recent attacks the police are attributing to based on witness accounts to a man matching that description."

Annie pulled the car over.

She reached into the glove compartment shaking and brought out her pepper spray and flashlight. She was being paranoid, she knew but she had to check her trunk and backseat for... Something. If she thought about it too much she might actually lose it on the road.

Getting out of the car, her shoes crunched against the gravelly and leaf laden road. Her flashlight clicked on and all of the forest seemed to sit still as she shone the light into her backseat.

Nothing. Of course there's nothing, she was being silly. She released a sigh and then moved to open the trunk. Shining the flashlight around, she found nothing.

She laughed slightly to herself, she had become so paranoid recently. What would her sister say if she was here?

Annie slammed the trunk shut and went back to her car. Sliding into the front seat, she turned the radio on and let her shoulders relax as she drove down the road.

Nothing happened for several minutes. Annie was getting nearer to her next stop and her anticipation had peaked. Then, she squinted and saw a person attempting to hail a cab on the side of the road.

That's weird. Annie thought. Why would someone be this far out of town this late at night?

Annie slowed to a crawl and accessed the person. In the dark, Annie couldn't tell what they looked like. But they appeared to be in their twenties, with red shaggy hair and a peach colored jumper. Annie couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman.

She stopped the car either way, whoever they were, it was way too late for them to be out on their own.

The person's eyes lit up and they bounded over to her window and began tapping on the glass. Annie tentatively rolled the window down and opened her mouth to ask who they were, but was interrupted.

"Could you please drive me home? I'm coming from a party and I only live a couple miles away." Their voice was distinctly feminine, Annie noted. So they were a girl after all.

Annie smiled and unlocked the passenger seat. "Sure, which town are you heading into?"
The girl thanked Annie again and again before rushing to the passenger seat. "Cedar Port. Is that outside of your drive?"