short story by Andrew John Voller

The window squeaked its way up to rest between the rubber grips as Frank cranked the lever just below the armrest on his door. He hadn’t seen another car on the interstate for hours. The terrain was barren, flat as the pavement and illuminated eerily by the moonlight. He was heading to Texarkana to bunker down for the night. He finally reached the sign illuminated back at him in his headlights that told him of the approaching State Highway 93.

He put his foot on the gas. It would still be another thirty miles of a drive and his eyelids were growing heavy. Just then, they flew open and he swerved his car to the side of the road. He slammed on the brakes, and the wheels screamed as he skidded off to the shoulder.

Frank gripped the wheel until his knuckles turned white, trying to keep the hulking metal body of the car in control. It worked. The car came to a lurching stop, jolting him forward. He sat for a second breathing heavily, then shoved the door open and stepped out onto the road, gravel crunching beneath his boots. A young girl stood in the middle of the highway, staring at him in horror.

“What the fuck are you doing? It’s the middle of the night! I could have hit you. You could be dead!”

“It’s Michael. He had too much too drink,” she said.

She looked odd. Her skin was snow white, and the edges of her body looked blurry in Frank’s eyes. “What are you talking about?” He started to walk toward her but stopped mid-stride.

She put her hand up in a halting motion. “I wonder if you could give me a ride. I’m heading towards Texarkana.”

“Do you realize you could have killed us both? I mean, what are you thinking?”

“Please. Michael could be hurt,” she said.

“If I give you a ride, will you talk to me? Will you tell me what you were doing out here in the middle of the night just standing here?”

“Yes. But, please, we must hurry.”

Frank’s mind was still buzzing from his near accident. He gave the girl a once over. She was skinny as a rail, wearing a light blue cotton summer dress. Her hair was brown and knotted. She had wide green deep-set eyes, a small nose and pouting bluish lips. She stared at Frank with a pleading look.

“OK. Get in the car.”

She followed quickly, seating herself in the back.

“I don’t bite.” Frank gave a chuckle that turned quickly into a cough.

“Please hurry. There will be a road sign half a mile farther. After that there is a sharp curve in the road. Michael has been drinking and he drives really fast. We have to catch him; that curve is dangerous!”

“Your boyfriend?”

“My brother.” She sounded on the verge of tears.

“Well, what happened?”

“He’s got a terrible temper. When he drinks it’s that much worse. I was telling him to slow down. He was driving so fast.”

“But how did you end up in the middle of the road?”

“He kicked me out of the car. It’s not his fault. I was hollering something awful. I was scared for my life. He promised me he would stop drinking.”

“He just left you there?”

“Please drive faster, we have to catch him! Look, there’s the sign. The curve is coming.”

“You drive this road a lot? There isn’t a house around for miles,” Frank observed.

“Yes. I’m stuck here. I try to catch him every time. Not very often does a car come along at this time of night. I think we may have a shot at catching him!”

“What do you mean every time?” Frank asked. None of this was making much sense.

“Has he done this before – ” Suddenly he had to slam hard on the brakes as the road curved sharply. “Shit, that comes out of nowhere!”

“It’s too late,” the girl said sadly. “He’s already gone.”

Frank slowed the car down, now on straight highway once more. “Did he go on to Texarkana?”

“No. He’s already dead.”

“What?” Frank asked, his head now reeling. “What do you mean he’s dead? There isn’t any crash here.”

“We weren’t fast enough.”

“What are you saying? Is your head right, girl? Look, I’m heading to town. There ain’t nothing else on this road. He must have gone there.”

No! You don’t understand!” She was screaming now. “He isn’t going anywhere unless I help him! He kicked me out of the car and then drove off. He hit the curve in the road and crashed! I ran but I wasn’t fast enough. I’m never fast enough to stop him. But I don’t care how many times I have to try. I am going to stop him. I’m going to save him.”

Frank felt dizzy. He knew this girl must be drunk or on drugs. “Look, I’ll bring you into town. Do you have a place to stay? I’m heading to a motel if you want to get yourself a room there.”

“I can’t go into town,” she cut him off. “I’ve got to stay on the road. I’ve got to save Michael.”

“Michael isn’t here! Don’t you see there ain’t no one around? What is wrong with you? Why do you have to stay on the road?”

“Because this is the road we died on,” she whispered.

Frank spun around. The backseat was empty. She’d vanished.