Sometimes your eyes play tricks on you when it’s dark. At least that’s what I told myself the first time I saw one of them.
I had been in my hometown this week visiting my parents when I got a text from an old friend,
“Hey J, I know you’re busy man,” it read, “but Cam is home too, and I thought we could order some food and watch the game”
I have never been big on sports, but I hadn’t seen Will in well over a year and Cam in even longer. On the way out the door my mom told me to be safe, text her when I get there, all the usual.
Will lives pretty far back into the woods and it took me awhile to get there. After being chastised a bit for being late, we threw a pizza in the oven and sat down. We spent more time talking about what we’d been up to than watching the game, which was fine by me. Time always flies among good company and before I knew it, it was well after midnight.
“James, just stay dude. I already cleaned the futon.”
“First of all, I’ve slept enough nights on that futon to know how bad my back will hurt in the morning. Second, I promised my parents I’d make them breakfast in the morning.”
After a little more complaining from them, we finally said our goodbyes and made the yearly promise that we will really keep in touch this time.
Seeing that it was very late and there were no streetlights for miles, I threw on my high beams and started making my way home. I always have a bit of an uneasy feeling driving dark roads at night, so I opened my phone to put on some music. After 30 seconds of buffering, I remembered how horrible my service was out here and turned off my phone.
It was shortly after that when I saw it. In my peripheral vision, I swore I saw a person standing a few yards off the side of the road. A quick glance at my rearview mirror showed nothing of interest and put my mind at ease.
“Sometimes your eyes play tricks on you when it’s dark. I should really start wearing my glasses when I drive.”
The moment I finished scolding myself it happened again. A person standing perfectly still on the side of the road. I only caught a glimpse, but this time I was positive I wasn’t seeing things. Another look at my mirrors yielded the same result as before, but I knew what I saw.
Instinctually I stepped on the gas a little. I knew these roads like the back of my hand, and I could afford to speed for my peace of mind.
Unfortunately, all the peace of mind in the world could not have prepared me for what I saw next. My driver’s side mirror exploded as the face of a small girl flew past my window. I slammed on my brakes before I could think.
My heart was beating out of my chest as I came to grips with what had just happened. Where had she come from? I may not be the most blessed visually, but I knew that there was nobody in the road for me to have hit.
As stupid as it may sound, I stepped out of my car to check on the girl. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I committed a hit and run. My stomach did a flip when I looked up to see… Nothing. No little girl, no remnants of my mirror, not even fallen twigs or leaves. The road was bare. Thoroughly scared at this point, I scrambled back into my car and shut the door, barely noticing that my mirror was back in its place, unscathed. That was until I saw a white spot in the corner of my vision.
I looked into my newly returned mirror to see two pale figures in plain clothes standing in the tree line maybe thirty feet behind my car. They didn’t seem to move. I couldn’t make out details in the low light, but I could feel their gazes fixed on me, burning holes through me.
I lost control of my body as I felt my foot try to push the gas pedal through the floor. I had never understood how intense true fight or flight is until that moment. I stole another glance at my mirror and yet again the figures had disappeared.
There was a lull, and I took a moment to breathe and get my bearings. I saw a small country billboard that I knew was about halfway between my parents’ house and Will’s. It had a small light on top to make the advertisement visible at all hours. This brough me a brief moment of comfort that was quickly shattered when I saw what looked like a pair of bare feet below the sign.
As I drove past, I turned around and to my horror, there was a man, backlit by the dim glow of the sign. This man was unnaturally tall and gaunt. His facial features were hidden to me, but like before I could feel… whatever it was staring daggers into my soul.
My knuckles turned white, and I thought I might snap the steering wheel in half from how hard I was gripping it. I told myself that no matter what, I would not look in my mirrors again before I made it home. My, foot still pressed firmly to the floor; I concentrated on the dark, unmarked pavement. It took all my willpower not to look at the things I saw in the corners of my vision.
I was so focused on avoiding my mirrors that it took me almost half a minute to notice the bright red and blue glow that filled them. Realizing what I was seeing, I was brought back down to Earth. As much as it pained me, I pulled over into the shallow ditch that lined the road.
A shout filled the air as I rolled down my window.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Before I could answer, the officer spoke again, more concerned than angry this time.
“James? Christ alive, son, are you trying to kill someone? Why are you driving like a goddamn maniac?”
Officer Wilcox was a good friend of my father. Those two used to spend nights in our den, drinking and discussing what new gun they bought that week. I thanked God that he was the one to pull me over.
“Sir, I am so sorry. I…”
What was I going to tell him? That I hit a little girl with my car and ran because I saw something scary in the dark? He would think I’m a fucking lunatic.
“I was being chased. A car without their lights on was following me until probably a mile back. I know I should’ve called it in. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Not very believable but the best I could come up with.
“Jesus kid, I don’t even know what to say to that. Have you has anything to drank or taken anything tonight?”
“No sir,” a lie, I’d had two beers a few hours prior, “I really am sorry, I was just so scared and didn’t know what to do.”
“Alright, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you off with a warning…”
I breathed a sigh of relief before he finished.
“On the condition that tomorrow you come to the station and make a written statement about the incident.”
Lying to a family friend was one thing, but lying under oath was another thing entirely. I thought for a moment before agreeing to his terms. It was stupid, but it was the choice that got me off this God-forsaken road and behind the locked doors of my parents house the fastest.
He told me that he would drive back the way I came and look for anything suspicious and sent me on my way. All of my anxiety flooded back as he shut his lights off and disappeared from view. Despite that, I also knew that he would be the only officer on duty and I wouldn’t have to worry about my speed for the rest of the drive.
I put my foot back to the floor, flying through intersections that I knew would be empty and catching air a few times over the small hills that dotted the road. My car was taking a beating, but I had to get home.
I don’t know if it was because I was so hyper focused on the road, or if there was truly nothing to see for the rest of the ride home, but by the time I reached my driveway I had not seen another one of the figures.
That realization did not help with the massive pit that the thought of walking to my front door created in my stomach. I had never been more afraid than at that moment. Eventually I psyched myself up enough to make a break for it.
I opened my door and ran as fast as I could onto the front porch. While I fumbled to find my house key, I looked over my shoulder out of habit. As far as I could tell there was nothing to be seen. The neighborhood was as it usually was at this hour, quiet and deserted.
As I turned back around, I felt all the air leave my body. In the reflection of the storm door, I saw two pale hands on my shoulders and a twisted face towering over my head.
I woke up in the back of an ambulance, screaming. My mother had found me unconscious on the porch, bleeding from a gash where I had hit my head on the way down. Nobody believes me when I try to explain what happened. I write this as Officer Wilcox and a quiet man in a suit sit and wait for me to finish.
I don’t know what they were, but I know that they were real.
And I know that I don’t drive at night anymore.