I have lived in the same area my whole life. A few years ago my mom got remarried so we moved about 30 minutes away into a bigger home that would be a more comfortable fit for our family. My grandparents ended up leaving their rental to take over our old home. This was nice because me and my brother would spend our weekends there and it was a home we were comfortable in considering we grew up there. Our new house was great but since it was in a different town the school district was different. I graduated high school a few years back but my younger brother is still in high school and he was not very keen on switching districts. He’s also part of the popular groups in school and didn’t want to lose his friends. So, after several back and forths with our mom, they came to an agreement.
During the week my brother would sleep at my grandparents ( our old home ) so that he could stay in the school district. This was fine, but it meant a lot of driving for me. My brother likes coming home after school some days so I would drive to pick him up at 2:30 and then bring him back later in the evening. Needless to say, I take the same rout every time. I could get there with my eyes closed. I know every stop light, every store on the way there, every turn and every road sign.
Tonight was different though. Its October now and fall is starting to come into effect here in New York. The weather has cooled down a fair bit. I was looking forward to the drive due to a stressful day. My brother texted me at 9:00 pm asking if I could come pick him up. He doesn’t have school tomorrow so he wanted to come home for the weekend. I texted him back letting him know I would be leaving shortly. I quickly got out of bed and put my glasses on. I only need them for distance and they help a ton when i’m driving, especially at night. I headed out the door and got into my car. I turned it on and connected my phone to bluetooth and plugged it into the charger.
I rolled the windows down welcoming the crisp October air and turned up the volume to the radio. Everything was normal at first. There weren’t many cars to share the road with. I approached a red light and took that time to look out the window and appreciate the scenery. There was a slight breeze shaking the leaves on the trees that outlined the sides of the highway. They were still green but there were a few fallen leaves resting in puddles on the ground from yesterday’s thunderstorm. The light turned green and I gently took my foot of the brake taking one last look outside. I pressed the gas and began driving. Then things started to feel a bit strange. I cant really put my finger on it but an uneasiness took over my stomach. I gripped the wheel tighter focusing on the road ahead of me. There were no cars around. Just me.
There was a small shopping center on the left hand side coming up on the road. That shopping center had the best Chinese food in town. The sign for the restaurant was illuminating the road with its bright neon green sign. Thats when I noticed the fog. It looked bizarre. It wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before. It was going horizontally across the road catching the neon green light from the sign. As my car got closer I noticed how strange the fog was. It was almost like I could see every particle making it up. I quickly drove through it and found myself letting out a sigh of relief once I made it out of the fog. I let out a nervous giggle to myself and continued on.
A couple minutes later I found myself at another red light. Leaning back into my seat I looked out of the window. The trees stood still while their leaves shook from the breeze. Several leaves fell gracefully as the breeze came and went. As my eyes focused more on the trees I noticed something peculiar. The leaves were orange, some yellow. It may not sound weird, it sounds like your average fall leaves. The thing is, the leaves were green on the trees I passed ten minutes prior. The light turned green and I shook it off as me being tired.
I had been so focused on the trees outside that I didn’t realize my phone had died and the radio started playing. I grabbed my phone tapping the screen. How could my phone be dead if it was plugged into the car charger? I put my phone down brining my attention back on the road. It was dark. Too dark. The street lights were not lit up like they normally were. I put my brights on to help myself see better and I let out a gasp.
The trees on the sides of the road were rotted. I slowed the car down drastically, almost coming to a stop. My mouth hung open as I looked around me. The homes looked abandoned. The radio started skipping. I let out a scream as I heard a sound coming from the back seat. My eyes began to fill with tears and my body shook. I slowly turned around and relaxed when I saw it was just one of my nephews electronic toys going off. He must have left it back there yesterday I thought to myself. The radio suddenly stopped. I quickly turned my head back around. Silence. It was so dark. So quiet. What is going on I asked myself. I began driving again but I kept a slow and steady pace so I could take in what I was seeing outside. The road began to get bumpy. I started to notice the lack of houses and other landmarks that should have been in the spots that were now taken over by rotting trees. The road was not much of a road anymore but rather a rocky dirt path. My body was in a state of shock.
Where was I? This int right. None of this is right I yelled out loud. Why was everything gone? Why were the trees dead? Where did the road go. I began to panic realizing my phone was dead and there was not a soul in sight that could help me. I was alone. Completely alone in a place I had never been before. I decided to pick up speed to get myself out of wherever I was. Surly there must be a road or something ahead I thought to myself. My headlights flickered and I noticed the same strange fog slightly up ahead.
I closed my eyes as I drove my car though it. When I opened my eyes I saw green. Green leaves on the trees. I Felt a tear roll down my cheek as I took in the world in front of me. Suddenly, I realized my music was playing again. I tapped my phone that was sitting on the passenger’s seat and the time read 10:15 pm. I was minutes away from my grandparent’s home. I continued driving trying to collect my thoughts? Had I been hallucinating? I pulled into the driveway and texted my brother that I was there. He stepped into the car and I sat there in silence. I decide I would be taking a different way home from now on.