If you’re thinking about a road trip in Europe, here’s a heads-up: steer clear of the A41 motorway. Consider this more than a mere suggestion – it’s a damn warning.
Back in the day, I fancied myself a seasoned traveler. Uni days were a riot of road trips. Did the whole central Europe road trip gig on a shoestring budget, living like a wild nomad in a tent, cooking grub over a campfire, and occasionally neglecting my hygiene for the better part of a week.
But this trip was different. It was me and Mei’s first adventure together. Three months into our love story.
Mei insisted she was cool with tent life. I, on the other hand, had grand plans for her to enjoy the trip in comfort. So, we ditched the tent idea, upgraded to hotels, and decided to dive into the local eats scene.
Ah, the sweet irony of it all. Here’s how it unfolded in reality:
September 12, 2023. Rolling past the Austrian border, six hours into our journey. The radio hits a snag, moments of pure static fill the air, and then a voice cuts through—an anchor speaking in Italian.
Mei scrolls through her phone, legs propped up on the car’s dashboard.
“Hey, check this out,” she remarks, absorbed in another online article, “Venice has only one cemetery. Due to limited space, they exhume burials every few years to free up room.”
“Sounds wild,” I comment.
“I’m curious if we can visit. It seems like it’s on some shallow island.”
The sun sets, casting an orange glow on the highway, bustling with cars – people either heading home from work or, like us, making their way to Venice.
Mei breaks the silence, asking, “Feeling hungry?”
I decline.
“Alright then.”
Something clicks. When she asks such questions, it usually means the opposite. She’s likely hungry but hesitant to admit it. Mei doesn’t often vocalize her needs, leaving me to decide our next move. Catching on, I suggest, “Actually, I could go for a snack. Let’s hit the next gas station.”
“Sure thing.”
“You hungry too?”
“Yeah, a bit.”
I chuckle. Looks like I’ve learned Mei’s cues.
“You could’ve just said you were hungry.”
“Hey, I’m not… ugh.”
We share a laugh.
“Check for any exits on the highway,” I suggest.
Mei glances at the navigator. “Seems like the nearest exit is a bit of a stretch. No gas stations in sight.”
“Come on, look, there’s an exit,” I point out, spotting a small one on the right.
“That’s strange, I didn’t see it on the map… Think we can grab a snack there?”
“Either way, it’s a chance to pause and stretch. Looks like some sort of forest road. And I could use a break.”
We veer off onto the road, guided by a sign indicating it’s the A41.
It’s a serene, deserted single-lane highway. The scenery outside remains unchanged: thick woods, occasional clearings, and reflectors lining the roadside.
Suddenly, the radio crackles with interference. Mei scans through various stations, encountering the same disturbance everywhere.
“Can you turn it off? It’s messing with my head.”
“Driving in silence can be stressful too,” Mei counters.
“Depends. Sometimes it helps me gather my thoughts.”
“Oh, come on, Finn, you’re so… German.”
“Hey, that sounded like an insult. And what’s with the stereotypes about Germans? Okay, if you don’t like silence, I’ve got an ancient CD of music here.”
I retrieve the CD from the glove compartment, its age frightening to contemplate. Surprisingly, it only contains one song—old German pop, presumably recorded by the car’s previous owner.
“Now we’ll have one song on repeat. That’s something, right?”
“You’re a tough one to please,” I chuckle.
“Speaking of which… There’s no gas station in sight. And the navigator’s a bit slow.”
“Maybe we should turn around and hit the main road. My bad for suggesting this weird route.”
“Let’s give it another five minutes, and if nothing comes up, we’ll turn around.”
As darkness sets in, our headlights illuminate only reflectors along the road, with no signs of civilization.
The old song plays on loop, and a realization hits me.
“Hey, we’ve got a bag of chips from the last stop. You can snack on those for now.”
“Hmm, where is it?”
Mei digs into her backpack, shuffling through packages in search of chips.
Ahead, a car is visible, its distinct Ford Focus silhouette catching my eye.
“Odd,” I murmur.
“What?” Mei looks up, interrupting her search.
“There’s another Ford Focus up ahead, same blue color. We’ll catch up to them soon.”
“It’s not that rare of a car model.”
“Fair enough.”
As Mei tears open some bags, an item drops to the floor, prompting her to search the car interior.
“I can’t find the chips. They’re not here.”
“They’re there.”
“Maybe you left them at the gas station.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, then they must have evaporated.”
“Give me the backpack.”
I reach into my backpack and, to no one’s surprise, find the bag of chips instantly.
“See?”
“FINN!”
“Wha- Oh, shit!”
The headlights blind me momentarily as the blue Ford Focus, previously ahead of us, hurtles toward us with only centimeters to spare. A gasp catches in my throat, and my hands tighten on the steering wheel.
“FINN!!!”
I slam on the brakes, but the collision is imminent. The white light envelops us, blinding and all-consuming. I squeeze my eyes shut, anticipating impact. Just before it happens, I capture one last snapshot: the blinding white light of oncoming headlights, the vague silhouette of the other driver, and the license plate.
And then… nothing happens.
My car comes to an abrupt halt. The sudden stop propels me forward, but the seat belts do their job, yanking me back into reality.
I open my eyes. The breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escapes in a rush. We’re on the side of the road. The front window is intact. And, well, I seem to be intact too.
“Mei? Mei, are you okay?”
“Yes,” comes her voice, steady but tinged with disbelief.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t know what happened, but it scared the hell out of me.”
“Same.”
I unbuckle my seatbelt, eager to step out of the car. A breath of fresh air is much needed after something like that.
“What the heck…” Mei whispers.
We exit the car. The road ahead is eerily quiet and empty. In the absence of our headlights, it appears remarkably dark.
“Where’s the other car? Where did it go?”
“I… I have no idea. I suppose they passed us.”
“And vanished so quickly? Seriously, they’re insane. How could they turn around and just drive into oncoming traffic? I wish we had a picture of their license plate.”
I feel terrible. My heart is still pounding in my chest.
“I’ve had it with this ridiculous road; let’s turn back onto the highway.”
“Agreed.”
We trudge back in silence, the air thick with tension.
“Where are those chips?” Mei’s voice finally pierces the quiet.
“Oh, really? I’ll-“
“Ah, forget it; there’s a gas station up ahead.”
I glance up and, without a doubt, spot the glow of gas station lights on the side of the road.
“What the… We couldn’t have missed it on the road, could we?”
“But it’s definitely a gas station.”
I’ve got nothing to dispute. We coast towards the station, greeted by a few Italian billboards and a beckoning neon sign shaped like an arrow.
“Listen,” I say to Mei as we step out of the car. “It’s nuts, but it looks like we turned around during that… accident. And when we turned around again, we went forward on the A41, not towards our highway.”
“Did you turn the car around?”
“That’s the thing. I didn’t. But I’m pretty damn sure that gas station wasn’t there when we went the other way.”
“Let me check the map.”
I stretch my back. Everything feels off after the accident-that-never-happened, even the air carries a strange scent.
“Damn. No internet.”
I pull out my phone and check the connection. Nothing.
“Alright grab some snacks, and then we’ll figure it out.”
It’s a standard self-service petrol station, brightly illuminated, with a vending machine nearby. Mei spots a bio-toilet stall.
“Grab me a water and a Snickers, please. I’ll be in the toilet.”
I head over to the machine and notice it’s nearly empty, with just a few candy bars, a packet of nachos, and a handful of drinks. Not much variety. I purchase a bottle of water, an energy drink, and two candy bars.
Mei is back.
“What a dead zone… no communication, no people.”
My anxiety heightens. By the time I settle behind the wheel, breathing becomes a challenge. Mei notices my unease.
“You okay, Finn?”
“Yeah… it just feels off. This place is strange. Let’s get out of here.”
“Which way should we go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the gas station lights were out, and we missed it. I’m more inclined to believe that than our car pulling an inconspicuous 180.”
“Oh… Honestly, I just want to get to my hotel room and faceplant into my pillow.”
“I feel you, babe.”
We drive along, lost in our thoughts. The scenery remains unchanged: trees, reflectors, trees, reflectors, trees….
“Okay, we’re definitely on the wrong side. We’ve been driving for who knows how long, and there’s no sign of our highway.”
“Should we turn around?”
With a heavy sigh, I make a U-turn.
“We’ll be driving all night like this.”
“I can’t help it. If the navigator wasn’t going haywire, we’d be off this damn road by now.”
“Wait, there’s something over there.”
As the car turns, the headlights catch something peculiar in the trees. Something sizable. I’m uncertain about what it is. Does it even matter? Mei’s eyes are sharper than mine.
“It’s a bus.”
“Really?”
“I think so. Looks abandoned.”
Whatever. I keep driving. At some point, Mei dozes off in an uncomfortably twisted position. Sleepiness creeps over me too. We pass the gas station.
Finally. It shouldn’t be far now. From the highway to this gas station… about fifteen minutes, right? We drive for twenty, then maybe half an hour. Starting to feel a bit queasy. Even the energy drink ain’t doing squat to keep me awake. I’m wrestling with my drooping eyelids, and the road’s just a blurry gray mess. And then, thank the heavens, the trees start to thin out.
“Fucking finally,” I mutter. It’s enough to rouse Mei.
“What’s up?”
“Looks like we’re rolling up on something. Lights ahead.”
“Phew… I was nodding off. Been a while since I–”
We both hit pause. The lights up ahead? Just another gas station. Slam on the brakes.
“Damn, I’m SO sick of this. Feels like I’m losing my mind.”
“Did we take a wrong turn somewhere? Maybe it’s a different road?”
“No turns around here.”
“So, what… what are we gonna do? Got a hotel reservation. And besides…”
“I don’t know what to do, okay? I’m fucking clueless.”
Mei goes quiet. I feel even shittier now.
“Sorry. I’m an idiot. Just really tired.”
“I get it.”
The night’s biting cold. We pace around outside the car, stretching our legs.
“Alright, one thing’s for sure. I can’t keep driving; it’s getting risky. Need some sleep.”
“I could give driving a shot.”
“You’re tired too, you’re itching to sleep. My suggestion? Catch some Zs until dawn.”
Damn, now I’m wishing I brought a tent or some sleeping bags. If I had tools or camping gear, we could’ve boiled water and made some tea. Ah, sweet dreams.
“Let’s at least drive up to the gas station and sleep behind it.”
That’s reasonable. We pull up to the gas station - the same self-service station with its obscure Italian advertising signs. I wish they’d toss a map of the area on these things. I don’t need a full map; just a hint of which direction to head would be nice.
“I’ll grab some more water,” Mei says.
I slump back in my seat, keeping an eye on Mei as she approaches the vending machine, attempting to extract water from it. Something’s clearly awry; she’s spending an unusual amount of time in there. I let out a heavy sigh. My head feels like a sack of bricks. But I muster the energy to walk over to Mei.
“You having trouble there?”
“There’s no water. Just soda.”
“Yeah, last gas station had only one bottle. Looks like they’re having a supply hiccup here.”
I glance at the vending machine’s meager offerings. And it’s… the same. A packet of nachos. A few bottles. A couple of candy bars.
“Same old story,” I say. “Feels like we’re back at that same gas station.”
Mei lets out a disappointed sigh.
“Italy isn’t as romantic.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover! Dawn’s coming, and we’ll be off this damn road. And I promise you, no more stupid driveway exits. Come on, let’s rest for a couple of hours.”
The wind rustles through the trees. I swear I hear a distant howl. Wolves, maybe? We’re stretched out in reclined car seats, gazing at the thrilling view of a petrol station’s rubbish bin. Well, I’ve slept in worse places. My college dorm room? A whole different level.
But Mei. I really wanted her to enjoy this trip, to embrace traveling and share my passion. And what happened? I dragged her to the middle of nowhere and snapped at her for no good reason.
Mei stays quiet, but the hitching breath tells me she’s still awake. I shut my eyes, and a strange sensation washes over me.
That last moment before the supposed collision with the other blue Ford Focus sticks to my retinas. The mental replay hits me – the bright light, the blurred silhouette in the opposite window.
It takes me a moment to shake off my slumber, as if emerging from deep water.
“Are you okay? You’re breathing so hard,” Mei asks.
“I…I’m like… I’m probably just glitching. But damn. I think I saw the license plates of that blue Ford for a second. And I think – yeah, I know how that sounds – I think it had the exact same plates as us.”