“I found one, I’m going to run back to the main road and get that woman’s car going,” he said, then hesitated, looking back over where Marcus and the others were tending to Thomas. “Can we just keep this between us? She didn’t see anything, and I don’t see any reason to get everyone worked up over nothing.”
“If you’re sure she didn’t see anything, I don’t see why not,” Aaron said, shrugging his shoulders. “But you’d better hurry, someone is going to notice that you’re gone before too long.”
He didn’t bother to reply, just grabbed the gas can and took off down the road at a quick walk, then broke into a run when he was sure no one could see him. It took longer than he would have liked to make it the two miles back down the road, but he finally came out on the main road and spotted the stalled car right away. Remembering the frightened look in the woman’s eyes, he approached the vehicle slowly, not wanting to scare her, but when he got up to the window, she was either asleep or passed out; he couldn’t tell which.
Trying not to panic, he tapped softly on the glass, hoping to wake her, but she didn’t stir. “Hey, are you okay in there?” he called, tapping a little harder. “I brought you some gas just like I promised.”
A frown appeared on the woman’s face, but she didn’t open her eyes, so he rapped on the glass even harder, using his knuckle this time. “Hey, I think you’d better wake up,” he called, still knocking. “I think we need to get you warmed up; you might be experiencing some hypothermia. Come on, wake up now.”
The woman finally opened her eyes and rolled her head toward him, a look of confusion on her face at first, but then she let out an ear-piercing scream that made him jump back from the car. He held up the gas can, hoping she’d understand he wasn’t there to hurt her, then waited as she put it all together and began to relax. After mimicking dumping the gas into her car, she pointed to the back passenger side, but clearly wasn’t going to open the door or roll down the window.
It stung a little that she didn’t trust him, but he tried to see the situation from her perspective and decided he’d do the same thing. He just wished he could talk to her, make her understand that she had to keep silent about what she’d seen. He couldn’tjust let her leave without warning her; if she started talking and spreading stories, bad things could happen, and he wouldn’t be able to stop them.
Hoping she’d be willing to listen after he put the gas in, he went around to the other side and poured the entire can into her tank, then closed the little door and walked back around to the driver’s window. After mimicking starting the car, she turned the key, a look of disappointment on her face when it only sputtered, but she tried again, and the car fired right up. She looked over at him, a look of relief on her face, then rolled the window down a couple of inches.
“Thank you,” she said. “I thought I was going to freeze waiting for help.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, then hesitated. “I know you saw some…strange things tonight…I was hoping that you’d…well…keep it between us.”
***Paula***
Paula didn’t answer right away. She didn’t want to admit what she’d seen even to herself, and although he’d brought her gas, she wasn’t sure she could trust the man, especially since he didn’t seem the least bit freaked out by the creature. The car was already beginning to warm up, making her realize just how cold she’d been, and it popped into her head that she could have just imagined the bird or whatever it was, a side effect of hypothermia or something.
“It looked like your friend was really hurt, but it’s really none of my business,” she finally said, not wanting to look like a fool if the creature had been her imagination. “Thank you for bringing me the gas. I guess I should head home, it’s late and I have…never mind, it doesn’t matter, I’m rambling. Thank you again.”
She started to roll up the window, but the man surprised her by stepping closer. “You're welcome, but you didn’t even tell me your name,” he said. “I’m Ryan. I wish we’d met under different circumstances.”
The strange warmth was back, spreading through her body. She made the mistake of looking into his eyes, sending a wave of desire shooting through her. “I think I need to go,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t pick men up on the side of the road.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…I wasn’t…” Ryan said, backing away from her car, shaking his head. “Have a nice night.”
She rolled up the window, put the car in gear and pulled away, leaving him standing in the middle of the road, feeling a little guilty, but hearing her father’s voice in her head telling her to be careful. By the time she made it back to Elmwood Junction, her car felt like a furnace, but she was still chilled, despite the heat, even after several hours in the car. Exhausted, she climbed out of the car just as the sun was rising and climbed the stairs to her apartment. Her only thought was of falling into bed and sleeping for most of the day.
Her roommate was standing in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hand, when she walked in, “Well, look who’s dragging in at the crack of dawn, that must have been some story,” Connie said. “Which one of the players did you hook up with? I hope it was that one with the big blue eyes, he’s…”
“I ran out of gas on the way home,” she interrupted before Connie could really get started. “I got stranded on the top of the mountain and had to walk a couple of miles to find help.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Connie demanded. “I would have come to help you.”
“I didn’t have cell service, not even 911,” she said, dropping her purse and shrugging out of her jacket. “I just want a hot shower and my bed; it’s been an incredibly long night.”
“You should eat something,” Connie said, walking over to the refrigerator. “I’ll make you some eggs while you shower, you’ll sleep better on a full stomach.”
The thought of breakfast made her stomach growl. “Now that you mention food, I am starving,” she said. “Thanks, Connie, that would be great. I don’t suppose you could throw in some toast too?”
“With strawberry jelly,” Connie said, pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator. “I think I’ll join you, now I’m hungry too.”
She let the hot water wash away the dirt and grime from her trek through the woods, used a generous amount of soap to scrub away the stink of her fear, then washed her hair twice just to be sure it was clean. When she stepped out of the shower, she felt more like herself, but she was still questioning what she’d seen the night before, wondering if she’d imagined the whole thing.
The smell of bacon greeted her when she opened her bedroom door and she followed it down the hallway to the kitchen. “Just in time,” Connie said, sliding two perfectly cooked eggs onto a plate. “Sit down, I just poured you a cup of coffee.”
“You’re too good to me,” she said, sliding gratefully into a chair. “Last night was horrible. I can’t believe I forgot to put gas in my car. I was so excited about getting assigned the story that I completely forgot.”
“I don’t know why you were so excited to cover a stupid basketball game,” Connie said, putting a heaping plate of food down in front of her. “Who cares about sports anyway?”
“Lots of people,” she said, picking up her fork. “I personally couldn’t care less, but doing some sports coverage will look good on my resume.”
“If you say so,” Connie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Did you really sit in your car all night? It’s freezing out there.”
