I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should just stay put and call the tow truck. If I lock both doors, hopefully I can wait here and whoever is out there will leave me alone if there are other people around.
My phone vibrates again.
Unknown: You’re a pretty sitting duck. Just waiting for me to come and hunt you down.
A shiver works its way down my spine. Is my stalker really out there?
Light invades the interior of my little car just for a moment as a bolt of lightning tears the black velvet of the night sky. I brace myself on instinct for the sound that I know is about to follow the light, and that’s when I see him.
Someone in a black hoodie that covers their face is standing right behind my car.
I can’t see much, as the light lasts just a couple of seconds.
A part of me even wonders if I really saw someone or if the hooded figure is just a figment of my imagination.
Unknown: Quack, quack, little ducky.
The vibration of my phone makes me jump, and I drop it.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. I was so panicked that I didn’t even think that I could use the flashlight app so I wouldn’t be in the dark.
I need to get it from the floor, but as I attempt to bend down, something keeps me locked into place.
In the panic of breaking down, I didn’t even unbuckle my seat belt. I feel my way to the side and click the seat belt free.
Feeling down at my feet, I can’t find anything.
“Dammit!” I strain to reach under the pedals and, thank goodness, my fingers touch the smooth surface of my phone case.
As I straighten myself up, the car jolts forward and I hit the steering wheel with my head.
Pain blooms on the side of my forehead, but that’s the least of my worries right now.
The car keeps shaking as if someone were pushing it. It doesn’t last long. I doubt my stalker was trying to move my car; they’re probably just trying to scare me. And they’re doing an excellent job.
Maybe I should call the cops, but even in my panicked state, I hesitate. They’re gonna have questions that I might not be prepared to answer. Besides, who knows how long it’s going to take for the police to get here. By then, I might be dead if the person outside gets to me first.
Another bolt of light scars the sky, and I catch another glimpse of the hooded figure. They’re no longer behind the car; now they’re standing in front of it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More thunder and lightning clap with a deafening noise, but as the car begins shaking again, I realize that the loud sound isn’t coming just from the thunder.
The flashes of light that precede each thunder show me more of what’s happening outside, and a part of me preferred the darkness.
My stalker is hitting my windshield with something heavy, and it’s only a matter of time before they break into my car.
I can’t stay here.
If they get me, I’m pretty sure they aren’t going to ask for my autograph.
The way I see it, I have one chance to run for my life.
While the obvious choice would be to run toward camp, in the direction my car was headed, that would mean running past my attacker.
I’m probably better off running in the opposite direction and using the surprise factor of getting out of the car to my advantage to get away. The road is dark, and while that hinders me, it hinders my stalker too. To catch me, they’re gonna have to see me first.
Another blow to my windshield causes me to wince. I need to go before the windshield breaks, but I have to time it right. I’m only going to get one chance at this. And I don’t like my odds if the hooded stalker gets their hands on me.
