roared to life. She remembered the lectures from first her dad, and then her boyfriends, about the dangers of leaving your keys in your car.
“Hah! So there!” She pushed the accelerator to the floor and squealed down the driveway and into the street. It was then that she saw the face in her rear view mirror.
The man leaned forward from the back seat.
“Come to me now.”
He grabbed her hair and pulled back. Anna felt the cold metal of the knife against her exposed throat.
She screamed, and in her panic turned the steering wheel hard to the right. Anna’s eyes never left the rear view mirror until her speeding car hit the tree.
The airbag in the steering column did its job and saved Anna’s life. She had forgotten all about her seat belt, and probably would have died on the spot without the bag.
Anna was knocked momentarily unconscious. When she came to, her head was resting on a twisted steering wheel and in the remains of a now deflated airbag. The car had struck the tree in the center of the grill. The front end had wrapped around the trunk as if clutching it in a grotesque embrace. Steam rose from the smashed radiator and Anna could smell gasoline.
The first thing Anna did was look in the now broken rear-view mirror. The man stared back at her without having moved an inch in the crash. He reached again for her hair.
“No!” Anna tried to open the driver’s side door, but it was jammed shut. The window had shattered, so she frantically clawed and climbed her way out backwards until she was sitting on the door with only her legs in the car. An icy hand wrapped around each of her ankles and started to pull.
Anna fell backward from the car, hearing once more in her mind the man’s hypnotic plea.
“Come to me, my darling. Come to me.”
Anna felt someone strong grab her as she fell and lower her softly to the ground. She screamed again and swung her fist. She hit her neighbor, Sam, squarely on the nose.
“Ouch!” Sam fell back holding his now bleeding nose.
“I’m so sorry, Sam,” Anna tried to get up but was too dizzy from the crash. She crawled to Sam. I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was him.”
“Who?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Anna kept repeating.
Sam was one of those people who are just plain-old nice. If anyone in the neighborhood needed help, Sam was there. Today was no exception.
“That’s okay,” Sam sniffled. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so,” Anna stumbled to her feet, and for the first time looked at the twisted wreck that was up until a moment ago her car. “Oh shit.”
“What happened, Anna?” Sam asked. “I was sitting on my porch and you come running out of your house like it was on fire or something. Then you get into your car and peel off like a bat out of Buffalo. Then you just turn and run straight into the tree. It was almost like you did it on purpose.”
“No, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Anna said.
“Then what?” Sam asked. “Get a blow out or something?”
Anna thought for a moment before answering. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Figured as much,” Sam said. He walked over to the car and peeked into the passenger side. “What a mess. You’re lucky to be alive, Anna. Really.”
Anna wasn’t feeling too lucky at the moment, but she nodded her head anyway.
“Yeah, that’s what I call a miracle.”
Or a curse , Anna thought.
Sam backed away from the car. “Huh,’ he said.
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“Nothing,” Sam said. “It’s funny though, I could have sworn that just before the crash I saw some guy sitting in your back seat. Nobody there though. Must of been the sun.”
Sam thought Anna had started to tremble and cry because of the crash. He walked over and held her. “Hey, now. It’s okay. It’s only a car. You’re all right and that’s all that counts.”
Anna was about to scream that she was nowhere close to all right when more neighbors and the police
“Hah! So there!” She pushed the accelerator to the floor and squealed down the driveway and into the street. It was then that she saw the face in her rear view mirror.
The man leaned forward from the back seat.
“Come to me now.”
He grabbed her hair and pulled back. Anna felt the cold metal of the knife against her exposed throat.
She screamed, and in her panic turned the steering wheel hard to the right. Anna’s eyes never left the rear view mirror until her speeding car hit the tree.
The airbag in the steering column did its job and saved Anna’s life. She had forgotten all about her seat belt, and probably would have died on the spot without the bag.
Anna was knocked momentarily unconscious. When she came to, her head was resting on a twisted steering wheel and in the remains of a now deflated airbag. The car had struck the tree in the center of the grill. The front end had wrapped around the trunk as if clutching it in a grotesque embrace. Steam rose from the smashed radiator and Anna could smell gasoline.
The first thing Anna did was look in the now broken rear-view mirror. The man stared back at her without having moved an inch in the crash. He reached again for her hair.
“No!” Anna tried to open the driver’s side door, but it was jammed shut. The window had shattered, so she frantically clawed and climbed her way out backwards until she was sitting on the door with only her legs in the car. An icy hand wrapped around each of her ankles and started to pull.
Anna fell backward from the car, hearing once more in her mind the man’s hypnotic plea.
“Come to me, my darling. Come to me.”
Anna felt someone strong grab her as she fell and lower her softly to the ground. She screamed again and swung her fist. She hit her neighbor, Sam, squarely on the nose.
“Ouch!” Sam fell back holding his now bleeding nose.
“I’m so sorry, Sam,” Anna tried to get up but was too dizzy from the crash. She crawled to Sam. I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was him.”
“Who?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Anna kept repeating.
Sam was one of those people who are just plain-old nice. If anyone in the neighborhood needed help, Sam was there. Today was no exception.
“That’s okay,” Sam sniffled. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so,” Anna stumbled to her feet, and for the first time looked at the twisted wreck that was up until a moment ago her car. “Oh shit.”
“What happened, Anna?” Sam asked. “I was sitting on my porch and you come running out of your house like it was on fire or something. Then you get into your car and peel off like a bat out of Buffalo. Then you just turn and run straight into the tree. It was almost like you did it on purpose.”
“No, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Anna said.
“Then what?” Sam asked. “Get a blow out or something?”
Anna thought for a moment before answering. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Figured as much,” Sam said. He walked over to the car and peeked into the passenger side. “What a mess. You’re lucky to be alive, Anna. Really.”
Anna wasn’t feeling too lucky at the moment, but she nodded her head anyway.
“Yeah, that’s what I call a miracle.”
Or a curse , Anna thought.
Sam backed away from the car. “Huh,’ he said.
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“Nothing,” Sam said. “It’s funny though, I could have sworn that just before the crash I saw some guy sitting in your back seat. Nobody there though. Must of been the sun.”
Sam thought Anna had started to tremble and cry because of the crash. He walked over and held her. “Hey, now. It’s okay. It’s only a car. You’re all right and that’s all that counts.”
Anna was about to scream that she was nowhere close to all right when more neighbors and the police
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