Horror on the Highway by @papi.mati

Pan-american Highway

Source

Mateo traversed the Pan-American Highway in his truck, as he had done many times before. As a driver, he used to earn that way: he was travelling from city A to B, resting for a while and returning home to his loving wife and children. He knew the way almost by heart, and yet this time he felt something was wrong.

Mateo had the overwhelming feeling that the road was incredibly long. He doesn't know how long he drove, but it felt like he didn't leave a vehicle in months. Oddly enough, he just realized that no car had passed him in a very long time. Sometimes it seemed that Cordoba he was heading towards was appearing on the horizon, blurry as a mirage, but then he was hearing his wife's voice somewhere in the distance saying "come back to me, stay here honey" and the shapes of the city immediately faded and disappeared.

"Strange, maybe I should call her when I get there. After all, I haven't contacted her in a very long time." He thought, assuming that wife's voice in his head was an expression of homesickness.

He will call as soon as he arrives, but ... when will it be?

Mateo wondered what made him hear her voice: sure, he misses her, but missing someone does not cause auditory hallucinations. Maybe he hadn't slept for too long? He should stop and rest even for a moment. He started looking for a gas station to stretch his bones for a moment and take a nap. And then he realized that ... he didn't remember the last time he had passed any stations.

He looked nervously at the gas meter, but it showed a full tank. No it is not possible. Maybe it's broken?

"Stay with me. Please baby stay with me," he heard again. God, what could that mean? Maybe they put something into his coffee and now his mind is playing tricks on him? No, it's paranoid thinking - who would care to drug him?

When his wife's voice spoke in his head once again, he focused on it with all his strength. He heard a steady, soft clatter: beep ... beep ... beep ... What is it this time? Something broke in the car? This is starting to get weird!

"Stay with me. Remember our children - they are waiting for you." The voice grew louder as he focused on it. And then, with full effort, he remembered something that had happened earlier on the way. An animal jumped out in front of his car. He tried with all his might to avoid it. Since then he didn't meet anyone. It's weird he forgot about it all, isn't it?

The sound of beep ... beep ... beep ... kept getting louder.

Mateo tried to stop the car but was unable to.

No, this cannot be true, he must be dreaming. It is impossible, he thought. Against his common sense, he closed his eyes without stopping the car.

It took a great deal of effort to reopen them.

When he did that, he saw everything blurry: light, white walls, some figures. One person was sitting right next to him, the other was bustling about his legs.

"He wakes up," said the doctor, "you are very lucky. A lot of people don't come back from this trip, especially after a year in a coma."