Unforgettable Night

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No one will see us.
Just the two of us getting wild in the passenger seat.
But... I'm. Wrong.
Someone is watching, under the night sky, and he decides to join the party.

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Unforgettable Night

With its full face, the moon watches as I approach Austin's red Mustang. He's parked in front of an abandoned ice cream truck two houses away, just like yesterday. Sliding into the passenger seat, I'm welcomed with a rough two-second kiss.

"Been waiting forever." He starts the engine and turns on the headlights. "Wanna smoke?"

"Yeah!" I'm jolted backward as he steps on the gas, takes a drag on the joint, and passes it to me.

The wind blows my hair every which way as we barrel down an undivided road, passing a white van, a car, a semi; I glance at the speedometer needle as it edges past ninety-five. He's fucking playing roulette with our lives, caressing my lap with his right hand, making me anticipate what’s to come at his place. I tip my head back, replaying yesterday: how we kissed roughly while he unlocked the room door, the way we peeled our clothes off as if they were on fire. Today, the bed may give way.

The intensity of the wind reduces, and the hard rock music playing becomes clearer. I open my eyes. Why's he slowing down?

He flips on the blinker.

"Is there another route?"

He turns the music down. "What?"

"Is there another route to your place?"

"Can't wait—I—" He slams on the breaks, throwing me toward him as he turns onto a dirt road, overgrown on both sides. "Don't want any cops interrupting us."

"But we were only a few minutes from your—"

"Yes." He squeezes my thigh lightly. "Let's just call this an adventure, like that movie we watched last week."

The headlights penetrate dust that seems to have been raised by a car ahead; he drives fast on the bumpy road as though he has no plans of stopping. Does he have a destination in mind? Isn't our destination anywhere he decides to pull over for a quick hump?

The road gets narrower as we go deeper. I start seeing trees and they get denser and denser. In no time, we're driving through a woodland.

"Haven't we gone deep enough?" I look back and the paved road is still in sight, headlights flash past.

"Are you scared?" He adjusts the rearview mirror.

Quite scared, but I trust him. He's older and wiser, and he doesn't want to get hurt either. After taking a corner like a rally driver, he brings us to a rough stop and turns off the engine and headlights. The repetitious chirping of insects takes over, and the pale moonlight is all the illumination we have. I roll up the window and lock the door.

"You're scared!" He places his hand on my chest. "Damn... I can feel your heartbeat." He moves it down, fondling me.

Leaning over, his warm breath tickles as he sucks on my neck. He holds my chin and turns my face to his and kisses me deeply. I'm succumbing, but the howling of an animal in a distance sends a rush of fear through me.

"Stop, stop! Your place or... take me home!"

"What's fucking wrong with you?" He tugs down the spaghetti strap of my top—I pull it back up immediately.

He tries again—I fold my arms. Then I push his hands off me. "Take me away from here!"

"Okay." He starts the engine. "I think I'll take you home."

He shifts the gear to reverse as if it's the reason why we won't have a quickie. I'm jolted back and forth as he makes a twelve-point turn. Driving slowly, he keeps adjusting himself in the seat like it's a hotplate.

"Austin."

He doesn't respond. I tap his lap few times; he avoids looking at me. With the doors locked and windows rolled up, I think I can risk ten minutes to make him happy.

"Okay."

He stops the car. "You mean?"

"Let's do it."

The engine goes silent and the headlights go off in half a second. The next moment, our tongues are battling for dominance. I recline the seat and he climbs across, unbuckling his belt desperately. He slips off my denim shorts. Just before he can sink into me, I squeeze his shoulder. "Condom."

"Not necessary." Breathing heavily, he buries his face in my neck and tries to continue. I resist.

"Fuck! Callista—I don't have one. Okay, okay, I'll check my back—" He raises himself and swings the door open, rushing to the trunk. I shut the door.

Behind, it seems he pours out the items in his backpack. I caress my belly button area, waiting. My parents think I'm at Emily's house; if Mom knew where her only child was at the moment, she might end up in the ER.

"Austin, I'm waiting." I roll down the window and raise myself from the seat. "Have you found it?"

"Gimme a second."

I turn up the radio and lean back. Then I grab my mobile phone off the center console. Few minutes later, scrolling through funny memes Emily had sent, my heart skips a beat as he touches my lap, suddenly.

"Come in—let's be quick."

No movement.

I grab his hand and his skin pricks my palm—what's this? It's not him! Bolting up, it looks like the branch of a tree. "Fuck!" I push myself to the back seat. "Austin! Are you playing a prank on me?"

I blink and it's gone. "Austin, stop!" Crawling to the driver's seat, I turn off the radio. My heartbeat is on overdrive. I look back and the trunk is still open.

A soft breeze blows, whispering in the trees. After putting my shorts back on, I open the door and step out slowly. A tall figure in my peripheral vision catches my attention, between two trees, but I'm too scared to look. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me. I walk quickly to the back of the car and find Austin's backpack on the ground.

"Austin!"

My eyes fall on the tall figure, and I look away quickly. Oh please let it be a statue or something. "Austin!" I pick up his backpack and throw it into the trunk. The tall figure has changed position, a little forward. Damn! I've to force my shuddering legs to move as I walk back to the driver's seat. Once inside, I lock the doors.

"Austin," I whisper, hoping he'll respond—hoping it's all a joke.

Keeping my quivering hand on the key is a challenge. Turning it is even harder. My fumbling seems endless until the engine finally starts! The headlights—this? That? Let me push this. It works! Raising my head, tears stream down my cheeks; the rays of the headlights fall on it: unnatural long hands and legs, black suit, is this a human being?

It starts lumbering toward the car. Fuck!

Drowning in fear, I struggle to shift the gear to reverse. I use both hands and it moves past reverse to drive. The little gap between the car and the thing in suit is closing fast. I push the gear to reverse, and then—the windscreen shatters.

Am I alive?

Its hand has snaked through the hole in the windscreen; I put the pedal to the metal. It falls and gets dragged until its hand falls out. Standing up, it starts walking as if nothing happened. Reversing at top speed on a narrow road with trees on both sides, without looking back, my luck runs out—my progress halts, suddenly, with a loud bang. My back hurts. A tree is the likely culprit.

The tall thing is still taking long steps toward the car.

The engine is still running and its tires are spinning; backward, I guess. This car has to move or I'm dead. Outrunning this creature on foot will be impossible. After I manage to put the gear in drive, I hold the steering wheel firmly and step on the gas. The weird humanlike creature is only a few steps away.

I don't crush it, it steps aside for the roaring car to pass. And then ahead, I sight someone standing in the middle of the road, waving. I won't stop! I push the gas pedal more, but it has reached its limit. It's probably the thing in suit's sibling or child.

No... it's... Austin.

I slam the breaks, but it's too late to stop. He jumps off the road to avoid getting crushed by me at sixty miles per hour.

When the car stops, I step out and Austin is limping. It hasn't given up—it's coming too. But it's not close.

"Faster, faster!"

Settling in the driver's seat, breathing heavily, still uncertain about how tonight will end, I'm ready to drive Austin and me away to safety.

The passenger door swings open.

"Austin!"

The suited creature's hand snakes into the car swiftly, brushing my face.

I step on the gas, wishing, wondering, regretting. I don't stop—I keep going.

@jeffways

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