Terror On The Road

This Glassy Surface | home

__________________________________________________________________

The sky was dark. The wind whistled through the trees leaving an icy chill in the air. Dark ominous clouds rolled in threatening rain. Concertgoers exited the venue and hurried to their cars to escape the cold. Among them, a young man sighed impatiently as he waited for his two younger brothers. He shivered as a gust of wind blew through his short, dark blonde hair. He leaned against the car and closed his soft brown eyes. He wished that they would hurry up. He was tired and desperately wanted to get home and take a nice, long nap. The sound of laughter caused him to open his eyes. He turned toward the venue and found his brothers laughing and shoving each other playfully as they made their way, ever so slowly, to the car. Feeling a headache coming on, he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was beginning to feel like this night would never end.

“Taylor! Zac! Come on, let's go!”

Not wanting to piss their brother off too much, they reluctantly put a halt to their messing around. As they reached the car, the youngest brother, Zac, pulled a rubber band from his pocket and began pulling his shoulder-length blonde hair into a low ponytail. He watched with slight concern as Isaac continued to rub at his temples.

“You ok, Ike?” Zac asked.

“Yeah, just a headache.”

“Do you want me to drive?” Taylor asked.

Isaac studied him for a moment. Despite the strong wind that was blowing, his ear-length blonde hair was still styled as perfect as ever. The moonlight shined off of his blue eyes giving them an eerie glowing effect. Isaac wasn't sure if he wanted Taylor to drive. He hadn't had much experience driving on the highway and it was already dark out.

“I don't know.” He replied.

“Come on, Ike?” Taylor pleaded.

“I don't think…”

“Ike just let him drive!” Zac butted in. “You'd just end up falling asleep behind the wheel and running us off the road.”

Ike rolled his eyes at his younger brother then turned back toward Taylor.

“Are you sure? It looks like it's gonna rain soon.” Isaac asked.

“I'm sure.” Taylor said.

Isaac sighed. “Ok.”

Isaac handed him the keys and climbed into the backseat. Zac got in the passenger seat. Taylor started the car.

“Hey Tay, don't you need your glasses?” Isaac asked.

“I can see fine without them.”

“Ok, whatever.” Isaac drifted off to sleep.

“Tay, I don't think we're going the right way!”

“I know where I'm going, Zac!”

Isaac woke to the sound of his brothers arguing in the front. He looked out the window and was startled to find that they were driving on a dark, lonely road, surrounded by woods. Rain poured down drenching everything in site.

“Hey guys, what time is it?” Isaac asked.

Zac checked his watch. “A little after midnight.”

“Midnight!” Isaac yelled. “We should have been home an hour ago!” He looked at Taylor. “Are we still on the 88'?”

“Yes! We have been since before it started raining.” Taylor said.

Keeping his eyes focused on Taylor, Isaac asked. “Are you sure?”

Getting angry now, Taylor yelled. “Yes, Isaac! I know how to read!”

“Guys, look.” Zac interrupted. “There's a sign up ahead. Lets just pull over and see exactly where we are.”

Isaac glared at Taylor. Taylor rolled his eyes at him.

Taylor pulled over just before the sign. The three peered out the windows.

“You can't read it through all this rain.” Zac said. He turned to Isaac and Taylor.

“One of us is gonna have get out and read it.”

They all looked out the windows. The rain was pouring down in sheets, forming puddles so large that they were almost like lakes. Gusts of wind caused the trees to sway fiercely back and forth.

No one made a move to get out of the car. Isaac let out a sigh of frustration.

“That's it! Everybody out!” Isaac ordered.

Zac looked at him as if he were out of his mind. “What?!” He asked.

“You heard me.” Isaac opened his door. “We're all getting out.”

“Come on, Ike!” Taylor whined. “Why do we all gotta…”

“Out! Now!” Isaac shouted.

Taylor glared at Isaac. “Fine.” He grumbled.

Taylor and Zac reluctantly climbed out of the car and tried to shield themselves from the rain as much as possible. They followed their brother over to the sign and looked up, straining to read it through the wind and rain. When Isaac read the sign, he became furious.

“Taylor!” Isaac gritted through his teeth. “That sign says Highway 86 not 88! You moron! I can't believe that you took the wrong road!”

“Well, what did you expect with Mr. Magoo here driving?” Zac asked. “I knew you should have worn your glasses, Tay.”

“Well, why didn't you make him, then?!”

“I didn't want him to throw a hissy fit and get us lost!”

“Dear Lord!” Isaac shook his head in frustration. “Give me the keys Taylor. There's no way that I'm letting you drive for another minute!”

“Fine! Fine!” Taylor mumbled. “Make one little mistake…”

“Just move, will ya? God!” Isaac said.

After about 10 minutes going over the map, Isaac was able to pinpoint where they were and concluded that it would take them about 3 hours to get home.

“3 hours!” Zac whined. “Man Tay, I'm never getting in a car with you again for as long as I live!”

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. After the first twenty minutes, Taylor realized that he wasn't going to be able to carry on a conversation with his brothers without hearing some sort of snide remark and resided himself to sulking for the rest of the way home. He was contemplating taking a nap when he noticed a dark figure standing at the edge of the road ahead.

“Hey Ike? Is that guy hitchhiking?” Taylor asked.

“No Taylor. I'm sure he's just standing out there for his health!” Zac answered.

“It was just a question, Zac. Quit being a smart ass!”

“Well, maybe if you quit acting like the dumb blonde that you are, I wouldn't have to!”

“Both of you shut up!” Isaac shouted. “This guy's gonna think that we're nuts.”

Zac looked at Isaac like he had two heads. “You're not telling me that you're picking him up, are you?”

“Yeah, why not?” Isaac asked.

Zac's eyes widened in shock. “Ike!” Zac yelled. “You don't pick up strangers off the side of the road! What if he's a serial killer, or something?”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “Zac, it's pouring rain out there. I'm not gonna just leave this guy out there just because you've watched too many horror movies.”

Taylor, not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, decided to add in his two cents. “Hey, guys….” He interrupted.

“SHUT UP! TAYLOR!” Isaac and Zac yelled in unison.

“Zac, I don't care what you think. I'm picking this guy up, so just sit back and shut up, okay!”

Isaac stopped the car and rolled down his window. The hitchhiker walked over to the driver's side of the car.

“Hey, do you think you could give me a ride to the nearest payphone?” The man asked.

“Sure, get in.” Isaac said.

The man climbed in the backseat next to Taylor.

“Thanks so much for picking me up. I was afraid that I was gonna have to spend the night out there.”

“It's no problem. Where are you headed?” Ike asked him.

“Right now, just the nearest town. I gotta call my friend and have him wire me some cash so I can get home.”

Ike nodded his head in reply and continued to drive. Taylor studied the man sitting next to him. He had short, spiked black hair and piercing green eyes. When he first came up to the window, Taylor noticed that he was about his height and was built a bit thinner than Zac. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was getting bad feelings about this guy. He noticed that he wouldn't take his right hand out of his pocket. He looked up and found the man giving him a piercing stare. He quickly turned his head around and nervously looked out the window.

Ike decided to start a conversation. “So, what's your name?” He asked.

The man didn't answer. He just continued to stare at Taylor. Zac, who had been watching the man intensely, looked at Isaac in concern. Beginning to feel a bit nervous Isaac asked again.

“Hey man, what's your name?”

The man pulled his gaze away from Taylor and smirked at Isaac through the mirror.

“I think my name is the least of your worries right now.”

Quick as lightening, the man pulled his right hand out of his pocket revealing a six inch-long hunting knife. He brought the knife to Taylor's throat causing him to gasp in fear. Zac jumped in his seat and began to scream angrily at the man.

“You sick freak! What the hell do you think you're doing?”

Isaac attempted to talk to the man rationally. “Hey man, just put the knife down.

“Both of you shut up! Now, pull over. One word out of either of you and pretty boy's blood is gonna be all over the backseat.”

Not wanting to make him angry, Isaac complied with the man's demands. He pulled over and shut off the engine.

“Now,” the man began. “We're going to get out first, then you're going to follow. Got it?”

Isaac and Zac, silently, nodded their heads in unison. Still holding the knife to Taylor's throat, the man opened his door and climbed out dragging Taylor with him. Isaac and Zac followed behind not saying a word. Zac was beyond furious. He felt like he just wanted to grab this guy and slam his head into a tree. He opened his mouth to say something when the man shook his head at him.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you. I told you what would happen if you did.” The man emphasized his point by pushing the blade harder against Taylor's skin. “Now, start walking into the woods. Stay in front of us, and don't try anything.”

Isaac and Zac reluctantly did as they were told and headed out into the woods. The man followed with Taylor. Taylor flinched as the knife pressed into his neck. He had never felt so scared and helpless in his life. He struggled to hold back tears as they continued to trudge through the woods. After about twenty minutes, the man told them to stop. Still holding the knife to Taylor's throat, the man stepped in front of him and pushed him backwards until his back met with a tree truck. With his left hand, he pulled a bundle of rope out of his pocket and tossed it to Zac.

“Tie his hands together behind the tree. Now.” The man ordered.

Zac threw the rope down in disgust. “Forget it! You crazy lunatic!”

Seething in anger, the man pressed the tip of the knife into Taylor's neck causing blood to spill down his neck.

“Then, say goodbye to pretty boy.”

“Over my dead body!”

“Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged.” The man taunted.

Isaac watched the scene in guilt. This was all his fault. If he had just listened to Zac and kept driving, this wouldn't have happened. He glanced at Taylor and his guilt tripled. His face was white as a sheet, tearstains tracked their way down his face, and blood dripped down his neck, onto his shirt. At that moment, he made a decision and in a flash was on the other side of the man, opposite Zac.

“Let him go, right now!” Isaac demanded.

The man turned to Isaac and in a flash of long blonde hair, was tackled to the ground. When the man turned his attention to Isaac, Zac took the opportunity to attack him. Isaac rushed over to Taylor and pulled him away from the wrestling pair.

“Are you okay?” Isaac asked worriedly.

He didn't answer. He just stared as his younger brother and the man who had nearly taken his life wrestled on the ground. At first, it looked as though the man would over power Zac, but, fortunately, Zac managed to pin him to the ground and began throwing punches left and right. When it was clear that the man was unconscious, Zac stood up and glared down at the man. Suddenly, without warning, he gave him a vicious kick in the ribs.

“That's for cutting my brother, you freaking psycho!”

Zac turned toward his two older brothers and sighed.

“Let's get the hell outta here before he wakes up!”

The older two nodded in reply and the three brothers ran back to the car. Isaac jumped into the driver's seat and Taylor and Zac climbed into the back. Isaac sped off while Zac cleaned up the cut on Taylor's neck with some wipes from the first-aid kit under the backseat.

“It doesn't look too bad. It's almost stopped bleeding. Are you okay?” Zac asked in concern.

“Yea…yeah, I…I think so.” Taylor stuttered.

Zac covered the cut with a bandage and a few minutes later, Taylor, overcome with exhaustion, fell asleep, his head resting against Zac's shoulder. Zac leaned his head back with a sigh and closed his eyes. Isaac watched them through his rearview mirror and let out a sigh of his own.

“Zac?” He asked softly.

His eyes still closed, he replied. “Yeah, Ike?”

“I'm sorry for not listening to you.”

Zac sighed. “I forgive you.”

“The next time I want to pick up a hitchhiker, slug me, okay?”

Zac smiled. “With pleasure.”


	This Glassy Surface \| home back to Short Stories __________________________________________________________________ The Promise \| Save Me \| Just A Dream \| My Dearest Taylor \| Invasions of the Mind \| Terror On The Road __________________________________________________________________ Terror On The Road By Crystal The sky was dark. The wind whistled through the trees leaving an icy chill in the air. Dark ominous clouds rolled in threatening rain. Concertgoers exited the venue and hurried to their cars to escape the cold. Among them, a young man sighed impatiently as he waited for his two younger brothers. He shivered as a gust of wind blew through his short, dark blonde hair. He leaned against the car and closed his soft brown eyes. He wished that they would hurry up. He was tired and desperately wanted to get home and take a nice, long nap. The sound of laughter caused him to open his eyes. He turned toward the venue and found his brothers laughing and shoving each other playfully as they made their way, ever so slowly, to the car. Feeling a headache coming on, he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was beginning to feel like this night would never end. “Taylor! Zac! Come on, let's go!” Not wanting to piss their brother off too much, they reluctantly put a halt to their messing around. As they reached the car, the youngest brother, Zac, pulled a rubber band from his pocket and began pulling his shoulder-length blonde hair into a low ponytail. He watched with slight concern as Isaac continued to rub at his temples. “You ok, Ike?” Zac asked. “Yeah, just a headache.” “Do you want me to drive?” Taylor asked. Isaac studied him for a moment. Despite the strong wind that was blowing, his ear-length blonde hair was still styled as perfect as ever. The moonlight shined off of his blue eyes giving them an eerie glowing effect. Isaac wasn't sure if he wanted Taylor to drive. He hadn't had much experience driving on the highway and it was already dark out. “I don't know.” He replied. “Come on, Ike?” Taylor pleaded. “I don't think…” “Ike just let him drive!” Zac butted in. “You'd just end up falling asleep behind the wheel and running us off the road.” Ike rolled his eyes at his younger brother then turned back toward Taylor. “Are you sure? It looks like it's gonna rain soon.” Isaac asked. “I'm sure.” Taylor said. Isaac sighed. “Ok.” Isaac handed him the keys and climbed into the backseat. Zac got in the passenger seat. Taylor started the car. “Hey Tay, don't you need your glasses?” Isaac asked. “I can see fine without them.” “Ok, whatever.” Isaac drifted off to sleep. Two hours later… “Tay, I don't think we're going the right way!” “I know where I'm going, Zac!” Isaac woke to the sound of his brothers arguing in the front. He looked out the window and was startled to find that they were driving on a dark, lonely road, surrounded by woods. Rain poured down drenching everything in site. “Hey guys, what time is it?” Isaac asked. Zac checked his watch. “A little after midnight.” “Midnight!” Isaac yelled. “We should have been home an hour ago!” He looked at Taylor. “Are we still on the 88'?” “Yes! We have been since before it started raining.” Taylor said. Keeping his eyes focused on Taylor, Isaac asked. “Are you sure?” Getting angry now, Taylor yelled. “Yes, Isaac! I know how to read!” “Guys, look.” Zac interrupted. “There's a sign up ahead. Lets just pull over and see exactly where we are.” Isaac glared at Taylor. Taylor rolled his eyes at him. “Fine.” Taylor pulled over just before the sign. The three peered out the windows. “You can't read it through all this rain.” Zac said. He turned to Isaac and Taylor. “One of us is gonna have get out and read it.” They all looked out the windows. The rain was pouring down in sheets, forming puddles so large that they were almost like lakes. Gusts of wind caused the trees to sway fiercely back and forth. No one made a move to get out of the car. Isaac let out a sigh of frustration. “That's it! Everybody out!” Isaac ordered. Zac looked at him as if he were out of his mind. “What?!” He asked. “You heard me.” Isaac opened his door. “We're all getting out.” “Come on, Ike!” Taylor whined. “Why do we all gotta…” “Out! Now!” Isaac shouted. Taylor glared at Isaac. “Fine.” He grumbled. Taylor and Zac reluctantly climbed out of the car and tried to shield themselves from the rain as much as possible. They followed their brother over to the sign and looked up, straining to read it through the wind and rain. When Isaac read the sign, he became furious. “Taylor!” Isaac gritted through his teeth. “That sign says Highway 86 not 88! You moron! I can't believe that you took the wrong road!” “Well, what did you expect with Mr. Magoo here driving?” Zac asked. “I knew you should have worn your glasses, Tay.” “Well, why didn't you make him, then?!” “I didn't want him to throw a hissy fit and get us lost!” “Dear Lord!” Isaac shook his head in frustration. “Give me the keys Taylor. There's no way that I'm letting you drive for another minute!” “Fine! Fine!” Taylor mumbled. “Make one little mistake…” “Just move, will ya? God!” Isaac said. After about 10 minutes going over the map, Isaac was able to pinpoint where they were and concluded that it would take them about 3 hours to get home. “3 hours!” Zac whined. “Man Tay, I'm never getting in a car with you again for as long as I live!” “Yeah, yeah…” One hour later… The rest of the drive was spent in silence. After the first twenty minutes, Taylor realized that he wasn't going to be able to carry on a conversation with his brothers without hearing some sort of snide remark and resided himself to sulking for the rest of the way home. He was contemplating taking a nap when he noticed a dark figure standing at the edge of the road ahead. “Hey Ike? Is that guy hitchhiking?” Taylor asked. “No Taylor. I'm sure he's just standing out there for his health!” Zac answered. “It was just a question, Zac. Quit being a smart ass!” “Well, maybe if you quit acting like the dumb blonde that you are, I wouldn't have to!” “Both of you shut up!” Isaac shouted. “This guy's gonna think that we're nuts.” Zac looked at Isaac like he had two heads. “You're not telling me that you're picking him up, are you?” “Yeah, why not?” Isaac asked. Zac's eyes widened in shock. “Ike!” Zac yelled. “You don't pick up strangers off the side of the road! What if he's a serial killer, or something?” Isaac rolled his eyes. “Zac, it's pouring rain out there. I'm not gonna just leave this guy out there just because you've watched too many horror movies.” Taylor, not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, decided to add in his two cents. “Hey, guys….” He interrupted. “SHUT UP! TAYLOR!” Isaac and Zac yelled in unison. “Zac, I don't care what you think. I'm picking this guy up, so just sit back and shut up, okay!” Isaac stopped the car and rolled down his window. The hitchhiker walked over to the driver's side of the car. “Hey, do you think you could give me a ride to the nearest payphone?” The man asked. “Sure, get in.” Isaac said. The man climbed in the backseat next to Taylor. “Thanks so much for picking me up. I was afraid that I was gonna have to spend the night out there.” “It's no problem. Where are you headed?” Ike asked him. “Right now, just the nearest town. I gotta call my friend and have him wire me some cash so I can get home.” Ike nodded his head in reply and continued to drive. Taylor studied the man sitting next to him. He had short, spiked black hair and piercing green eyes. When he first came up to the window, Taylor noticed that he was about his height and was built a bit thinner than Zac. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was getting bad feelings about this guy. He noticed that he wouldn't take his right hand out of his pocket. He looked up and found the man giving him a piercing stare. He quickly turned his head around and nervously looked out the window. Ike decided to start a conversation. “So, what's your name?” He asked. The man didn't answer. He just continued to stare at Taylor. Zac, who had been watching the man intensely, looked at Isaac in concern. Beginning to feel a bit nervous Isaac asked again. “Hey man, what's your name?” The man pulled his gaze away from Taylor and smirked at Isaac through the mirror. “I think my name is the least of your worries right now.” Quick as lightening, the man pulled his right hand out of his pocket revealing a six inch-long hunting knife. He brought the knife to Taylor's throat causing him to gasp in fear. Zac jumped in his seat and began to scream angrily at the man. “You sick freak! What the hell do you think you're doing?” Isaac attempted to talk to the man rationally. “Hey man, just put the knife down. “Both of you shut up! Now, pull over. One word out of either of you and pretty boy's blood is gonna be all over the backseat.” Not wanting to make him angry, Isaac complied with the man's demands. He pulled over and shut off the engine. “Now,” the man began. “We're going to get out first, then you're going to follow. Got it?” Isaac and Zac, silently, nodded their heads in unison. Still holding the knife to Taylor's throat, the man opened his door and climbed out dragging Taylor with him. Isaac and Zac followed behind not saying a word. Zac was beyond furious. He felt like he just wanted to grab this guy and slam his head into a tree. He opened his mouth to say something when the man shook his head at him. “I wouldn't do that if I were you. I told you what would happen if you did.” The man emphasized his point by pushing the blade harder against Taylor's skin. “Now, start walking into the woods. Stay in front of us, and don't try anything.” Isaac and Zac reluctantly did as they were told and headed out into the woods. The man followed with Taylor. Taylor flinched as the knife pressed into his neck. He had never felt so scared and helpless in his life. He struggled to hold back tears as they continued to trudge through the woods. After about twenty minutes, the man told them to stop. Still holding the knife to Taylor's throat, the man stepped in front of him and pushed him backwards until his back met with a tree truck. With his left hand, he pulled a bundle of rope out of his pocket and tossed it to Zac. “Tie his hands together behind the tree. Now.” The man ordered. Zac threw the rope down in disgust. “Forget it! You crazy lunatic!” Seething in anger, the man pressed the tip of the knife into Taylor's neck causing blood to spill down his neck. “Then, say goodbye to pretty boy.” “Over my dead body!” “Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged.” The man taunted. Isaac watched the scene in guilt. This was all his fault. If he had just listened to Zac and kept driving, this wouldn't have happened. He glanced at Taylor and his guilt tripled. His face was white as a sheet, tearstains tracked their way down his face, and blood dripped down his neck, onto his shirt. At that moment, he made a decision and in a flash was on the other side of the man, opposite Zac. “Let him go, right now!” Isaac demanded. The man turned to Isaac and in a flash of long blonde hair, was tackled to the ground. When the man turned his attention to Isaac, Zac took the opportunity to attack him. Isaac rushed over to Taylor and pulled him away from the wrestling pair. “Are you okay?” Isaac asked worriedly. He didn't answer. He just stared as his younger brother and the man who had nearly taken his life wrestled on the ground. At first, it looked as though the man would over power Zac, but, fortunately, Zac managed to pin him to the ground and began throwing punches left and right. When it was clear that the man was unconscious, Zac stood up and glared down at the man. Suddenly, without warning, he gave him a vicious kick in the ribs. “That's for cutting my brother, you freaking psycho!” Zac turned toward his two older brothers and sighed. “Let's get the hell outta here before he wakes up!” The older two nodded in reply and the three brothers ran back to the car. Isaac jumped into the driver's seat and Taylor and Zac climbed into the back. Isaac sped off while Zac cleaned up the cut on Taylor's neck with some wipes from the first-aid kit under the backseat. “It doesn't look too bad. It's almost stopped bleeding. Are you okay?” Zac asked in concern. “Yea…yeah, I…I think so.” Taylor stuttered. Zac covered the cut with a bandage and a few minutes later, Taylor, overcome with exhaustion, fell asleep, his head resting against Zac's shoulder. Zac leaned his head back with a sigh and closed his eyes. Isaac watched them through his rearview mirror and let out a sigh of his own. “Zac?” He asked softly. His eyes still closed, he replied. “Yeah, Ike?” “I'm sorry for not listening to you.” Zac sighed. “I forgive you.” “Zac?” “Yeah?” “The next time I want to pick up a hitchhiker, slug me, okay?” Zac smiled. “With pleasure.” The End Pretty please? With sugar on top?