“Do you have a flashlight?” You ask as you stare into the darkness surrounding the car. The two of you have been sitting in silence for 10 minutes as you contemplated what to do.
“I have a key chain light,” Michelle says.
“Bring your keys, we’re just going to look around for a minute. If we can’t find him anywhere near the car, we’re leaving. Understand?”
She nods in agreement and you both exit the car and meet at the rear of the car, facing away from the highway. She hands you the keys and you depress the key chain light, which cuts three inches into the darkness and fades away. It is useless. There’s only one thing to do, but you don’t think your throat will let the sound escape.
“Dennis?” You call out. A moan from the left causes Michelle to dig her nails into your bicep. You wince at the pain as you try to move toward the sound, Michelle stays put, dragging her nails down your arm. “Let go!” you hiss at her. “I’ll be right back.”
Shuffling your feet through the gravel, you work your way toward the sound. “Dennis?”
The moan is closer, a few feet ahead and to the left. The ditch. Cautiously you step forward. “Dennis?” You call out as a semi roars by on the highway, drawing your attention as you walk forward. After it passes, you try again. “Dennis?”
Another moan and this one louder; it catches your senses off guard. Did it come from behind this time? “Dennis?”
Silence. You take another step forward. “Dennis?” Nothing. “Michelle?” Silence. What the hell? Where is Michelle?
“Michelle!?!” You forcefully whisper back toward the car.
“What?” she whispers back.
“What’s your problem? Why didn’t you answer me?” you begin to scold her as you turn around.
“It’s Dennis.”
“W-w-what?” You stammer as you instinctively step backward. Your right heel snags on something and you feel yourself falling. You slam into bottom of the ditch as various pains erupt throughout your body. As you fight to regain your breath, you hear Michelle’s voice calling for you. There is another voice as well, a man’s. Is that Dennis? You try sitting up and feel the mud squish below you. Your palms sting, head throbs and back feels twisted. You regain your senses and start climbing up the ditch wall. You can hear them now, asking if you are okay. You open your mouth to respond and then it happens. Something brushes your leg and you hear the moan again. You scamper to the top and roll yourself onto the gravel. Breathing heavily from the climb, you yell for Michelle to get back in the car now. You press the button on the key chain and nothing happens. It must have broke during the fall. You hear the car doors creak open and the dome light breaks the darkness. There is another moan from the ditch.
You roll to your back, gravel digging into your already tender skin. You call for Michelle and see the outline of Dennis climbing into the back seat again. Michelle is screaming at you, something about all the blood. You sit upright and look at your palms, caked in a bloody gravel mix. You use the back of your hand to wipe away the sweat gathered on your brow. The interior lights of the car provide just enough light to see that it is blood as well, not sweat. The moan sounds off again, this time closer. You look toward the car and see they are both motioning you to come toward them. Your hearing is muted by the sound of your thudding heart, pounding in panic. Why was there mud in the ditch? There has been a drought for at least a month, the ditch should be dry. If Dennis is getting into the car, who or what is moaning in the ditch?
If you get up and quickly move to the car to get out of there, turn to page 15.
If you crawl back toward the ditch to see if you can find out what is making that sound, turn to page 20.
