The Message-A Halloween Horror Story
I am not sure how to begin writing my story. My mind is racing and my hands are still shaking from what I saw and heard. I must write it all down as it happened or I may think I have lost my sanity if I ever summon the courage to read this entry again. Here is how it happened.
Last night’s weather was rainy and miserable. I distinctly remember leaves on the road as I drove down a dark backroad on my way home. I will not name the road for fear someone may try to follow and see what I saw. I had just made a sharp turn when a short distance ahead, I saw a young woman standing by the roadside. She seemed oblivious to the rain and cold as she did not even look up but continued to stare at a cellphone in her hand.
I know how dangerous it is to approach a stranger these days, but I feared the woman needed help. I pulled up and rolled down my passenger’s window. “Ma’am, do you need help”? I asked. The young woman said nothing but simply nodded and opened my door and got in without another word. As she did so, she did not lift her eyes but continued to stare at her phone. She turned her head slightly and I was horrified to notice a large, blood-stained gash on the back of her head.
I am not afraid of the sight of blood, but the woman’s calm demeanor and concentration on her phone unnerved me. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”, I asked. Her response was completely unexpected and has rang in my head ever since. She simply said, “I love you, too.” At that moment, I feared she had suffered some severe head trauma and could not think or speak coherently. I repeated the question and her sad eyes met mine as she looked up to say, “I love you, too.”
I drove through the rain and wind as I tried to remember the fastest way to the local hospital. The woman continued to stare at her phone and I became conscious of the fact that the phone itself lit up and vibrated almost continuously. I am ashamed to admit it, but the woman’s presence filled me with fear and I just wanted her out of my vehicle. She needed help, so after about twenty minutes, I pulled up to our local emergency room.
What happened next, I think, will never be fully explained. I turned to assure the woman help was near and to tell her we needed to take her into the hospital. As I turned to speak, my mind reeled at the sight. The woman was GONE. There was a large blood stain on the back of my seat, but she was GONE. Who would believe me? Had I lost my mind? What had I just witnessed? My hands trembled the entire way as I drove home.
I arrived home and my wife had just walked into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”, she asked. She could see I was shaking. I told her the entire story, fearing she’d never believe me. After I told her, she stared at me blankly and asked me in a low, trembling voice to describe the young woman’s appearance and to repeat what she said. After I did so, my wife walked unsteadily to our kitchen table and sat down. She buried her head in her hands and let out one agonized sob.
She raised her eyes to me and said slowly, “Amanda Taylor’s daughter was involved in a car accident last night on that road. She apparently looked down to answer a text message and slid off the road and into a tree. They believe she was killed instantly.” My wife’s eyes filled with tears and she choked out, “She was answering a stupid text message from her boyfriend, and she took her eyes of the road for a couple seconds. Amanda said her last words were….” I cut her off and stared in blank horror as I said, “I love you, too.”
The End
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