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Rated: · Book · Drama · #1297956
This is the story of two young traveler's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Vanished

January 22, 2004, Cody, Wyoming
It was a blustery, January night as Loretta and Mike left the Silver Dollar bar and careened south down the two lane highway out of town. She was angry with Mike for driving after downing 6 beers and two shots of tequila but he had insisted he was fine. The sky was black as pitch with only the distant constellation and the low beam of their headlights to guide them. The thermometer read -20 degrees but it felt even colder with the blowing wind and snow. They’d traveled in silence for over an hour, not passing a single car or seeing any other sign of life. “Can you see okay?” Loretta finally asked, as she reached over to rub the ice off the windshield. “What do you think?” Mike said sarcastically. Suddenly, there was a loud thud on Mike’s side of the car. “I told you to slow down – what was that?” said Loretta. “I don’t know but I’m not stopping,” Mike said as he floored it. “Stop the car right now!” Loretta screeched. Mike slammed on the brakes and the car slid sideways to a stop, like a ball player stealing home with two out in the 9th inning. He put the car in reverse and backed up several yards before coming to an abrupt stop. “Now what?” he said. Loretta peered out the windows, seeing only darkness.

She slowly opened her door and stepped out of the car. As soon as her breath hit the air, it crystallized forming a cloud of thin ice making it harder to see. She slid around to the back of the car, peering out into the darkness. “Mike, I don’t see anything. Get out and help me look.” Mike stepped out of the car, catching his breath. “God, Loretta, it’s freezing out here. I can’t see two feet in front of me – get back in here.” Loretta looked at Mike with smoldering disgust in her eyes. “No -- we hit something and we need to find it.” Mike walked to the front of the car and saw the crease in the fender. He bent down to get a closer look and saw traces of blood and clotted hair. He stood up slowly, and headed back to Loretta. He was still wobbly from all the alcohol he'd consumed but felt his buzz dying at the thought of an animal or worse yet, a person lying injured somewhere in the dark. He said nothing about what he'd discovered only moments before.

“Okay Loretta, you look on your side and I'll look on mine. Maybe we can find what we hit.” They both moved away from the car into the darkness and the deep sagebrush only inches from the pavement. Loretta took a couple of steps and stumbled, falling flat on her face. “Mike, come here. I need a hand.” She struggled to an upright position, trying hard to catch her breath. Both palms of her hands were bleeding from the fall. “Mike, I need help!” She looked in the direction he had headed, seeing nothing. In the eerie darkness, the silence was deafening. “Mike, where are you?” She called his name again with no response, her voice the only sound echoing back through the night.

She headed for the car, opened the door and let the warmth caress her face, melting the ice that had formed inside her nose. She opened the glove box reaching for the flashlight. As the door closed behind her she turned the flashlight on, shining it in the direction he had headed. “Come on, Mike, answer me – this isn’t funny!” Still there was nothing. She walked around to his side of the car and pointed the beam towards the front of the car. That's when she saw the fender. Her heart stopped when she saw the blood. Oh God, they had hit something.

She moved the flashlight in the direction she thought Mike had headed. She told herself not to panic as she walked back into the brush. She’d walked only a few feet when the light picked up a trace of blood on the snow covered ground, and she began to follow a trail. Suddenly, she heard something rustling in the distance but couldn’t pick up anything in the beam of her light. “Mike, are you out there?” “Mike!” She felt the tears well up in her eyes, freezing in place, before running down her face. Then she heard it again but closer, and swung the flashlight wildly in that direction. She started moving forward before tripping again, this time on something larger than the brush. As she reached down to feel for what she’d stumbled over she felt an arm covered in a denim jacket. Her heart was pounding as she held her breath and focused her light on the object. It was Mike. She started shaking him, trying to wake him up when she noticed the blood leaking onto his wool scarf. Oh God, what had happened? She bent over and placed her hand on his neck feeling for a pulse. He was still alive, thank God! Alarm bells started clambering in her head as shock and disbelief crawled slowly into her conscious. She started screaming his name, trying to awaken him so she could get them back to the car and safety.

She stood up slowly straining to see beyond the darkness. It was then that her eyes locked onto a figure in the shadows with glowing eyes, moving slowly in her direction. She let out a scream and reached down searching for rocks or anything to throw at the unknown assailant. She bent over and grabbed Mike by his two feet, dragging his 6’3” frame towards the car. The eyes continued to get closer, no hurry in their approach as they stalked her. Loretta continued to stare at the creature, backing away as she struggled to drag Mike to the car, finally reaching safety.

She dropped his feet as she opened the door, sliding onto the seat and grabbing his ankles trying to pull him in. As she reached down to grab his knees, Mike suddenly looked up, shaking his head, then falling backward. “Mike, Mike . . . please wake up, I’ve got to get you in the car!” Once again, he raised his head, this time his eyes focusing on hers, recognizing the fear he saw looking back at him. He leaned up, grabbed her hands and pulled himself into the car, slamming the door behind him.

As they held onto each other, shaking from fear and cold, the shock of what had just happened started to sink in. “Mike, my God are you okay? What was that thing?’ cried Loretta. “We’ve got to get you to a hospital.” Mike looked at her mumbling, “I’m okay. I think it’s just a gash. Let’s get the hell out of here while we can.” Mike grabbed the keys, turning the ignition, not knowing their fate had already been sealed. Neither one of them noticed the shadow rising from the back seat before it was too late. It ripped at their throats with razor sharp teeth and in an instant, it was over.

The following morning a semi heading north came upon the car in the middle of nowhere. It was sitting at a dead stop in the southbound lane with the motor running. The driver slowed down as he drew closer, blowing his horn hoping someone was asleep in the back, albeit an odd place to get some shut eye. He brought the truck to a standstill, turned off the motor, and climbed out of the cab. As he drew closer, his eyes began to focus in on the two mangled bodies slumped over in the front seat. What in God's name had happened here? As he leaned in through the driver's window to turn off the ignition, he suddenly felt the presence of something behind him. His heart froze as he stood up and turned to face it, glowing eyes glaring back at him. Before he could scream, there was only darkness.
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