Tammy walked out of the bar both coughing up from the intense smoke and wondering where on Earth she had parked her car.
"You lost?" asked a voice in the shadow of the parking lot.
Tammy turned around quickly to see a man, dressed in jeans and a dirty jean jacket, staring at her, as he stepped on his used cigarette butt.
"Ummm, yeah, I can't remember where I parked the damn thing," she said, scanning the crowded parking lot.
"Well, let's see, what kind of car is it and what color is it?" he asked.
"It's a black camaro," she answered, stepping back as the stranger stepped forward, out of the shadows.
"It's right over there," he said, pointing to her car in the far corner of the lot.
"Thanks," she said, walking towards her vehicle, but hearing footsteps behind her.
She quickly flipped around and saw the stranger following closely behind her.
"Is there something you needed?" she asked, half turning towards him.
"Well, I figure since I helped you find your car, the least you can do is give me a ride," he said, inching closer towards her.
"Look, I appreciate the help, but I don't know you and I'm not about to give some strange guy that was hanging out in a bar parking lot a ride, I'm sorry," she said, fumbling around in her purse for her car keys.
"Look, lady, you owe me," he said, becoming very agitated, "I didn't have to help you at all, I was just being nice."
"And, like I said, I appreciate your help, but I'm not giving you a ride," she repeated, sliding her key into the door lock.
Just then, the man walked up behind her, placing his hand on top of hers, "It's just a ride, I'm not asking you for a kidney here."
Tammy began to get very frightened, "Look, if you don't leave me alone, I'm gonna scream."
"Go ahead and scream, lady," he said, "There's no one out here and the nearest police station is almost 30 miles away."
She took a deep breath, and against her better judgement, she gave in and agreed to give him a ride, knowing he would not leave her alone otherwise.
"Okay, I'll give you a ride, where is it you need to go?" she asked, walking around and unlocking the passenger side door.
"Just up the road, no more then 10 miles," he said, giving her a strange grin as he climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
Tammy got into the driver's seat, but made sure she left her door unlocked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"Listen, I appreciate this," he said, lighting up another cigarette, "It's not exactly safe walking home in the dark around here."
"It's no big deal," she said, keeping one eye on him and one eye on the road, "Just let me know where to go."
After a few minutes, the man introduced himself as Larry. He was divorced, no children and lived alone in the woods. He said he enjoyed the solitude, but every now and then he'd wander up to the bar for a beer or two and a game of pool.
Tammy offered no personal information about herself, nor did she care about this man or his story. She just wanted him out of her car and to get home to a nice warm bath and her big king size bed.
"This is it right up here," he said, pointing to a long, dark driveway to the left.
Tammy slowly pulled into the driveway and came to a stop, refusing to pull all the way up to Larry's house.
"Thanks for the lift, ma'am," he said, climbing out of her car.
"It's no problem, have a nice night, Larry," she said, slowly backing out of his yard, thankful he was gone and she was not far from home herself.
A week later, the telephone rang.....
"Hello?" she said, standing in nothing but her satin robe, fresh from a hot shower, "Hello?"
No one spoke, but she could hear someone breathing. After a few more hello's, Tammy slammed the phone down, aggravated with the mystery caller.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again, only ringing once this time though.
This repeated five more times throughout the night, until finally Tammy unplugged the phone, deciding she'd never get any sleep with that going on.
The next night, she was curled up on the couch, watching a sappy chick flick, when there came a knock on the door.
Tammy looked at the clock, confused as to who would be at her door at almost midnight. She put the T.V. on mute, and slowly made her way to the front door.
"Who is it?" she asked, tying the belt on her robe.
No answer, but she could definitely see a shadow through the blinds in the front window.
"I said, who is it?" she repeated, slowly unlocking the locks on the front door.
Again, no answer.
Finally, she opened the door, aggravated at someone playing games with her at this hour of the night, and who would be standing there?
Larry ...... the persistant man from the bar.
"Oh my God, how did you find me?" she asked, keeping the door half closed and a tight grip on her robe.
"Let me in, Tammy Simms," he said, blowing the last of the smoke from his cigarette into her face.
"How did you know my name?" she asked, pulling the door closer to her body.
"I said, let me in," he repeated, taking a step closer to her.
"No, I don't think so, I think you need to leave," she said, slowly closing the door.
But, Larry wasn't having this. He put his foot up to the door, disabling her from closing it completely.
"Do I have to repeat myself a third time?" he asked, pushing his body weight into the door, "Let me in, damnit."
Tammy became very scared and decided it was probably best to do as he asked.
