It had begun to rain when I finally left work. The streetlights glared on the wet pavement, making the ground beneath my feet look slick and shiny. I dashed from my cover in the doorway and across the parking lot, the taillights of my car flashing as I unlocked their doors. I threw myself into the driver's seat, haphazardly tossing my purse onto the passenger side as I hurried to pull my door closed. Even such a short run had soaked my hair through, the wet strands sticking to my face and neck.
I glanced around the empty lot, frustration flashing through me. If I hadn't messed up the numbers on that form I wouldn't have needed to stay late to fix it. Such a simple calculation, and it was that stupid mistake that had led to me staying two hours searching for my mistake. I was angry. I wanted to be at home right now, getting ready for my weekend.
I turned the key in the ignition and quickly drove away, the accursed office building disappearing behind me. As I turned off the main streets and onto the forested shortcut towards home the rain began to peter out, and I thought things were finally looking up. That was, until I glanced down at the instrument panel and saw that my engine was seriously overheating. The dial was pushed all the way up, right into the red, and the Check Engine light had popped on.
"Motherfucker," I grumbled to myself, looking around at the imposingly dark trees clustered on both sides of the road and the utter lack of civilization all around me. The moon shone in a thin crescent overhead, doing absolutely nothing to help illuminate the world around me even if it weren't for the cluster of clouds drifting lazily in front of it. The last place I wanted to be right now was stranded in the forest by myself at 8 at night, but what was I going to do? Besides, maybe if I just let it cool I'd be able to, at the very least, manage to get myself home.
I continued forward maybe half a block, glancing anxiously the whole while at my red temperature gauge and imagining the hood bursting into flames right before my eyes. Ahead there was a hiking trail with a very small parking lot, and when I turned the corner and it came into view I didn't know whether the empty lot made me feel better or worse. The lone streetlight cast a small cone of orange light onto the gray pavement, and I parked directly underneath and turned my engine off.
I felt... horribly uneasy. It was late, and I was a woman all alone in an empty forest. The closest houses were a mile away on either side and nothing but dark forest spread around me, and I couldn't help but feel that at any moment something was going to burst from the trees and attack me, no matter how unlikely that was. Shit, what am I talking about? There's bears here. Something really might burst from the trees and attack me.
I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned over the console, reaching for my purse where I'd tossed it onto the passenger side floor. I quickly pulled out my phone and scrolled to my brother, clicking the call button. I didn't expect him to drop everything to come get me, but he could at least talk me through what I should look for under the hood.
Beep, beep, beep.
I pulled it away from my ear to look at the screen, and suddenly realized I had no bars here.
"Just my luck," I muttered to myself.
I hesitated.
I needed to get out of my car. Either to look under the hood or to see if I could get a signal. But I felt a sudden, deep terror at leaving my vehicle. It was silly. I knew it was silly. But I couldn't explain it, and I couldn't help it; the fact was, I desperately didn't want to get out.
"Stop being a baby. There's no one here."
Still, it took me a few moments before I was able to pull the door handle and step into the wide, dark forest.
I heard the leaves on the trees swishing as a gentle gust of wind blew through, carrying with it the scent of wet dirt. I looked back at my phone, wandering forward as I stared at the top bar. No signal. I circled back, headed in the other direction, lifting the device above my head even though I had no idea if that actually does anything, my heart beginning to pound loudly in my chest. It was a warm summer wind, and yet goosebumps had risen on my arms. I headed towards the road, and still my phone was coming up empty. The street here was so dark I couldn't see more than ten feet before me, the thin moon incapable of giving even the barest definition to my surroundings, and I shuddered.
Maybe the engine's cooled down enough now. Maybe it just needed a few moments. All I need is to get it home. That's all.
I turned back towards my car, my eyes still on my phone, a small spark of hope still kindling in my chest that I would suddenly get a signal and could call for help.
A crack, as of something falling onto my car's roof, made me finally look up.
My blood seemed to freeze in my veins. My phone slipped through my slack fingers, bouncing on the wet pavement. I realized quite suddenly that there were no sounds around me; no bugs chirping in the grass, no hooting of owls, no scurrying in the grass. Maybe that was why I'd been so uncomfortable before. Because in my gut, I could feel something was wrong. I should have listened. I should have stayed in my car. I should have let my engine burst, if only it had made sure to get me to somewhere alive.
A man was standing on the roof of my car. Or, was it even human? I don't know. Because on the sides of his head curled two large, thick horns, curling around and around like those on a goat. He had thick, coarse black hair on his chest, looking more like fur than anything else, and the toes of his feet ended in long black claws that scraped against the metal of my car. His black hair hung in greasy clumps around his shoulders, and even from here I could smell the rank stench of body odor coming off of him.
