The Midnight Hour & Other Scary Stories

Roads Less Traveled

It had been a very long day for Marsha. Too long, if you asked her. She had been driving for nearly twelve hours straight without an end in sight. The sun had long since gone down and her car's headlights were her only company on the dusty road laid out before her.

Marsha fought the urge to sleep. She was doing ok on gas. She just had to get to the next town. Struggling with her eyes, she pushed on through the winding mountains.

Before long, Marsha came to a fork in the road. She stopped the car long enough to check the map. There was no one around but her and the dark.

Then, as Marsha was tracing her path with a finger, she saw lights coming towards her. They were behind her car. Marsha quickly made a decision and chose the path to her right. She pulled her car onto the old road and set off into the night.

Not long after, the car's headlights were behind her again.

Marsha thought that was odd. What were the chances another car would have chosen to go this way at this time of night? In fact, she couldn't remember even seeing another car for hours. Where had this one come from?

She put aside her feelings of unease and continued to focus on the road. After a little while of driving, she came to another turn. Marsha took a left this time.

So did the other car.

Again, she wanted to think that it was a coincidence, but then she noticed that the car was speeding up. Something about the lights seemed off as well. They were... odd. Marsha sped up as well. She put a good distance between her and the other car.

When it was out of sight, she breathed a sigh of relief.

If she kept on in this direction she should hit the nearest town in a half hour. Not too bad! She could do that. Marsha turned on the radio.

She began to hum to the song that was playing.

After a few minutes, she saw the other lights again.

The car was moving much faster now. If she didn't pick up speed it would overtake her. Marsha put her foot on the gas and her car shot forward.

The other car did the same.

At this point, Marsha realized that it was following her. Was the person drunk? Or was it some psycho? Her heart beat faster. She didn't have anything to defend herself with. She couldn't stop. She had to keep going.

Marsha continued to pick up speed. While the road was almost entirely a straight shot, there was the occasional turn along the way. If she went too fast, she would be sent flying. Each time she slowed down to take a sharp bend, though, the car began to gain on her. Strangely, it seemed to follow in a straight line.

Could Marsha outrun this maniac?

She was going so fast now that her seat began to shake. Her poor car couldn't take this for very long. Every few seconds, she looked into the mirror to see how close the other car was to her. Each time, those yellow lights were larger, brighter. They looked so strange! Her heart began to pound.

Suddenly, the road straightened out, and the end of it, now in sight, was the town she had been looking for. Marsha pressed as hard as she could against the gas pedal. Dust peeled off the road to her right and left as she tore down the lonely trail.

Then, something happened that she wasn't expecting.

The car was gaining on her at a terrifying pace. She didn't know how it could move that fast! Horrified, Marsha pressed harder on the gas. But the car couldn't move faster. Its engine whined as she barreled towards town.

Meanwhile, the lights in her rearview mirror continued to grow. She had to get to town!

Just as the lights threatened to wash over her, Marsha crossed the city limits. She heard a strange screech as the car behind her slowed its pace.

Soon, its lights were replaced by the familiar red and blue of a police cruiser. Marsha pulled over to the side of the road and the officer stepped out of the vehicle.

He approached her vehicle.

"Officer!" She said. "I am so glad you're here! I was being chased by a madman!"

"So that's what happened." The Officer smiled. "You're lucky to be alive, Miss."

She nodded. "Thanks to you, I'm safe."

"Not me." The officer said. "It doesn't like the city."

"It?" Marsha asked.

Her eyes drifted back to the road. The lights were trailing off in the distance. However, something about them seemed wrong from this angle. Then, Marsha watched as the lights climbed the nearby mountain, crawling up like a strange centipede. When the lights had reached the top, they turned to her.

And that's when Marsha realized they weren't lights at all.

They were eyes.