Crow and Clover {On TEMP Hold}

Chapter Two

***

      It felt like I was driving through purgatory.

     The fog was like a wraith whose cloak enshrouded everything, it's thick yet cool ectoplasmic breath settling over the earth like a tomb. It was very quiet and still tonight, mid-Autumn, so the trees were were all sorts of fiery hues—reds, yellows, and oranges splashing together to create a warm, inviting palette. Warm, at least, on nights that were not like this one. Right now, it was as if the world had been captured and locked inside a bubble that was taken to another realm.

     Thin leaves littered the forest floor and spilled onto the road, covering road lines and blending its shoulder with grass at various intervals with thicker piles settling at the forest's threshold.

     Everything was saturated with condensation from the fog which rolled lazily across the earth, unmotivated by the breeze, as if it had nowhere else to be. It was so thick that I had to drive with my lights on low and it was difficult to move forward any faster than a crawl; visibility being less than ten feet ahead. Deer, in this season, seemed to frequent the area so I was nervous when I rounded a bend and headed further into an earthy tunnel of tree and foliage. With what visibility I didn't have, I would be unable to see doe-y shimmering orbs in enough time to stop.

     As if the machine had its own piece to say, the Chevette crawled forward with a protest when I slowed down, it sputtering and vibrating before making an odd sound that told me something was wrong. "Mother was right, I do work all my possessions to death..." I muttered. I was unable to staunch the unease that fluttered in my chest when the machine hesitated before kicking back up into the speed that I told it to.

     Due to how tense I had been, sweat had caused my grip to grow slick on the steering wheel so I sat back in my seat with a heavy sigh and forced my hands to relax, watching the road intently. However, this backfired and the wheel broke free from my grip when the vehicle sputtered again and lumped over a stick like it was a log. The car swerved, jerking me to the side.

     "Shit!"

     I gripped the thing and yanked it back onto the road which caused it to throw me to the other side. Cursing to myself over my pounding heart, I corrected less and less until I'd steadied the car and righted it upon its path. Panting lightly and with a shaky body, I whispered, "You are okay Mir, everything is okay and..."

     Crack!

     The Chevette groaned and spluttered as steam of some sort unfurled from beneath the hood at the same time the heap of metal began rolling to a stop. I'd let out a startled shout, working hard not to over-correct again as I swerved myself right and onto what little shoulder the road had. Like a hobbling old man, the rusty purple '81 jolted and shook until I slammed my booted foot onto the break, causing the machine to abruptly come to a halt. It died on spot, the lights and engine flipping off simultaneously. The sound of my rapid breaths were very loud as I sat in the darkness, gripping the wheel with my eyes closed until the repetition of my heartbeat gradually soothed the panic.

     When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing.

     A pang of fear embraced me in that moment. It was like waking up from a terrible dream and not having any ability to process anything around you. Not sight, not smell, not sound, not touch. Quickly, I pinched my cheek to ground myself and forced myself to audibly breath. My eyes watered. My heart fluttered painfully fast.

     The void was my one of my fears.

     It was in that fear that terror sprouted forth. Every second it surrounded me was another moment in a nightmare. As a result, I threw the door open and hopped into the chill night, slamming it shut behind me without so much as a backwards glance at the blasted thing. The car creaked on its hinges and it was this rush of sensation that caused my fears to release their long, spindly fingers, albeit slowly.