The Hitchhiker

If you hit someone on a dark, empty road, would you help them? Would you continue to help them after you found out that they were running from something?

"See, I told you we should've stopped to get gas at that last rest stop! Now, look! The damn gas light is on, April." Erica jabbed her finger at the orange gas can symbol, blinking back at her. April rolled her eyes and said, "We have never run out of gas so stop being such a drama queen. We can stop at the next one."

"Yeah, after we break down on this dark, no-cars-in-sight-serial killer-road," Erica mumbled. "I heard you! Anyway, where's that snack bag? I'm hungry." April asked, checking under the seat. "I don't know, check in the back but hand me my phone first, please. You know, if I don't check in every two hours, my mom will have a nervous breakdown. Then she'll keep calling until I answer." April handed her the phone and dove in the backseat as she spotted several snack bags. Before Erica could dial her mother, she answered the incoming call. "Mom, I can't call you every two hours; I'm driving! The more road time we get, the quicker we'll get there. Yes, April is here. Yes, I know we can't sleep in the same room; that's why we're getting a room, mom. Yes, it will be a good chunk of change, but at least we'll be comfortable. No, mom, that's not what I.." Erica dropped the phone as she slammed on the breaks. She heard a loud thud over April's yelp. Panicked and still gripping the steering wheel tightly, she asked, "April, baby are you ok?!" She answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?!" She asked, climbing back into the front seat nervously. Erica held her head on the steering wheel; looking at April's worried face, she answered, "I hit something."

"You what!? Erica, how!? Did you not have the bright lights on?! How did you hit something?!"

"I had missed my mom's last two calls, so I had to call her, April!"

"Are you going to get out and go see what it is?" April whispered. "Honestly, baby, it's just way too dark, empty and creepy out here. We're already low on gas. I'm just going to back up and go around whatever it is. It's probably just a deer or a moose." Erica nodded with reassurance as she put the car in reverse. As the headlights illuminated farther out, April's mouth dropped open as she hit Erica on the arm. Erica groaned, "I see, baby, I see. I'll be back."

Erica slowly got out of the car and stood there for a moment, trying to differentiate if this was fantasy or reality. She held her head back, sighed then began walking towards the crumpled body.

"What's going on, Erica!? What happened!?" Hearing Erica's mother's voice, April scrambled around looking for Erica's phone. She finally found it and picked it up, and answered. "Everything's fine; she'll call you back!" She pressed the red button, hoping she wouldn't call back.

As Erica reached the body, the woman turned her head a full 360 and said, "Please help me. I can't help who I am, and it wants what I am."

Erica jumped, looked back at April, and gestured for her to come quickly.