I will never hitchhike ever again. The story I’m about to tell you is the reason why you shouldn’t either. My name is Holly and I was 15 years old at the time that this happened. I had just recently gotten into a fight with my mother. I don’t even remember what we argued about, it was over something stupid and petty.
Anyway, I packed a bag and left just like that. I was so mad at her I couldn’t bear living there anymore. Fuming with anger, I decided to hitchhike and get as far away from the shitty town I was trapped in as possible.
The roads were unusually empty on a normally busy highway and it was really hot out. Probably one of the hottest days we had in a long time. It wasn’t long before I broke out in a sweat under the grueling sun.
I had been walking for some time now when a car finally came my way. I stuck out my thumb, praying whoever was driving was kind enough to stop and hoping they weren’t a psycho. To my relief, a man in a Ford Taurus stopped and rolled down his window. He must’ve been in his early thirties and had a charming smile. I’ll admit that I found him rather hot. He had wavy brown hair and smoldering blue eyes. He had a small scar on his left cheek which gave him a bad boy look.
“Need a lift?” he asked me.
“That would be great!” I said and I hopped in.
He took off. “So, where are you heading?”
“Anywhere but here,” I said.
“Ahh, so you’re on the run, are you?” He asked with a smile that made me feel warm inside.
“Yeah, you could say that,” I said.
“Who are you running from? Parents?” he asked.
“Yep. Got in a fight with my mom,” I said.
“How old are you?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously. I felt a sudden tension.
“I’m 15,” I said.
“Oh you don’t say,” he says with a slight curve to his lips. Something about the way he said it made me feel a little uneasy.
We went a few more miles in silence when I finally spoke up. “So where are you heading?” I asked.
“Anywhere but here,” he said with a laugh. I smiled politely but I didn’t find the answer all that amusing. There was something odd about him. I couldn’t place it, but I felt that I may have seen his face before.
I heard something bang in the trunk. “What was that?” I asked.
“Nothing…” He said and then he turned the radio on.
“About 6’1’’, brown hair, blue eyes with a small scar on his left cheek. He is armed and dangerous and if you see this man you need to call the police immedia…” He quickly turned the radio off and eyed me suspiciously. I could feel my heart sink into my stomach. What was that about? I made sure not to look at him as I felt frozen in my seat. Armed and dangerous? And that description matched this man sitting in the driver’s seat almost perfectly.
Who the fuck did I just get into a car with? My heart was beating faster as we continued to drive down the road. 100s of different possibilities raced through my mind. What if he was a serial killer? Or a rapist? I thought for sure I wasn’t going to survive the trip with this man. He could easily pull off on some back road and end my life.
I made sure to keep my eyes on the road as we drove in completely nerve-wracking silence. Neither of us spoke a word. All I could hear was the engine of the car and the beat of my own heart. I began to sweat even though it was rather cold with the AC on. I can’t believe this is happening!
The argument I had with my mother seemed so stupid now. I really wanted to apologize, but now I felt that I might not ever see her again. I’m pretty sure the last thing I said to her was that I hated her. God, I’m so stupid! The worst part is that I didn’t even have a cellphone. She took it from me. So I had no way of calling the police. I’m also pretty sure he has someone in the trunk. I keep hearing thumping and pounding going on back there.
To my relief, I saw that he was low on gas and he eventually pulled off to the nearest gas station. He looked at me and his once smoldering blue eyes seemed cold and malice. “You should stay in the car.”
I nodded, but my mind was racing with thoughts on how to get the fuck out of my current situation. As he got out and started to fill his car I saw my chance as a police car pulled in. I saw the uneasy way he shifted as he saw them. He quickly finished pumping gas and walked in to pay. I rushed out of the car and ran to them. I immediately told them everything that happened and to my relief, they went in to question him. I quickly went in to see what was going to happen. That’s when I saw a picture of his face on the top of a newspaper. It said he was wanted for rape, murder and was extremely armed and dangerous.
There was a loud crash in the gas station. I looked up to see the police had tased him and were now arresting him. They looked into the man’s trunk and there was a young woman about my age tied up. It happened to be her car and he managed to sneak up on her after she got out of work. The police were nice enough to give me a ride home. I quickly went up to my mother in tears and hugged her, telling her I was so sorry and I loved her.
I couldn’t even imagine what could’ve happened if the police hadn’t shown up at that gas station. Never will I ever again get into a car with a stranger.
The End.
Remember, you’re never safe in the dark…
If you enjoyed this story please join my email newsletter for an exclusive story you’ll only find on my email newsletter.