"No."
"Okay, well, there is a weather system warning for tonight."
"What does that mean?"
"We are expecting rain."
"Oh." I smile in relief, "I can handle a little rain."
"Yes, it's not showing too much on the radar. If you come across any ice on the road, I would suggest you pull over if you aren’t accustomed to driving through it."
I frown. "Ice on the road?"
"There won't be any at this time of year, but I have to warn you just in case. It's in the terms and policies."
"Oh good." I smile, relieved. "If I get tired, I am just going to pull into a hotel anyway."
"Okay, sounds like a plan." She keeps typing into her computer. "What kind of car did you want?"
"What drives the best?"
"I'd probably go with a SUV?"
"Are they hard to drive?"
"No, easier on our roads. Can handle all weather with a heavier tire."
"Sounds good."
She shuffles through her keys and hands me a set.
"If you go out these doors and over to our parking lot, you will see a black SUV; that’s your ride."
I take the keys from her. "Perfect." I grab my suitcase and laptop bag and make my way out to the parking lot to see the black SUV parked.
I feel myself wither a little. "Jeez, that’s a big beast." I click the keys and it lights up as it unlocks. I peer in and am pleasantly surprised. Black leather interior, with all the modern upgrades. Quite luxurious really. I throw my things in the back and climb in and get behind the wheel. I type ‘Anchorage, Four Seasons’ into the navigation system and start the car.
I smile broadly, as I look around. This car is actually pretty cool.
Four hours later, I sit forward in my seat and grip the steering wheel with white-knuckle force.
"This is a fucking nightmare," I mutter. The wipers are going as fast as they can. Loud and fast, and still, I can't see through the windshield. It's pouring rain, torrential actually. And to top it off, I've lost internet connection, so my maps have stopped working. I glanced over the map route before I started driving and I'm pretty sure I just have to stay on this road. But at this point, who knows where the hell I am?
It's dark and wet and I'm in the middle of a forest, huge trees line the sides of the winding road. There isn’t anywhere safe that I can pull over and stop. I just need to keep going until I find a service station or get to a town so I can get service again.
I glance at the bars on my phone…. still nothing.
Fuck.
I come around a winding bend and a huge branch lays across the road and I swerve to miss it. The car hits a puddle and spins into a 360. "Ahhh," I cry as I lose control.
I go through the barrier at the side of the road and over the embankment and down a sloping hill. I'm bouncing all over the place as I try to regain control of the car. The wheels completely lose traction and the brakes aren’t working. I run straight into a tree trunk.
The car comes to a dead halt and I close my eyes in relief and put my head into my hands. I pant as adrenaline rushes through my system and my heart is beating fast.
I look up at my surroundings; huge trees surround my car. It's pitch black and pouring rain. I pick up my phone, still no service.
"Holy fuck, what do I do now?"
I sit for a moment in the darkness as I try to calm myself down. I peer through the back window as I try to work out how far I travelled from the main road. Can't be too far. I need to get out of here.
The sound of the rain is deafening on the roof of the car and the windshield wipers are going at full speed still.
I straighten the wheel and put the car into reverse as I peer through the back window. I can't see for shit. I put my foot down on the accelerator and the wheels spin. I do it again and I can hear them spinning hard over the engine in the mud but there is no traction.
I'm trapped.
Shit, this is the monumental fuck up of all fuck ups.
Think.
What would be the logical thing to do?
I could try and dig the car out of the mud, but with the rain coming down like it is, there is next to zero chance of that; everything is mud.
I could walk up to the highway and try and flag down a passing car.
What cars, there are no fucking cars. Maybe I should I just stay in the car until morning?
I look around at my surroundings. It's dark and creepy and pouring down rain and the windshield is fogging up on the inside. Spending the night here is my worst nightmare.