No one knew she was on the road.
Except him.
And he was her ally.
Could her parents have found her out? Gone into her room and discovered that she’d sneaked out? Even if they had, how would they know that she was on this road? No, that wasn’t feasible. But if they called the cops . . . ?
Wouldn’t a cop use his lights? Maybe a siren?
So what then?
She kept driving, the lights behind her flickering on and off, distracting her.
Putting her more on edge.
She should never have agreed to meet out here in the middle of no-damned-where. Why hadn’t she had him swing by and talk in the damned “man cave”? Her parents wouldn’t have heard her. But, of course, it would have been dangerous.
Nervously chewing on the inside of her mouth, Lindsay squinted into the darkness. Her thoughts were a jumble, and she wondered if she should have just called the cops. Told them what she knew. With difficulty, she focused on the road ahead, where her headlights cut through the darkness and the double yellow line was nearly mesmerizing in its snake-like path.
Again, she saw lights in the reflection of the mirror.
Distracted, she cut a corner a little tight, then swung wide and saw the S-curve ahead. She braked, attempting the first sharp turn, pulling hard on the wheel, seeing a glint of light behind her again, cutting the corner too close as the vehicle behind her appeared.
Big.
Lights on bright.
Accelerating on this twisting snake of road.
“What the hell?” she whispered. “Back off jerk-wad!” As if the driver could hear her.
She glanced through the windshield again and screamed.
In the wash of her headlights, she saw a body. Stretched out across the center line, a human form lay, unmoving. Dead? Alive? She didn’t know.
Oh, God. Oh, dear God!
Lindsay stood on the brakes.
Nooo!
Jerking the wheel, she tried to avoid hitting flesh and bone, all the while seeing the girl’s face turned toward her, her eyes rounded and staring blankly.
“God, no!”
Her car fishtailed.
She couldn’t slow down fast enough!
Thump!!!
She hit the body.
Thunk!
Oh, Jesus! Her tires squished the girl, rolled over her, pushing the body as the brakes seized.
Screaming, disbelief and terror scraping through her brain, Lindsay twisted on the steering wheel and the back tires came free, bounced over the body.