“The woman said the hotels were up the road, but I don’t know which road to take.”
The windshield wipers glided snow from side to side. I tapped the steering wheel. “Left or right.”
Jalen yelled out, “Right.”
Kia shrugged. “Right has to be right.”
Jalen giggled. “Right doesn’t have to be right.”
“It’s right.” Kia ate another chip. “Right is right.”
“Okay. Okay.” I shook my head. “Then, right it is. If it isn’t, then we’ll turn around and go left.”
God, please let this be the way.
We headed down the road. No streetlights hovered ahead. I shook my head, knowing I must’ve gone the wrong way. The other problem was that it was a hilly dirt road. With places like that, it might’ve been some deep ditches on the sides. If I tried to do a U-turn, I didn’t want to fall in and have us stuck there.
“Okay, everybody.” I turned my high beams on. “I need those young eyes.”
“We’re here.” Jalen put his candy bar down and went to the window. “What are we looking for, Mommy?”
“A driveway or road where I can do a U-turn.”
“I think we passed one house,” Kia offered.
I gripped the steering wheel hard. “Let’s see if we’ll pass another one.”
Come on, God. I know you love us.
The road took a sharp turn. The car shuddered as I rounded the curve, almost gliding on the slippery surface.
“There’s a house up there.” Jalen pointed ahead.
“Good job.” I headed that way.
“That place looks creepy,” Kia said.
“Hey, we just need to use the road. No worries.” I kept the car at a steady pace.
Once we got to the house’s driveway, I slowed and turned into it. Too bad a wooden and wire gate outlined the road, making it difficult to do an easy turn.
I have to drive up a little more.
The house must’ve been about forty to fifty feet further up. From what I could see, the property was a wild, secluded spot nestled amid tall evergreens. Perhaps, it appeared more welcoming in the daylight. Not that I planned to see it then.
Gritting my teeth, I drove us further.
The car bumped and bounced over the terrain.
“We can go up a little more and then try to do a turn there.” My heart boomed.
Twenty feet up, I hit a patch of ice and the car swerved from side to side and did some sort of turn. Shit. I fought to gain control, finally did, and then the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road.
I checked the kids.
They just looked frozen in fear.
“We’re good?”
Kia let out a long breath. “Yes, but I can’t wait to get to the hotel.”
“Me too.”
Jalen grinned. “Not me. This is like the beginning of a horror movie.”
“Thanks, Jalen.” I shook my head.
I took few deep breaths, looked around, and had no idea which direction I was facing. At this point, the snow had become a white blanket in front of me. It didn’t help that my headlights were the only light in the area.
“Do you all see the house? Is it behind or in front of us?”
Jalen admitted, “I can’t see anything, Mommy.”
Kia’s voice held nervousness. “We should get off these people’s property.”
“Trust me, sweetie. I’m trying.”
Jalen chimed in. “What if they’re cannibals?”
“Not helping, baby.” I decided to keep heading in the direction I was pointed and prayed it would take me back to the road.
I put my foot on the gas.
“Wait, Mommy!” Kia shouted.
I jerked the wheel like I was flinching from a punch. It was too much action. The car swerved. The tires screeched on what must’ve been ice. I almost slammed into a gate. I yanked the wheel to the right, fighting hard to get control of the car again.
But this time I wasn’t so lucky.
Five long seconds felt like five hours of terror.
I screamed.
The kids too.
The vehicle turned into a circle, spinning and skidding. The SUV’s back rammed into something. I slammed into the wheel. The kids shrieked.
Before I could check to make sure they were okay, we fell into what must’ve been a shallow ditch. The SUV’s underbody crashed, banged, and scraped.
We tilted forward. The front must’ve been in the small ditch. The engine stalled out and there was no sound beyond hot components hissing against the snow, and the air brake gently exhaling, and my kids screaming, gasping, and then going silent.
All I could do was sit there.
Frozen.
Angry.
And utterly giving up.
“Mommy. . .I’m sorry,” Kia whispered in the cold darkness. “I was just trying to tell you that we were going toward the house.”
Jalen mumbled, “Doesn’t matter now.”
“Shh. Give Mommy a minute to think.” I tried to regain my breath and think of the next plan. The car had to be totaled. It was cold and snowing outside. Only God knew who’s property we’d crashed onto this evening.
And then loud barking ensued somewhere far off in the distance.