Monday, June 4, 2018

Creepy Samples Offering: Highway 365

Hello there, Dear Readers, and welcome back for the final installment of the Creepy Samples Offerings. I hope you have enjoyed reading the story excerpts presented here,and if you would like to read them to their conclusion you can click on the link to my website, which is found under "About" on the right hand column. Everything you need to know is provided there. 

I am working on new material, which at some point in the not too distant future, will coalesce into another publication. At that time, I hope to return here with more Creepy Samples Offerings. 

Today's tale is called "Highway 365." This piece is found in my book entitled "The Darkness Beyond the Misty Veil: More Tales of the Macabre." The story concerns a man with an interest in the paranormal who travels to an area south of Little Rock, Arkansas in order to drive Highway 365, a road long reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman; particularly, on stormy nights.

We pick up the story after the protagonist turns onto the highway during a heavy thunderstorm:
The rain began to slow by the time I reached the Woodson's outskirts. Still, I maintained a slow speed, hoping against hope that I would see something significant. My eyes danced back and forth as I searched for an apparition or anything that signaled the presence of the supernatural. Although the worst part of the storm had passed, rain continued coming down at a steady pace. The flashes of lightning, though retreating toward the south east, continued to illuminate the landscape, offering me short but enhanced views of my surroundings.

I approached what appeared to be a small bridge when the sudden glare of headlights from behind caught my attention. I gazed into the rear-view mirror to take quick measure of the situation. When my eyes returned to the road I gasped in horror. The figure of a human being stood almost directly ahead of me only a few yards away. I hit the breaks as hard as I could while swerving into the oncoming lane.

For a few seconds I sat there stunned—overcome by the sudden flash of adrenaline pulsing through my veins. The figure hurried over to the passenger side of my vehicle, I could see that it was a young woman.

She was dressed in a long white gown that was drenched through and through. The garment, which most certainly had been attractive and alluring earlier in the evening was stained with blood and mud. Opening the passenger-side door, I could see a deep, bloody gash across her forehead. There was another just below her cheekbone. I suspected that she had suffered other injuries as well. 

“I'm....I'm so sorry,” I told her apologetically as she got in. “Where did you come from? I didn't see you.”

The vehicle from behind was approaching, so I quickly got out of the way by crossing over to the southbound lane and pulling onto the shoulder. I reached into the back seat and retrieved an extra jacket I'd left there. I wrapped it around her shoulders in an attempt to warm her. She was cold—very cold to the touch. 

“You're hurt. You need a doctor,” I told her as I gently used a wad of leftover napkins to tend to her wounds. “Is there a hospital nearby? You need stitches.”

At first she stared straight ahead in silence without saying a word. I needed answers if I was going to help her, but as I contemplated her condition, I considered the possibility that she might have been in shock. I decided to handle the situation with the utmost gentility. Calming my demeanor, I posed another question to her. 

“Do you live nearby?”

She turned toward me imploringly and slowly lifted her left hand, pointing straight ahead. “Redfield,” she said in little more than a whisper. “Take me to Redfield.” 

At that moment my heart melted as I took in her beauty—her exquisitely chiseled face, her resplendent breasts, only partially covered by her dress; this, in spite of her disheveled condition. Within a minuscule flash of time-- a split second perhaps, a vision came to me. 

She and I were at a dance—a prom perhaps. I'd been considering my good fortune in accompanying her to the event. We were a couple; and, as I took in the sight of her golden-blonde hair cascading over the soft skin of her shoulders, I knew I was in love. 

She removed her gaze and I snapped back to reality. The realization that my passenger needed medical attention took precedence, and I turned back onto the highway and headed in the direction of Redfield, 

There you have it! Many thanks to you all for being here over these past 11 or so months, and remember, keep it spooky !

Photo, A Place to Hide by Sandra H. appears courtesy of Gothic Pictures Gallery.