The Star Who Loves Me

A strange and sinister occurrence

"Why don't you turn the radio on Willy? It's going to be a long night for us.", Carl, who is currently driving the delivery truck said to his companion.

"Okay...", Willy replied after taking a sip from his coffee tumbler. He tapped the radio and searched for a good fm station.

Even though the gods are crazy,

Even though the stars are blind...

"Oh for Pete's sake, can you find another station? This song's too girlish!", Carl complained without looking at Willy. His eyes are focused on the way.

"Ugh... So picky.", without choice, he did what he was told.

As I walk through the valley of the shadow and death

I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left...

"Yeah... ", Carl said with a satisfied smirk and started banging his head softly with the beat.

You better watch how you talkin' and where you walkin'

Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk...

"Hey, where are we going?", Willy asked when he saw Carl turned their vehicle to their right instead of driving straight.

"There's a shortcut here says the gps. We've been delivering to Hoverville for a few times and we never took this way so I decided to give it a try.", he explained.

"But I heard it's a haunted road.", said Willy who is starting to get chills.

He laughed at his friend.

"Really? Aren't you too old to fear ghosts?", he asked scornfully.

"Why? Aren't you?"

"Hahaha! Silly Willy...", Carl answered while shaking his head.

Fool, death ain't nothing but a heartbeat away

I'm livin' life, do or die, what can I say?

They both fell into silence with the song still playing.

The path is dark and foggy with only a few streetlights far apart.

Willy took a glance on his right and saw the eerie view. For some reason, his heart is beginning to beat faster than normal.

"Carl, I don't think this is a good idea. I mean look at this place...", he said, obviously nervous.

Carl gazed at the surrounding for a second and returned his sight on the road. He wanted to chortle but held it in. A naughty thought flashed into his mind instead.

He played on the brakes and pretended that they're broken.

"What the hell Carl?!", Willy yelled. Beads of sweat are forming on his temples.

He curled his eyebrows and tried his best to sound worried.

"This is bad Willy...", he said and looked at his feet where the brakes are located.

"I think the brakes were not functioning well.", he stopped the truck.

"Why did we stop?!"

He got up, took his flashlight and went out of the truck.

"I'm going to pee. What, you want to come with me?", he asked jokingly. He deliberately stopped the truck in the middle of the way and where there were no streetlights.

"Okay, but don't go too far."

"All right, coward.", Carl replied laughing.

Willy wanted to get down and follow but he's too afraid to do so. He patiently waited while looking at the empty driver's seat instead. He doesn't want to look at the darkness that seems eternal outside.

"Carl?", he called after a couple of minutes but no one answered.

"Carl, are you done?", he can see the light from the flashlight but there's no sound of movement coming from his friend.

"Carl! Hurry up! This is not funny!", his voice is trembling, with the song in the radio making him feel worse.

I want your soul

I will eat your soul

I want your soul

I will eat your soul...

After 10 more minutes, he finally mustered up the courage to move and look below the driver seat but Carl wasn't there.

"Carl! Where are you? Damn it!"

He's about to unbuckle his seat belt when his eyes caught something from his peripheral vision.

He turned his head towards the right window. There was no one.

"Carl, is that you?"

He stared at the window for another minute and a face popped out from below scaring the s**t out of him.

"Aaaaaahh!", Willy screamed like a frightened little girl. But he felt relieved after realizing it was Carl who intentionally aimed the light on his face to prank his chicken-hearted pal.

"F*ck you Carl!", he exclaimed. He's angry and happy at the same because it was just his friend. While, Carl is having the best time of his life, laughing at Willy.

"Will you stop laughing now? Let's get going!"

"Wait, I haven't laughed enough yet. Hahaha!"

"Ugh, shut up and let's get the hell outta here!", Willy demanded. He's starting to get truly pissed, because as long as they're still there, his heart won't calm down.

"Okay... Okay... ", he finally went inside the vehicle, started the engine and carried on their way.

They once again fell into silence when a particular song played in the radio.

Don't be afraid

The shadows know me

Let's leave the world behind

Take me through the night

Fall into the dark side

We don't need the light

We'll live on the dark side

I see it

Let's feel it

While we're still young and fearless

Let go of the light

Fall into the dark side...

"Isn't this song a little bit creepy?", Willy turned his head to face his friend.

"Are you serious?! This song is lit!"

Willy did not speak anymore but the worried frown is still deeply engraved on his weary face.

He looked at the dark way. And while he's trying his damnest to not listen to the song, he saw something wandering along the road.

"C... Carl... What is... That?", he pointed at the silhouette in the middle of the road.

Carl turned serious upon seeing the thing. He swiftly looked at his wrist watch to see the time. It's almost one o'clock in the morning. It's unusual for a person to walk alone at this time and place!

Frowning, he pressed the horn to scare it away but it doesn't hear it.

"Carl, let's turn around...", Willy said with a pleading tone.

"No, we're already halfway through.", he replied frowning even deeper while still pressing the horn. They can't see what exactly it was since the fog is too thick.

"Carl! I think it's a ghost!", Willy screamed.

Carl is starting to get nervous. No! It can't be a ghost, he's too old for that. He just mocked his friend a while ago, he can't be afraid. But what is this thing in front of them? It's getting closer and closer as they drive towards it. A cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

"Carl, please!"

"s**t, what is that??", he silently asked.

"Turn around! We're going to hit it!"

"We can't just turn around!", he answered, not knowing whether to do what Willy says or to go on.

Just when they are a few meters away, the thing turned around and faced them. The headlights narrowed his enlarged eyes and he froze in shock.

"It's a person! It's a person!", they both yelled.

"Step on the brakes! Step on the damn brakes!"

Carl did step on the brakes but it's a little too late.

"Noooooooo!!!"

"Aaaaaaaahhh!!!"

They both closed their eyes and braced for impact.

The brakes intervened and the vehicle stopped. They slowly opened their eyes and calmed down a little.

"I think... I just killed somebody...", Carl whispered, still panting. He's still unable to move because of what happened.

"Let's get down and help him.", said Willy who recovered faster than his friend. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and went down to see the boy leaving Carl still gawking.

Willy walked carefully towards the front of the truck. His heart beating wildly. He can already imagine the bloody scene in his head where the boy is lying with his dead body.

"What in the world...???"

After seeing the front, he stopped and looked around. There was no one. No blood, no dead body and no traces of someone being hit by the vehicle. This made him flabbergasted.

"Carl, come here... "

Carl finally managed to get to his senses and went down to check on the matter.

"Where is he?", Carl wondered.

"I... Don't... Know... ", Willy replied, still investigating this unbelievable phenomenon.

"But, he was here. I saw it. I saw the truck touched him. You saw it too right?"

"Ye... Yeah.", he answered while walking around and looking for the possibility of the body being thrown because of the impact.

"What's going on? Where did he go? Did we overlook something?"

Willy stopped walking and looked at Carl. He came to a realization.

"Carl, he... I think he must be a ghost...", he calmly said.

"Nonsense! It's a person!", Willy doesn't want to admit the idea of them encountering a spooky human-like creature.

"Then how are you going to explain what happened? He was here earlier and now he's gone!"

Carl wasn't able to respond to Willy since he himself cannot explain this strange and sinister occurrence.

"I think we should go...", Willy suggested. His heart hasn't calmed down yet. He silently swore to himself that he will never return to this place ever again.

"I... Think so too...", he finally agreed.

They sighed and went inside the truck with Carl driving faster than usual.

"I told you this place is haunted and you didn't believe me!", Willy said along the way. There's a trace of blame in his tone.

"Don't you ever use this shortcut again!", he firmly added.

"Okay... Okay... ", Carl softly answered, now convinced that ghosts do exist.

Hey mumma

Look at me

I'm on the way to the promised land

I'm on the highway to hell

Highway to hell...

"And turn this f*cking thing off!", Willy screamed, pertaining to the radio.

***

Meanwhile, the person the two have previously mistaken as ghost was in a grassy and dim part of a park, curled up in fright, his arms covering his head with eyes closed, ready to die.

The park is located in the city, good thing there's nobody around except for him.