Best Friends, Remember?

The creepy journey

Jared has passed the bushes and finally, after ten minutes of walking, got to the road. It wasn’t crowded at all – cars, motorbikes, and other vehicles were appearing rarely, furthermore, they didn’t seem to even care. Every time Jared got closer to the road and put his thumb towards it, the drivers ignored him by pretending, he wasn’t standing on the wayside.

Jared has been trying to catch the occasion very hard. In a tide of desperation, he even stood in the middle of the road and just waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing was coming neither from the north, nor the south.

Suddenly, when Jared was sitting on a pile of hay, some strong and bright light blinded him and woke him up, as he happened to have a nap. He was exhausted and resigned. However, when he had seen the light, coming towards him, he immediately jumped up and started to wave his arms wildly to make the drivers aware, that he needed help from them.

The method has proved effective. The driver in a red car has slowed down, so Jared could get in the car.

“Good evening, sir and madame. Can you give me a lift to the main road?” Jared asked with noticeable enthusiasm and hope in his brown eyes.

“Sure, get in” called the man; “I’m Derek. This is my wife Amber. We’re looking around the country. Seeking adventures, you know. Is the highway going to be okay?” asked Derek.

“Sure. Yes, of course” Jared responded modestly.

Derek was in his forties, probably his wife was so. They both had pale skin, so that made them look more like siblings than a married couple. Derek looked tired, but also surprisingly – little bit intoxicated. Not knowing if that was because of tiredness caused by driving for a long time or alcohol, Jared truly wanted to take off – not to make any trouble. However, that was probably his last chance, so he killed the suspicion inside his heart and decided just to keep his eyes and ears wide open. To be vigilant and cautious he didn’t fall asleep, although he wanted so bad. His eyelids wanted to close themselves and that was a huge effort to keep them stay still.

Derek’s hair was light brown, but Amber’s was dark blonde, almost golden and in an addition – wavy. She had blue eyes, like her husband as well, but hers seemed to be very sober and wise. Her lips were covered by a red lipstick and when it comes to her bushy eyelashes – she didn’t even need any mascara to make them look pretty.

The married couple worn casual clothes, although Amber’s flowered dress seemed to be a little bit more expensive than Derek’s outfit.

In conclusion, Derek and Amber got an impression of a typical sixties marriage and in combination of their peculiar being, gave a thrilling image as the result. Also, a strange thought ran through Jared’s head, that they looked a bit like Bonnie and Clyde. For no reason. Just a thought.

“Oh!” Jared sighed with a relief; “that’s fabulous, you’re my only hope”

“Sure we are…” said Derek and looked at the mirror to see Jared’s face. It was hid behind the cap’s dash, so Derek couldn’t check it; “It’s so damn late and you’re just wandering like that? How old are you, boy?” Derek asked.

“Twenty one” Jared responded, still not showing his face.

“Any particular place, you’d want us to get you a lift to?”

“No…” Jared said after a short pause. At first he wanted to name the actual destination, but then he reminded himself not to stray and stick to his own plan, he had prepared in his mind before. Don’t stray, don’t confess to strangers and don’t be naive. They sounded like that. Pretty much like that.

“You’re sure?” Derek asked.

Amber turned around to take a look at Jared. He didn’t raise his head up stubbornly, so Amber sat straight again. When they weren’t watching, Jared raised his head to see, what was happening on the road and… between Derek and Amber. They seemed to look at each other silently, nodding their heads sometimes.

Jared didn’t know if they were talking or something, but he really felt uncomfortable that moment.

Derek, Amber and Jared spent an hour together in the car, in a complete silence (unless someone was coughing). Awkwardness was almost visible and even tangible during these embarrassing hour of the journey.

Suddenly, the silence has been interrupted by Jared, who decided to ask:

“Where are we?”

A huge, dark forest has appeared and started to move towards Derek, Amber and Jared as they were coming closer and closer to it.

Derek and Amber winced, as Jared’s question has surprised them and scared them little bit (after such a long speaking break).

“If believing the map, we’re supposed to be not so far away from the highway” Derek responded.

“That means… a mile, two, ten miles…?” requested Jared, bit worried and suspicious.

“Well… let’s say, that if we pass the forest, we’ll be at the spot”

“The forest? But it’s like…;” he looked through the window to estimate the destination; “it’s starts in a minute and I can’t see its end for a while. Are you sure, we’re going the right way?”

Jared panicked little bit, but didn’t want Derek and Amber to think, he’s insane or paranoic.

“That’s okay…” said Derek; “Are you afraid of darkness?”

Jared frowned his eyebrows.

“What?” he asked surprised.

“Well, you should not. There are many things you’re ought to be afraid instead. For example us” said Derek, took a sharp turn and drove into the forest. He stopped the car with tyre squeal.

“What the hell?!” yelled Jared.

Derek has unfastened his belts and opened the door. Amber did the same.

Derek stood in front of the left back door of the car and opened them.

“Get out!” he commended to Jared.

“No!” he yelled.

“Move it!”

“No, leave me alone!”

Derek gave a sign to Amber and she obediently stood next to him, like

a slaver.

She took out something from her purse, hanging on her skinny arm, and gave it to her husband.

A dagger.

“Get out… NOW!” repeated Derek, pointing the dagger at Jared; “or you’re going to become a cold body instead. Your choice”

Jared froze and didn’t make a single move.

“Apparently, you prefer not to cooperate…” said Derek patiently.

Jared had swallowed saliva loudly and stared at the creepy marriage for couple of seconds before they did anything.

Derek grabbed Jared’s denim jacket, while Jared was crawling in all his might. Unfortunately, Derek – as older and stronger physically – won the battle and dragged Jared out of his car. Lying on the ground, he was trying to kick Derek or take the weapon away from him. His beliefs started to weak as he felt, there was nothing he could do about his hopeless situation.

“Don’t wriggle!” Derek warned Jared.

Suddenly, Jared reminded himself, that he happened to take a crucially important item from his property. Actually, the most needed item. While packing, he tried to stay with his mind cleared and think soberly, but he didn’t forget to take care of his safety. He took a gun, that some day had belonged to his father.

Pretending he calmed down and regained common sense, Jared stopped crawling on the ground and took his arms up. This gesture was ought to symbolise his surrender (just apparent one).

“Okay, okay…” he started; “I give up. Look, I don’t know, why are you doing this to me, but…”

“Oh, I’ll tell ya. It’s because…” started Derek, but that second Jared has put his father’s gun out of his jacket’s inside pocket and pointed it once at Derek, another time at Amber standing next to her husband.

“Put that thing down” said Derek angrily.

“No. I know, what you want, but I am not going for it” Jared said confidently.

Derek laughed softly and took a look at his wife. She also started laughing, like for a commend. Automatically.

Jared was watching this scene with disgust.

“You guys are sick…”

After these words the marriage started laughing harder and louder.

“We know” they responded synchronically.

Jared frowned his eyebrows and then raised them in a tide of confusion and fear. And also insecurity.

Then Derek made a step towards Jared, so Jared moved back a little bit.

“Oh, come one…” Derek mocked; “give me your toy, little boy, we’ll just split and never see each other again”

Huh! They got scared.

Jared shook his head in disagreement and by this, he made Derek furious. He started running towards Jared, so panicked and frightened Jared automatically pulled the trigger.

The bullet has hit Derek’s right arm and he fell on the ground.

Amber screamed and knelt down to check her husband. She looked at Jared’s face with disgust and fury – it was pale, Jared was sweating and shaking.

“Get him” Derek commended to Amber. She stood up rapidly and started chasing escaping Jared. He immediately got to Derek and Amber’s car and tried to launch the engine. He shut the door with the side buttons just in time, before Amber tried to put her hand inside the car. Jared felt safe on the other side of the glass, but not as much as he could, still being so close to her. He moved the car, hearing the bangs of Amber hitting the hood with her fists. Jared drove off the forest and drove into the road, where he was (kinda) safe.

His heart was beating fast and hard, it seemed it would jump out of Jared’s chest in a minute. He hid the gun into his pocket again and turned the light on. After he turned around, he saw Amber standing in the middle of the road, many, many metres away form him and he got goose bumps.

Jared breathed with a satisfying sense of relief and started to search Hambleton on the map. While running his finger on the map, trying to pick the perfect way, he muttered under his breath:

 “No more hitch-hiking…”