Chapter 3-Don’t leave her here.
1022 Words
Harmony’s POV.
Everything was going great at first.
My car sped along the road, music playing softly from the radio while the cool breeze brushed against the windows as the car moved.
For the first time in days, I felt a little free.
Then suddenly, the car began to slow down.
My brows furrowed as smoke started rising from the bonnet.
A few seconds later, the car stopped completely.
I dropped my face against the steering wheel with a groan.
“I knew I should’ve gotten this car checked before leaving,” I muttered to myself.
I leaned back against the seat, one hand resting on my forehead in frustration.
My eyes drifted toward my phone.
I picked it up, thinking of someone I could call… but there was nobody.
“Arghh…” I groaned loudly.
I stepped out of the car and walked toward the bonnet. Carefully, I opened it—
A large gust of smoke immediately greeted me.
I coughed, waving my hand through the air as I tried to clear the smoke away from my face.
Once it finally cleared, I stared helplessly and clueless at the engine.
Why do bad things always happen to me?
I looked around. The road was nearly empty, surrounded by tall trees stretching endlessly into the distance.
Slowly, I pulled my phone from my back pocket to check the time.
3:30 PM.
“Oh God… please help me,” I whispered.
**********
Ryan's POV.
My girlfriend and I were still arguing when I noticed a car parked by the side of the road.
A woman stood beside it with the bonnet raised, clearly frustrated.
My attention shifted immediately.
“Hold on,” I said, glancing toward the shoulder of the road.
Without waiting for a response, I pulled my car over in front of hers and turned off the engine.
“What are you doing?” Vanessa asked sharply.
“I want to help.”
“Help who?”she asked with her eyebrow raised.
“That woman, of course,” I replied. “We can’t just leave her here. You know this road isn’t safe, and it’s getting dark.”
Vanessa scoffed loudly.
“So? What’s your business with her? If she goes missing, how does that affect me?” she asked with irritation.
I turned to look at her, disbelief flashing across my face.
“You see,” I began, raising my voice slightly, “this is the problem I have with you. You’re too selfish.”
Her mouth fell open in shock.
“Ryan, take that back.”
“No,” I replied immediately.
Vanessa shot me a warning look—the kind that met, don’t you dare step out of this car.
But I didn’t care.
I couldn’t leave that woman stranded out here, especially with all the missing persons cases that had been happening on this road lately.
I removed the car key from the ignition before stepping out, because I already knew the kind of thing Vanessa was capable of doing when she was angry.
I shut the door behind me and walked toward the woman.
“Hello… hi,” I greeted with a small smile.
She turned around quickly.
“Hi, good evening,” she replied politely.
“Yeah,” I said, glancing at the smoking car. “I was driving by and noticed your car hood was up. Is everything okay?”
“Actually… no,” she admitted tiredly. “It just stopped moving, and I don’t know what to do.” She paused before asking, “How far is the next city from here?”
“Pretty far.”
She sighed softly, and for the first time, I noticed how exhausted and frustrated she looked.
For a moment, she looked like someone carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“Why don’t you come with me?” I offered calmly. “My house isn’t far from here.”
She forced a small smile, even though her stomach tightened the second I spoke.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, and she took a careful step back before she could stop herself.
“I’m fine,” she said quickly, trying to sound calmer than she actually felt.
I laughed lightly.
“I promise I’m not dangerous,” I said sincerely. “I just want to help you. This road isn’t safe, especially at night. So please… let me.”
HONK!
Vanessa stuck her head out through the car window.
“Ryan! Hurry up. If she doesn’t want help, then leave her!” she shouted before pulling her head back inside.
I shook my head and exhaled slowly.
“Please forgive my girlfriend,” I said apologetically. “She’s on her period.” I lied.
Vanessa wasn’t on her period.She was naturally mean.
The woman in front of me giggled softly.
“It’s okay. I understand.”
I smiled back at her.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ll send a tow truck to get your car fixed and ready.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she said quickly.
“I don’t mind,” I replied casually with a small shrug.
She stayed silent for a moment, our gazes fixed on each other.
Then—
HONK!
“Damn it, Ryan! Hurry up!”
“Please hold on,” she said quickly before hurrying back to her car.
A few moments later, she returned with a backpack hanging over her shoulder.
“Is this all your stuff?” I asked curiously.
“Oh no,” she replied softly. “The rest are in the trunk.”
She lifted the bag slightly.
“This just has the things I need.”
“Alright, no problem. Let’s go.”
I opened the back seat door for her.
“Thank you,” she said as she got in.
I closed the door gently before walking back over to the driver’s seat.
“Hi,” she greeted Vanessa with a small, polite smile.
“Yeah, whatever,” Vanessa replied flatly without even turning to look at her.
I took a deep breath before starting the engine.
- Writer
