Night Drive

It was nearing dusk when I made it onto the highway. I had a long drive ahead of me and I was not looking forward to it. At first it didn't seem so bad but then I missed an exit. The GPS app on my phone made it seem farther than it actually was on the road.

Now the app changed its route and it added fifteen minutes to my driving time. The updated route had me staying on the highway for another ten miles. As I traveled farther down the highway, the sky was getting darker and somehow there seemed to be less cars on the road too. When I was five miles from the next exit, it seemed I was the only driver.

I briefly looked at my rearview mirror and I saw a faint light in the distance. I didn't think much of it at first until about a minute later when it got closer to me. Then it was right behind me. It instantly grew brighter and continued to illuminate my car while causing me to squint.

Feeling the panic, I pressed down on the gas harder but somehow the light still hovered over my car. I even switched to the right lane and it trailed behind me. About ten seconds later, I finally saw where it was coming from when it switched to the left lane.

The source of the light came from a large van that now ran parallel to me and it continued to match my car’s speed. I tried not to look over to my left but I couldn’t help it. I briefly glanced over and saw what appeared to be two men in the front of the van.

The man in the passenger seat was staring directly into my eyes. He had a cold, hard face that possessed a look of great intensity. I had only caught a glimpse of him but that was more than enough. His skin was pale and the lines on his face were well defined.

Even though I returned my gaze to the road ahead of me, I could tell that he was still staring into my soul. He could feel my fear, my panic, my longing to get away from him and his companion. I slowly looked towards my phone to read the GPS and I was now three miles away from the exit.

I debated if I should increase my speed but I chose to maintain it as to not cause any suspicion. The van of course remained right next to me and I couldn’t help but once again look over to see if the man was still staring at me. Those piercing eyes of his were glued to my body.

Somehow I mustered enough courage to not turn my face immediately away from him this time. I was able to study him a little while longer. He had very dark hair that was neatly cropped and he seemed to be wearing a hoodie with deep stains all over it.

Two more miles remained and how I so wished for the exit to be closer. But then a horrible thought came to mind. What if they continued to follow me?

I had to stay cool but wow that was tough. Then another horrible thought formed. If they were planning something awful for me, would I be able to contact the police and would they even get here in time? I couldn’t let my mind go there but that thought just lingered.

One more mile…I can make it. The van was still directly parallel to me. I kept thinking about it’s next move. I decided not to put my right signal on in order to keep the men in the van guessing my destination. When I was about a thousand feet away from the exit, I slowly shifted all the way to the right and that’s when my next surprise appeared.

The van did not continue to follow me as it stayed in the left lane. Then the whole situation started to make sense to me as I gave the van one last long look. I noticed a logo on the side of it that read ‘Department of Highway Safety’ in bold letters.