The car finally stopped on the shoulder of the road. I couldn’t figure out how Cam had managed to stop it safely, not even if I tried: and I did try.
‘What the fuck just happened?’ I said as soon as I my mouth figured out how to say words.
‘I have no idea’ Cam answered, some minutes later: she was in shock and so was I. ‘I guess it was a tyre blow out, right? It sounded like that.’
‘Maybe we should go see it then. Where’s the torch?’ I said, trying to feel it in the darkness. Another sound came from outside the car and I couldn’t identify it: I wished Cam wouldn’t make me go outside, I wish she would volunteer: but I also wished none of us would have to actually go outside because something didn’t seem right. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I something wasn’t right. I thought I saw those blurry grey eyes again… maybe I’d gotten a concussion: maybe that was the reason why I thought I was seeing those eyes again. I had seen them before, though, before any concussion could’ve happened, but I was working hard in convincing myself it was nothing.
‘So… me or you?’ Cam asked, and I could feel her frightened eyes even though I couldn’t see them.
‘I…’ I paused: I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t feeling like going outside and neither did I want to tell her why, so I said ‘I haven’t found the torch yet actually so… hm… we’d better wait a bit until I find it’ and then I stalled a bit longer.
The wind was stronger now, and faster. I could hear the many leaves whistling from the many trees they were connected to; the trees surrounding us. I didn’t want to go outside: I didn’t want Cam to go outside: but the more we waited, the longer we’d have to stay there. The torch was near my feet: I took it and I searched for Cam’s hands to put the torch on them. Our tiny black car was swaying: was it the wind? It didn’t feel like it. I looked outside: it was as if there were so many grey eyes they melted into each other: and now I could only see a sea of greyness right outside the window. Cam was looking down to her phone, I guess she was trying to call someone: she was completely oblivious to what could be happening. I said ‘Cam… Cam… look outside.’
‘What, Soph? I’m kind of busy, I want to get us out of here.’
The car was still swaying. It wasn’t the wind. It couldn’t be the wind. I couldn’t tell whether those were eyes or translucent bodies or just fog… ‘Cam, I’m serious. Look the fuck outside’ I said, frightened and annoyed.
As she looked outside her eyes grew wider and the car started to violently swing: both our doors were opened, but not by us. My body was pulled out from the car seat but strangely I didn’t fall directly on the ground: it felt like I was floating and then it was all darkness again, this time without any grey undistinguishable things around.
(Carol Smnt)
Lost Fragments 