Ghost Story #3


                “Where are we?” Mary asked. She peered out the window, but it was too dark to see anything. When Jack didn’t answer, she smacked his arm. “Are we lost?”

                “No.” Jack squinted and leaned over the steering wheel.

                “Then what’s this street called?” He said nothing. “Jack! What the hell?” She pulled out her cell phone to look on the GPS. “Great. There’s no cell service out here.” She pouted and slumped down.

                “Relax.” Jack shifted around in his seat. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as the car lurched over a hill he hadn’t seen coming in the dark.

                “Jesus! Take it easy, would ya?” Mary’s hand had flown to the handle over her window and she left it there. She attempted to look out again and saw trees, and then a fence. “That’s a cemetery.”

                “Mmm.” Jack mumbled. He switched back and forth between the high and low beams, but it made little difference. “I think I need to turn around.”

                Mary rolled her eyes. “Ya think?”

                “Shut up.” Jack slowed and did a neat three-point turn.

                “I think I see lights out there.” A chill crept over Mary’s skin. “This place is giving me the creeps.” A few moments passed by. “Why haven’t we gone back over that hill yet?”

                “I don’t know.”

                “That’s weird, right? We didn’t go down the road that far, did we?”

                “I don’t know.”

                A rock pinged into Mary’s window and she had to stifle a scream.

                “Shit!” Jack slammed on the brakes and the car slid to a stop.

                A woman stood in the middle of the road with her back to them. She hadn’t moved an inch as the car had approached. Jack beeped the horn, but she still didn’t react. He unbuckled his seat belt and Mary snatched at his arm.

                “What are you doing?”

                “I’m going to see what’s wrong.”

                “Jack, no. That’s stupid. Do not get out of this car.”

                “Don’t be ridicu- “

                Mary cut him off with a scream. The woman now stood at his window; her face covered in shadow from a wide brimmed hat.

                “Get out.”

                They couldn’t see her mouth move, but they heard the words clearly. It was almost like they’d been spoken inside the car.

                “Go, Jack, go!” Tears fell freely from Mary’s eyes.

                “Get out.” Louder this time. The woman began to raise her head.

                “Jack!” Mary did not want to see what was under that hat.

                Jack slammed his foot down and they sped away, dirt kicked up behind them.

                The woman disappeared as the dust settled back into the road.