By: Ashley Johnson
Elizabeth watched her marshmallow as it slowly turned from white to golden brown. She slowly pulled her roasting stick out of the campfire and expertly slid the marshmallow off of the stick. A warm and gooey taste filled her mouth as she looked around the fire at the other kids with a sense of contentment.
She had been camping with these kids since she was eight years old (she was now thirteen). Although she didn't go to school with any of them and she rarely saw them during the winter months whenever their parents had stored away their pop-up trailers, she had grown up with them. Although the only commonality in their lives was their weekend camping trips, she still felt a certain bond with these kids that didn't quite compare with her school friends.
Just at that moment, Nick cleared his throat. The other kids around the fire soon settled down and looked at him with admiration.
"So, you guys ready for a story?" Nick asked with his adolescent, raspy voice.
His eyes smiled with excitement; his hair was messy and his chest still bare from swimming earlier. Elizabeth felt a surge of excitement in her gut--she didn't know if it was from Nick, the impending story, or both.
Nick looked up towards the dark, cloudless summer sky. A soft breeze ruffled his hair.
"It happened a couple of years ago to a lady that worked with my step-mom," he started. "My step-mom always said Sharon was a little crazy, but no one ever expected something like THIS to happen to her..."
Sharon had decided to stop off at a truckstop to fill up her gas tank and grab a bite to eat. She was driving across the state to visit her younger sister whom she had not seen in two years. She was anxious to get there, so it was against her better judgement when she pulled up to the "Highway Diner."
After gassing up and having her fill of greasy buffet food, Sharon quickly hopped back into her car and merged onto the highway. As she glanced into her rearview mirror, she noticed that a red semi-truck was barreling down the same entrance ramp, clearly going well above the speed limit. Afraid she would be rear-ended, Sharon floored her gas pedal and continued down the highway as the sun set behind her.
Sharon had been lost in her thoughts for nearly twenty minutes when she noticed that someone behind her had been incessantly flashing their brights. It had been happening for quite some time, but Sharon was absent-minded and often did not notice these things. With this realization, Sharon once again looked in her rearview mirror.
An icy chill ran throughout her body as she recognized the same red semi-truck from the "Highway Diner" entrance ramp. The truck was clearly tail-gating her and then, as if the driver could see her, he flashed his brights once more.
Panicking, Sharon sped up. Her rational mind told her it was merely a coincidence, but each time she looked at the red semi behind her, panic took control of her body and mind.
Sharon skillfully weaved in and out of the traffic on the highway, yet the semi remained glued to her tail, continuously flashing its brights. Sharon could not understand what the man wanted nor why he was doing this to her. Sharon sped on towards her sister's house (now an hour away), trying to control her mounting fear. The red semi-truck closely followed.
Sharon knew she wouldn't have much time once she stopped the car. She planned to hold down the horn as the pulled into the driveway and then run as fast as she could to the doorstep, screaming at the top of her lungs.
As she replayed the plan over and over in her mind, her fear became almost painful. Sharon exited the highway and made her way through the streets of her sister's neighborhood. The semi still followed. She could now see the house, the front porch light was on. She prayed that they would be awake.
She pulled into the driveway, laid on the horn, and then quickly threw the car into park. As she jumped out of the driver's side door, screaming, she could hear the truck driver yelling behind her; she could hear his heavy steps bounding towards her. She glanced back as she sprinted towards the porch and finally saw her assailant.
He was big and burly with long, stringy hair, but despite his size, he was gaining on her. She turned back towards the house, her heart pounding, her legs numb with adrenaline. But it was too late. She felt his thick arms wrap around her waist and she was pulled to him like a child. A thick smell of grease made her sick as she continued to scream and thrash against his grip.
"Lady! Lady! I'm not gonna' hurt ya!" the truck driver yelled.
Sharon continued to struggle, not understanding his words.
"If I let go of ya, would ya listen for a second!?" he bellowed.
"Yes! Please!" she yelped.
He released his grip and Sharon stumbled a couple of feet away. The truck driver stood his ground, but glanced nervously over his shoulder.
"Lady, I'm not tryin' ta hurt you! I saw you leavin' the truck stop a hundred miles back and there was some man hidin' in your backseat!"
Sharon's heart stopped.
"He kept creepin' up towards the front seat...I could see the outline of a knife....so I kept flashin' my brights to scare him back down!" He now turned from Sharon and looked towards the driveway.
Sharon carefully made her way over to him to look for herself.
The back door behind the driver's seat hung open. No one was in sight.
Elizabeth slowly stood up from the campfire and shivered. She said her 'goodnights' to the others and slowly made her way back towards her camper although she knew she would not be falling asleep for hours.
Author's Note: