The two girls had it all planned, saying their good nights, punctuating them with overly dramatic yawns, and tiredly walking to the bedroom as soon as Megan's parents tuned into the 10:00 news. After softly closing the door, the girls clapped their hands over their mouths and laughed silently at their cleverness before carefully sliding the window open and pushing the loosened screen outwards enough for each of them to slip out and drop to the grass below. They tiptoed across the lawn, then made a dash for the shadows of the tree-lined road that led to town, to the party, where they could drink and smoke and press against boys and tease them with the possibility of more.
"Here he comes, right on time!" Megan whispered excitedly as they ran on sneakered feet to the corner just as the dark car pulled up, its lights doused, and the passenger door swung open. The burning ember from the end of a cigarette was the only visible light as the girls jumped into the front seat, latching the door as the car pulled away from the curb.
"Thanks for the lift," Megan said, turning towards the driver, and as the car sped away from the curb, she saw the face in the glow of the cigarette, saw what a horrible mistake they had made, and clutched her friend's hand as the car raced into the darkness.
Whoa. Very bad and scary. Nicely done and welcome back!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wrote it Monday after a sudden inspiration!
DeleteLove when that happens.
DeleteWhata a great story of every parents fear.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Thanks!
DeleteYep, terrifying.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't the kind to sneak out a window, but I knew girls who did!
DeleteArgh!!!!! Noooo! Wow you haven't lost ypur criminal touch!!!! Welcome back!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It felt good to be back!
DeleteWow!! The possibility of this looms all too real! Bonechilling!! We have missed you, this is why!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Josie! I loved the way it felt when I read the prompt last weekend and an idea just popped into my head!
Deletelol (agreeing with z on your touch from the criminally macabre)... nice pacing, get us laughing with the adventure (that we all surely identify with) and then, the sharp angle ending.
ReplyDeletewelcome back... 'cellent Six
Thanks, Clark!
DeleteWell told and scary. This is exactly why i was too much of a goody-two-shoes as a youngster to do these things. It's not that i didn't want to, it's that i was afraid of this very type of scene.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was the same way, except I had no desire to sneak out. Besides, I always tell my kids that bad things happen when you're where you're not supposed to be!
DeleteScary and well written.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteOh, my. An extreme nightmare. Full of action and emotion. A fun little adventure turned into a terror. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Val! Many lessons to be learned here, huh?
DeleteScary - that's all ...
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!
Delete