When she was a little girl, her mother often told her that every person comes into the world for a purpose. She didn't believe it until yesterday evening. It was then that she met a mysterious boy, and their meeting triggered an avalanche of unusual events.
If one were to take Mom's words literally, she might conclude that it was someone at the top who was working against her, so the car broke down just at the retreat. It wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of January, which is when winter tends to be at its coldest.
It was eight degrees in the minus, the snow was falling so hard that there was nothing in sight, and she stood by the street, panting from the cold and rubbing her hands clad in wool gloves. With each breath, clouds of steam rose from her mouth, and her cheeks grew rosier with each passing moment.
She took her cell phone out of her pocket, trying to catch the range, but to no avail. As if out of spite, she found herself on the side of the forest, and all around her was complete darkness. That's why she hated unfamiliar shortcuts, and sacrificed herself just to get there faster. She realized that she would never trust navigation again.
- Damn it," she cursed under her breath and sighed helplessly. She completely didn't know what she could do. She didn't know anything about cars, so if she looked under the hood, she wouldn't get anywhere anyway, so it didn't make any sense.
The girl looked around and groaned tearfully. All around her was terrifying darkness, and the snowstorm made it completely impossible for the girl to see anything in sight.
She was trapped.
She waited for any car, but as if to make things worse, no one was passing that way. People took a longer but safer route than the shortcut, which surely hid a secret. For why exactly did her car break down here? After all, if it had happened a little earlier or a little later, this whole story would never have happened.
She froze when a disturbing noise came to her ears, coming from deep in the forest.
It's just my imagination, she thought. It's all the fault of the frost and inclement weather.
She nervously rubbed her shoulders and decided to wait in the car.
She locked all the locks and wrapped herself in the blanket she always kept in the back seat. The girl tried again to start the car, but it only gave a quiet murmur and died.
Having no other choice, she began to pray. It was the only solution in this situation. And fortunately, someone at the top listened to her because in the rearview mirror she saw the lights of the car. She ran out of the car to get attention, but the driver drove past her with total disregard for her, as if she didn't exist at all.
At that moment, she completely broke down. She was on the verge of despair. She didn't know what else she could do.
The girl looked around and panicked slightly when she saw a human silhouette near one of the trees. She squinted and, despite the snowstorm, tried to get a closer look at the place. She could have sworn that someone was there.
And then something happened that completely shook her. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. She closed her eyes waiting to see what would happen.
She was terrified.
- Do you need help? - She heard a warm voice. She opened her eyelids and turned to face the stranger. A young boy appeared to her eyes. His dark strands of hair protruded from under the large hood of his jacket, and his brown eyes looked at her with obvious concern. - Are you all right?
- How are you...
She looked around, realizing that there was no other car in the place except her lash.
- I was walking," he announced, seeing the confusion on her face. - I live nearby.
Alison looked at him suspiciously because she couldn't understand who would normally leave home in such a snowstorm to take a walk?
- Have you been standing here for a long time? You must be freezing," he added, not taking his eyes off her. She nodded her head in surprise, and he smiled in a friendly manner. - Not many cars pass this way. Congratulations on your courage. People are afraid of this route, claiming it is cursed. More than one even said that ghost cars appear here. That's interesting because I haven't had a chance to see it yet.
- Cursed? Ghost cars? - She repeated, to which he nodded. - Why do they claim that?
- I don't know myself, but look at your car. Why did it break down right here? - She looked at it carefully, then shifted her gaze to the lash. - I know a little about engines, so I can take a peek.
She nodded tentatively, still in a bit of shock, so the boy walked over to the car and opened the hood.
- Surely you can't start it? - The girl nodded. - We'll remedy that right away.
Puzzled, she scratched her head, and her gaze was again drawn to the shadow near the tree. She still got the impression that she was being watched.
- Can you handle such a snowstorm?
- Of course. I don't even need tools. - After a while he slammed the mask shut. - Are the keys inside?
- Yes. - The boy got into the car and smoothly started the engine.
- You should reach your destination safely. - She nodded and thanked the stranger for his help.
- I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have frozen to death here.
- All the pleasure is mine," he said, and looked toward the tree that had earlier caught Alison's attention. She noticed that his expression had changed dramatically. - The weather is getting more and more unfavorable, so I think you should go back now," he said, turning his face toward her. - Have a safe trip," he added. The girl nodded and thanked him one last time. Frozen to the bone, she got into the car and started the engine. She glanced at the boy and noticed that he was still staring at one place. She felt strange chills on her body. It was a frightening experience.
She glanced in the mirror, but the boy had disappeared from her sight. Still overwhelmed by the whole situation, she tried to concentrate on driving. It was much more difficult in this weather. The windshield wipers were fighting an unequal battle with the snow clogging the windshield, and the girl's head was cluttered with thoughts about the boy who had helped her. Did he really live there? Where had he come from so suddenly, and what was hiding in that forest?
One thing she was sure of. She would never go back there again.