She couldn't stop thinking about that evening. Some part of her wouldn't let her forget those events. She even dreamed, getting the impression that she was going through it again. It was horrible. Each time, the real situation turned into a nightmare in which, instead of the silhouette itself, she saw eyes perfectly. Red eyes that watched her with clear attention. She heard perfectly his whisper in which he called her name, asking for help.
She was terrified.
The snowstorm had passed, leaving the city plunged into silence and covered with a thick layer of snow. The sun shone brightly, but the sulfurous frost still held, and by the time the bus arrived, her cheeks had turned red from it. The car again failed to start, but she could expect that the battery could not cope with such a hard frost.
Fortunately, she managed to reach her grandparents. From that unfortunate shortcut, it was only a short distance before she saw their farm.
Her grandparents lived in a small town that was difficult to get to without navigation. The last time she visited them was when she was five years old. Unfortunately, her parents quarreled with them and haven't kept in touch since. As soon as she picked up her driver's license, she decided to visit them and stay with them for a while.
She got off at a bus stop and went into a store to do some shopping. It was crowded, which she didn't like. People tended to push each other and behave inappropriately, which was very inconvenient.
Alison bought the necessary products from her grandmother's list and walked up to the cash register. She put them out on the tape, and the person behind her brazenly pushed her forward. With murder in her eyes, she looked over her shoulder, and an old woman appeared before her eyes. She smiled at her, showing her lack of dentition.
- This is no place for you.
The girl looked surprised.
- I came here to shop.
The old woman glared at Alison with a sharp look, then unexpectedly exclaimed:
- I just wanted to warn you to leave here! We don't want any trouble here, and you're obviously bringing it down.
Several people looked at them with interest, and many others shook their heads. The brunette snorted under her breath.
- You are cursed. Evil has you in its arms. You will not escape from it. Get out of here! - announced the old woman in a hysterical voice, and then left, dragging a shopping cart with her.
- Don't worry about it. She's a crazy woman. She thinks she's a witch, but people know she has something wrong with her head," the cashier spoke up. - Apparently she was in a lunatic asylum for many years.
- I think she's the haunted one, not me.
With two commercials, she left the store and looked around. For such a short time, the sun had gone down, and a black cloud hung over the town. She hoped she would have time to get home before it started snowing.
She stood at the bus stop and took her cell phone out of her bag, but couldn't get a signal at all.
What was wrong with this place?
- If you're having a hard time, I'm happy to help.
She looked over her shoulder, and a tall boy appeared before her eyes. He had longer hair, tied up in a small ponytail, and a sincere smile. He looked about twenty-five years old, no more.
- No, thank you. I'm a strong woman, so I can handle it," she replied, reciprocating the smile. The boy nodded and wanted to leave, but suddenly stopped in place, as if, however, he wanted to continue the conversation with her.
- You are new here, aren't you? This town is minimal, so we all know each other here.
- I am temporarily staying with my grandparents," she replied. She looked at her cell phone and then shifted her gaze to him. - Do you have a phone?
The brunet smiled goofy and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket.
- Why, do you want my number?
- No. I just wanted to ask if you had coverage. - His face turned dark rather quickly, and she felt like laughing.
- Of course I do. Don't think to yourself that our town is backward. I think it's your cell phone that is adapted to life in London," he replied, piercing her with his eyes. In a short while, he apparently changed his mind about her.
- I like you," she announced, pointing her finger at him. - You have a character.
- A typical big-city girl? I'm George. - He extended his hand to her, and she reciprocated the hug.
- Alison. And I'm not likely to be a typical big-city girl.
- Did you come here for a long time? - He asked, and she nodded. It was good to meet someone of a similar age to her. She needed company.
- Yes, for a few months. I want to stay with my grandparents for a while and take a break from the big city.
- I understand. We don't often have visitors here.
- I noticed, and I don't think anyone takes the shortcut. You don't even know how much I regret taking it. I almost died of fright. - The boy looked at her carefully. The smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by clear concern.
- Did you take a shortcut through the forest? After all, this route is closed. Too many people died there, others were even lost without news. - Alison stuck her frightened eyes on him. She felt unpleasant chills on her body.
How could it be closed if she was passing through there?
- You're laughing at me, aren't you? - He must have been a prankster. He probably wanted to play a prank on her. - After all, that's impossible. There is even a boy living there who helped me start the car.
George furrowed his eyebrows.
- It's impossible for anyone to live there. The route is closed. The villagers have specially blocked the passage. How did you find out about this shortcut? - He asked with concern in his voice.
The girl shrugged her shoulders.
- The navigation showed me this route. - She announced. - Something wrong? Why did you get so serious all of a sudden?
- It's just weird...
- I think you're trying to give me a heart attack. I guess this is how you welcome new residents, huh?
The boy unexpectedly waved his hand, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
- You're right, I was only joking. I would rather no longer frighten you because I can see that you were fooled. - Alison breathed a sigh of relief.
- You have indeed scared me. I already thought I was on some ghost road," she replied and froze when she remembered the words of that boy.
Not many cars pass this way. Congratulations on your courage. People are afraid of this route, claiming that 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.
- Are you all right? - George asked. The girl nodded and returned to reality. - O seems to be my bus.
- It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we will meet again someday. See you," she declared, to which the boy nodded. He got on the bus and left, and Alison's attention was caught by the sky. It promised to be a heavy snowfall.
All the way, she thought about that shortcut. It gave her no peace of mind. There had to be something about it, since no one drove by there. Only one car appeared, which totally ignored her.
Why exactly in that place did her car break down?
There were so many questions she couldn't find answers to.
*
After returning home, Alison went into her room and threw herself on her bed. She took out her cell phone and muttered indignantly when she noticed that she still had no reception. It was slowly starting to annoy her.
She didn't know if the weather was to blame, but at some point she fell asleep. The worst part of it all was that she had a similar nightmare again. She found herself in the exact spot where her car had broken down. It was nighttime, and a forest surrounded her. She stood in the middle of the street, looking around her. It was so quiet that she could only hear her breathing.
She felt a sense of fear.
- Alison. - Somewhere in the distance, she heard her name. The whisper echoed, and she got goosebumps. She was terrified. - Alison," he repeated, and the girl frantically looked back. Again, she got the same impression that she was being watched. - Help me, Alison.
Out of fear, her breathing sped up. The treetops moved, and squawking ravens flew out of them. The birds soared upward, then flew away.
- Alison - she heard a whisper just above her ear. She looked over her shoulder, and a scream escaped her lips as she saw a human silhouette with black wings sprouting from its back.
The girl opened her eyes and looked around the room uncertainly. She found herself in a room, and it was getting dark outside. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it had been a bad dream. A terrible nightmare that seemed so realistic...