The car didn't slow down.
It couldn't.
Or maybe Mason just refused to let it.
"Did you all see that?" Lena said, her voice sharp, controlled—but barely.
No one answered immediately.
That was answer enough.
Jake finally spoke. "Yeah. I saw it."
Chloe's breathing got louder. "What the hell was that?"
"No idea," Ryan said, but his eyes were fixed on the rearview mirror. "And I don't think I want to."
"Stop the car," Lena said again.
"Not happening," Mason snapped. "Did you see that thing? I'm not stopping out here."
"So what, you're just gonna keep driving in circles?" she shot back.
"I'm getting us out."
"You don't even know where 'out' is!"
"Then what's your genius plan, Lena? Huh? Step outside and ask that thing for directions?"
"Fuck off, Mason—just stop the damn car!"
"NO."
The word hit hard.
Final.
The car sped forward, engine whining now.
The road stretched endlessly, headlights cutting through darkness that felt thicker than it should've been.
Then—
The headlights flickered again.
Once.
Twice.
Longer this time.
"Why are the lights doing that?" Chloe whispered.
"No idea," Mason said, but his grip tightened visibly.
"Slow down," Ryan said quietly.
"Not a chance."
"Mason," Ryan repeated, firmer now. "If something's wrong with the car—"
"I said I've got it!"
The engine suddenly made a sharp, choking sound.
Then—
It died.
The car jerked violently as everything went silent.
No engine.
No movement.
Just darkness.
"...No," Mason muttered.
He turned the key.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
"What the hell?" Jake said.
"Come on, come on—" Mason tried again.
Dead.
The dashboard lights flickered weakly.
Then went out completely.
The only light left—
The faint glow from their phones.
Chloe's voice trembled. "Tell me this is a joke."
"Does this feel like a joke to you?" Lena snapped.
"Fix it!" Dylan barked from the back. "Do something!"
"I'm trying!" Mason shot back. "The fucking car just died!"
Ryan leaned forward. "Battery?"
"No warning."
"Fuel?"
"Half tank!"
"Then why the hell isn't it starting?!"
No one had an answer.
Of course they didn't.
Because nothing here made sense.
---
Silence settled.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Then—
A sound.
Outside.
A slow… dragging noise.
Like something being pulled across the road.
Chloe froze. "No. No, no, no…"
"Don't look," Lena said immediately.
Too late.
Jake had already turned his head.
"Holy shit…"
"What?" Dylan demanded. "What do you see?"
Jake didn't answer right away.
And that delay—
Was worse than anything.
Then he whispered, "It's back."
Lena clenched her jaw. "Don't describe it."
"It's closer."
"Jake—"
"It's just standing there. Not moving."
Ryan turned slowly, careful, controlled.
Lena grabbed his arm. "I said don't—"
"I need to see it."
He looked.
And went still.
Completely still.
"Ryan?" Chloe said.
No response.
"Ryan, what the hell is it?"
He swallowed hard.
"…It's not right."
"That doesn't mean anything!" Dylan snapped.
"It's too tall," Ryan said quietly. "And its arms…"
He stopped.
"Say it," Lena said.
"They're too long."
Silence.
Cold, suffocating silence.
The dragging sound came again.
Closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like it wasn't in a hurry.
Like it knew—
They weren't going anywhere.
---
"Lock the doors," Lena said.
Mason hit the lock button instantly.
A sharp click echoed inside the car.
Pointless.
But it felt like something.
Chloe started crying softly. "We're stuck. We're actually stuck."
"Shut up," Dylan said harshly. "Panicking won't help."
"Don't tell her to shut up!" Jake snapped. "We're all fucking panicking!"
"Then control it!"
"Control what?!" Jake yelled. "There's some fucked-up thing outside and the car's dead!"
"Enough!" Lena cut in. "All of you—just shut up for a second!"
They did.
Not because they wanted to.
Because something outside shifted again.
Closer.
Much closer.
Now they could hear it clearly.
Breathing.
Slow.
Wet.
Wrong.
Chloe covered her mouth to stop herself from making a sound.
Lena's eyes moved slowly toward the window—
But she didn't look directly.
Not yet.
"Listen to me," she whispered. "Nobody opens the door. No matter what happens."
"Obviously," Jake said.
"No," Lena said, sharper. "I mean it. No matter what you hear. No matter what you think you see."
Dylan frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
But something felt off.
Even more than before.
---
Then—
A knock.
On the car.
Everyone flinched.
Chloe let out a muffled scream.
Another knock.
Slower this time.
Deliberate.
Right on Lena's window.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"No," she whispered.
"Don't look," Ryan said.
But she already was.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She turned her head.
And saw—
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Her breath hitched.
"What the hell?" Jake said. "I heard that!"
Another knock.
This time—
On the back window.
Dylan jerked around. "Fuck that!"
"Don't open it!" Lena snapped.
"I'm not opening it, I'm just—"
Another knock.
Louder.
Harder.
Then—
A voice.
"Hey."
Everyone froze.
Chloe's eyes went wide. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah," Mason said.
It sounded normal.
Too normal.
"Guys," the voice said again. "Open the door."
Jake shook his head slowly. "Nope. Nope. Not happening."
"It's just someone messing with us," Dylan said. "Some asshole trying to scare us."
"At the middle of nowhere?" Ryan said. "With no car?"
Silence.
"Open the door," the voice repeated.
Closer now.
Right outside.
Lena's stomach twisted.
"There's no one there," she whispered.
"What?" Chloe said.
"I looked. There's no one."
The voice came again.
Right next to her ear.
"Lena."
She flinched violently.
"How the fuck does it know your name?!" Jake shouted.
"I didn't tell it!"
"Open the door," it said again.
Same tone.
Same calm voice.
But now—
It didn't sound human.
Not quite.
Like something trying to imitate one.
Badly.
---
Dylan snapped.
"Fuck this," he said, reaching for the handle.
Lena grabbed him instantly. "DON'T."
"Get off me!"
"Are you stupid?!" she snapped. "You open that door, we're dead!"
"We're already stuck here!"
"Then we stay alive longer by not doing dumb shit!"
The voice outside changed.
Slightly.
Lower.
"…Open. The door."
The car suddenly shook.
Hard.
Chloe screamed.
Jake grabbed the seat. "What the hell was that?!"
Something slammed against the side.
Again.
And again.
Like it was testing them.
Testing the car.
Testing how much they'd break.
Lena's voice dropped, deadly serious.
"Everyone listen to me."
They did.
"Whatever that thing is—it's trying to get us to open the door."
"No shit," Jake said.
"No," she said. "I mean that's the only way it get
s in."
Silence.
The realization hit.
Hard.
"It hasn't broken anything," Ryan said slowly.
"Exactly," Lena replied. "It's not forcing its way in."
"Because it can't?" Chloe whispered.
"Or because it doesn't need to."
The voice came again.
Now calm.
Soft.
"Lena… please."
Her blood ran cold.
Because this time—
It sounded exactly like her.
---
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Outside—
Something smiled.
Even if they couldn't see it.
---
End of Chapter 2
Hope you all liked chapter 2 too! 🤍✨
You've been probably wondering why I am uploading chapters so fast? So the reason is that I had this story in draft so I decided to upload it!
Enjoy reading ahead... :)