test drive

The engine’s growl faded into an unsettling silence as I parked the car at the edge of the deserted road. The night had thickened, swallowing the faint glow of the dashboard lights. My heart pounded louder than the engine ever could, each beat syncing with the creak of the car’s frame settling in the cold.
I glanced at the rearview mirror. For a split second, I thought I saw a shadow flicker behind me in the backseat. But when I blinked, nothing was there. Just my imagination playing tricks—right?
I reached for the door handle, but the car lock clicked on its own. The windows fogged up rapidly, obscuring the outside world. Panic surged as the temperature inside dropped sharply, breath turning to mist before my eyes.
A faint whisper curled around my ears, unintelligible but unmistakably close. I turned sharply, scanning the cabin. The radio crackled to life, static giving way to a chilling voice repeating, “Don’t leave… stay with me…”
The driver’s seatbelt tightened around my chest like a constricting snake. I struggled, heart hammering, but the car wouldn’t let me go. The whisper grew louder, more insistent, as if the car itself had a soul desperate to trap me inside.
Suddenly, the headlights flickered, illuminating a figure standing just beyond the windshield—pale, hollow-eyed, and motionless. The door handle released with a sharp click. I flung the door open and bolted into the darkness, the voice fading into a sinister laugh behind me.
But as I ran, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the car was still watching, waiting for me to come back.