Hes dead, she said, standing up.
Theres an easy solution if you want to find out who someone really is.
Take a long-ass road trip with them.
Chris Chan
If youre still together by the end, then it was meant to be.
So far so good.
It was when we passed the hitchhiker that everything began to fall apart.
Chris Chan
Lets give him a ride, Emily said, squeezing my hand.
Well be on this road forever anyway.
We dont even know where hes going, I told her.
Hes probably just going to rob us and steal our car.
His clean-pressed suit didnt reassure me either.
That just meant hed successfully robbed someone before me, which actually made him even more dangerous.
The guy didnt even have a sign or anything.
It was my turn to drive, and I just sailed right past.
Emily and I started bickering after that.
She thought I wasnt compassionate, and I thought she was reckless.
It took about ten minutes before she finally dropped it, although it wasnt because shed conceded.
Hey look, theres another one!
Sitting by the side of the road, waving his thumb like it was the end of the world.
It wasnt another one though.
It was the same guy, Im sure of it.
Only this time he looked like hed been out here for a few days.
His suit was streaked with dirt and his hair was greasy.
There was a desperate strain in his face, like a proud man trying to conceal his embarrassment.
It wasnt just my imagination either Emily recognized him too.
How do you think he got here so fast?
I dont know, and I dont care, I said.
This trip is supposed to be about us, so lets not get distracted.
My car blew past him and I stayed the course.
She hated my music, I hated how judgmental she was.
I was controlling, she was picking fights over nothing.
It kept getting worse until we saw something that shut both of us up real fast.
Another 20 miles down the road from where wed seen him last.
Emily could not believe that I didnt stop.
I couldnt believe she still wanted me to.
She kept yelling about he was hurt and needed help.
She refused to even acknowledge how weird it was that he kept getting ahead of us.
She almost caused an accident by grabbing my wheel when I refused to turn around.
We drove for the next 50 miles in silence.
I turned the radio back on, but she snapped it back off immediately.
It wasnt until I pulled off for gas when we saw him again.
Face down on the side of the road.
Shirt and jacket gone.
Long, even, bloody gashes from his shoulders to his ass, almost like bear claws or something.
I stopped the car and parked behind him.
Emily jumped out and knelt beside the body.
She looked up at me with uncomprehending rage burning behind her eyes, like this was my fault somehow.
I nodded, absolutely numb.
I filled up on gas while she waited with the body until the police arrived.
I just kept driving, long after the sun went down.
Emily fell asleep around midnight, but I kept going.
She was so beautiful like that, and everything was going so well before this.
By around 2 AM I was getting real tired, but I decided not to give up.
Maybe if she woke up and we were already there then shed see how hard I worked for her.
Maybe then wed still have a chance to patch things up.
I caressed her hand, and she returned the pressure.
Then back at the road.
The hitchhiker was in the backseat.
Naked, filthy, covered with black blood and old wounds.
Get off the road!
Emily started screaming again.
Did you go back?
Whats he doing here?
fire up the door or something!
I slowed down gradually and put my flashers on to warn the car behind me.
The hitchhiker reached around behind Emily and grabbed her by the throat.
I slammed my fist into his arm and felt something give way under the soft, rotting skin.
When I lifted my hand I could see a black bone from his forearm protruding straight through the skin.
He didnt seem bothered in the least.
She was thrashing so hard that one of her flailing fists smashed straight through the window.
Maybe if I had a clearer shot at him I could drag him out.
I flung pop swing open the door and lunged inside, falling face first into an empty seat.
I thought hed already escaped somehow and ripped pop crack open the passenger side door.
Emily was gone too.
If it wasnt for the blood and the broken window, I would have thought Id gone completely insane.
I spent the next hour searching the surrounding area with my flashlight.
They were both gone without a trace.
All I could do was get back on the road.
Drive home and never tell another soul what happened, that was my plan.
It wasnt good, but its all I had.
Clean, healthy, waving her thumb enthusiastically in the air.
If I see her again, do I pick her up?
Or just keep driving and hope for the best?
