Welcome back on this beautiful Friday afternoon, Arrowheads! Today’s Flash Fiction Friday piece won the second Halloween writing contest I entered at the university I attend. Personally, I like my first submission, “Ember“ better, but I hope you enjoy “Redford Creek Road”!

Redford Creek Road

“Evan, please don’t turn down Redford Creek Road. You know I get freaked out just passing by the turnoff,” Anniston pleaded, adjusting the setting on the truck’s heater for the brisk October night.

Evan rolled his eyes, hoping his girlfriend couldn’t see him mocking her in the dimly lit space between them as he made the turn. “It’ll be fine, Ann, that house ain’t gonna hurt you.  Besides, I’ve got to take a shortcut if I’m gonna get you home by your curfew.”

Annoyed by his insistence, Anniston huffed, turning to face the passenger side window. “Fine, it’s your funeral. You obviously haven’t heard.”

“Well what have you heard about it?”

Evan let a laugh escape, taking hold of Anniston’s hand to calm her down. “Dang, all this time I knew you were kinda crazy, but now you’re answering yourself? Just relax, sweetheart.”

Anniston’s eyes widened, noticing that the window on the back glass had slid open. “That wasn’t me… I thought it was you.”

“That window’s never shut right anyway.” Evan brushed it off, though a chill crawled up his spine. They continued down the worn dirt path, the only residence on the road just around the bend.

“See, I’ve tried to tell you this road is an episode of Unsolved Mysteries waiting to happen!” Anniston sighed, growing anxious as she snuggled into her jacket. “My aunt told me that the dude who lives down here was a guy that she went to school with.  She said he’s always had an awkward air about him; he never really spoke to anyone, always talked to himself. Well, a friend of hers decided to drive down here one night on a dare to check it out…” she swallowed, cringing as the house came into view, “and three days later, they found him dead in the creek at the end of the road.”

“Well who’s to say he didn’t drown? He probably ended up going drunk cat-fishing like Uncle Elton does and got in a bind.”

“No,” Anniston whispered, averting her gaze from the window, “he had thick gashes from his waist to his neck. Vertical lines, spaced evenly, just like the road.”  At the mention, her voice began shaking. “Evan, please drive a little faster.”

Pressing the gas a little more, Evan, always the voice of reason, replied, “Don’t worry, we’re almost at the end of the road. You’ll be safe and sound at your house in less than five minutes, I promise.” He squeezed her hand, eliciting a small smile on her lips.

The old Ford pulled up to the stop sign, and Evan looked both ways before making the left turn onto Moore’s Drive, one road over from Anniston’s house. As the headlight beams passed over the line of woods beside the road, he barely caught a glimpse of a haggard looking man wielding a knife and mumbling to himself.  Evan kissed Anniston’s hand, silently praying that it wouldn’t be his last chance to do so.

© Copyright 2017, Allyson Kennedy. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading, and check back here at Authoring Arrowheads next week for more posts! 🙂

-Allyson 😀