Just a car ride?

It didn’t feel like I slept long, but when I began to stir and one my eyes I felt way better. I was a little stiff from the way I slept in the car, but I no longer felt groggy, tired, dizzy, or confused. In fact, I felt just like myself, and felt well rested. I began to stretch bringing my hands above my head. Then I looked over at him, and smiled. He smiled back before turning his head back to the road, “Hello sleepy head. Feeling better?” 

“That really did the trick. I feel much better.” I looked out the windshield at the dark sky, “How long was I out? Feels like I slept for awhile.” Then I looked at the time on the car’s clock, and I threw my arms down shocked, “What!? It’s 2:00!” I looked at him alarmed, and then outside again. We were going down a winding road that was surrounded by trees. I know I didn’t really know the roads around here, but I definitely didn’t know where we were now. Then I looked back at him. “Why did you keep driving? Where are we?” I tried to ask the questions calm, and not accusing, but it was hard too when I realized I had been in this car for almost two hours with him.   

He just looked forward out the window, and gave a little shrug. “I’ve just been driving around. Seeing where the road would take us. You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you.” He gave me a quick smile, “Don’t worry if we get lost I’ll just put the GPS on.” 

I still looked at him shocked, and starting to feel a little annoyed, “Well turn around now. I want to go back. And it better not take us two hours to get back, because I actually have stuff I need to do.” 

He still had a trace of a smile on his face as he continued to look forward, and his voice was calm. “Alright, relax. We can go back. I just have to find a good spot to turn around.” 

I settled back down, and then leaned back in the seat. I could of easily drifted back to sleep, but I didn’t trust that he would take us back if I did. So instead I just crossed my arms and watched the road. We were going down it for awhile in the quiet, and I was beginning to wonder when he would turn around. I really wanted to get to bed at a decent hour, so I could still white water raft with Stewart, Tessa, and Bella. But the longer it took to turn around, the less I felt like I would get to do it. But I tried to calm myself, telling myself it would be ok. And it was working, until I saw a sign with an exit’s name on it, and I realized just how far away we where from the hotel. And suddenly I started to feel uncomfortable. I pointed at the sign, “Why did you head this way? It will be forever before we are back!” 

He was quiet for a moment, and then glanced at me. I could see his jaw line a little tense. “Like I said, I was just taking us where the road would take us.” 

I watched his face for a moment, and spoke with a clear stern voice. “This isn’t just seeing where the road will take us. This is going to take us to a different state completely. You have any idea how long it will take to get us back?” I pointed at the exit that we were about to pass, “You better slow down, and take that exit so we can turn around.” But he didn’t he kept going. I turn fast in my seat watching the exit leave us behind. Then I looked at him mad this time, “What are you doing? You missed a turn around. Who knows when the next one will be!” 

He didn’t reply right away. Not looking at me he replied, “We will find another.” And I could see his face fighting to stay as calm as it was. 

I sighed, and collapsed back in my seat, “Fine. Then I am going to just pull up directions for us. Ones that will get us back to the hotel fastest.” And I dug in my purse for my phone, and mid search I froze. That’s when I remembered why we had ended up in his car at all. We were looking for my phone in my car, except we never actually looked. So now here I was in his car with him with no phone. I spoke quietly out loud, “My phone…we never found it.” 

He didn’t look at me, but he replied. “Don’t worry. It’s probably in your car.” 

I couldn’t look at him. I could only look at my open purse, which now felt so empty. “But we never even looked for it.” 

He didn’t reply to that, and I started to think about how he had gotten me to get in his car without even looking first. But it was kind of a foggy memory. It was kind of like trying to recall a dream. I remember the resturant. I remember being in his room with him. I remember being in his bed with him. I even remember leaving his room with him, but everything after the elevator was fuzzy. And I could feel my pulse starting to pickk up. Three drinks that spaced out would not have had that kind of effect on me. It had to be something else. I had been tired before, but I always remembered what I did when I was tired. And my anxiety started to build when I thought about the beer he offered me, and how that’s when it went down hill. Could he have put something in it? Did he drug me? Did he want me to get in his car with him? Was he really taking me somewhere? And then my heart froze as I remember one last detail. 

He had said my name right before I fell asleep. We oddly enough, had never told each other our names. Even though I know I didn’t remember a lot, I know I never told him. Clenching my purse so tight that my knuckles went white I looked up at him. My voice felt hollow, “How do you know my name?” 

Even though I could only see his profile I could tell he was confused. His eyebrow raised, “What?” 

I repeated myself, “How do you know my name? You said it right before I fell asleep in the car. I never told you my name.” 

Then he looked amused, “What? You definitely told me your name.” Then he shot me a smug smile really quick, “What girl would go to bed with me, without even letting me know her name.” 

I wasn’t amused. This wasn’t a game to me, and I didn’t like how he was acting like it was. “Apparently a stupid one. And that is what I must be.” And I knew there would be no coming back from the next thing I was going to ask him. “What did you put in that beer you gave me, and where are you taking me?” 

I got exactly the response I knew I would. He looked at me bewildered, before turning his attention back to the road, “What!” Then he sound annoyed, “Are you honestly accusing me of what I think you are?” Then he calmed down, and steadied his voice. “Look I like you. When we started talking there was a connection. I took you out to dinner cause I like you, and wanted to treat you. We had a great night together. And then I thought it would be nice to go for a ride with you. I was a gentlemen to you. Never once forced you to do anything you didn’t want to. And now you are accusing me of, what? Date rape? Kidnapping?” He looked at me with pure disappointment. 

Part of me wanted to feel bad. Part of me wanted to believe him. But the part of me that was confused, and scared knew better. So I kept my own voice even. “How to you explain how I felt so off after that beer? How do you explain never checking for my phone in my car? How do you explain me losing my phone and hotel key, which I know was in my purse. How do you explain how I got in here so easily, and you are driving us far away?” 

He wouldn’t look at me again, but his grip on the steering wheel was tight. “You had two drinks earlier. I don’t know how much a light weight you are. But I didn’t put anything in there. I don’t know how you lost both those items, and honestly I could tell you didn’t feel well so that why I offered the drive. At the time making you feel better seemed more important, than your phone. I’m sorry for caring.” Then she looked at me, and held my eyes long enough to make me almost believe him, before he looked back to the road. 

All I knew now was that I had to get out of this car. “Let me out.” I said it without looking at him. 

“What?” He glanced at me quickly. “Let you out? It’s the middle of the night, in the middle of no where, and you have no phone. What exactly do you plan to do?” 

I kept my voice level, “I’ll borrow your phone and call a taxi, or get an Uber. I just know I don’t want to be in here with you.” 

He sighed, “That is ridiculous. I am not dropping you off on the highway at night by yourself, with no way to contact anyone if you get into trouble.” 

I raised an eyebrow at him, “Ok then. You can wait with me until my ride gets here, so I won’t be alone.” 

He shook his head, “I’m not doing that. I’ll just drive you back. It is safer.” I could hear a strain in his voice. 

I held firm, “Well, I don’t feel safe. So let me go. Otherwise you are kidnapping me." 

He was quiet for a few seconds, “Fine, I will get off at this next exit. That way we aren’t standing on the highway.” 

I crossed my arms, and nodded “Good.” 

Once we were off the exit he started to slow down, but he wasn’t pulling over. We passed at least two small roads that would have been good to pull over at, and one gas station. I started to get antsy, “Why aren’t you pulling over?” 

He gave off a big sigh, “Cause I can’t.” 

I raised an eyebrow, and tried not to panic. “What do you mean you can’t? Where are you taking me?” 

He sighed, “I didn’t think when I finally started talking to you that I would like you so much. But I did…so it makes this harder.” 

Now it was getting hard to hid my worry, “Make what harder? Where are you taking me? Why are you taking me.” I no longer was calm, “Let me go!” 

He seemed conflicted, “I can’t tell you yet. But I can’t let you go either. There’s no turning back now.” 

Now I knew I was in trouble. I looked out the window trying to control my breathing. We were going fast, but not that….fast. Without thinking I grabbed the door handle and started to push open the door. Wind came rushing into the car. It was cold and fast. I could see the dark road speeding by through the ajar door. Fear enveloped me as I thought of the odds of survival if I jumped out. My hand went numb on the door, as I tried to keep it from swinging any wider open. 

“What the hell?!” He said as he looked over, and he swerved for a second before getting control again. The jerk of the swerve sent the door closing, and I let go of it shocked. “What were you thinking? You can’t jump out of a moving car like that. You could die!” 

Dazed I looked back at him, “How do I know I won’t die staying with you?” My tone was remarkably calm for how I felt. 

He lowered his eye brows, “I’m not going to kill you. I’m not a murderer. That’s not how I plan to get back at your dad.” 

The last part he said caught my attention, and I saw his surprised face showing that he didn’t mean to say that. Before he could say anything I asked, “What does my dad have to do with this?” 

He looked away focusing on the road again, “I can’t tell you right now. You can know everything once we get there.” He looked over at me, and had a surprising warmness in his eyes. “I promise.” 

I felt a pit in my stomach, and gripped my purse tighter in my lap. “Where. Are. You. Taking. Me.” 

He actually looked sorry, “I can’t tell you yet.” 

Then he slowed down as he was driving around some debris on the road. Instead of asking him why, that was when I got my idea. I had to get out of this car, and we were going just slow enough that if we got of the road, and hit something I could be ok. And if anything, I would be just as bad off as I could possibly be later. So I took my chance, leaned over toward him, grabbed the wheel, and pulled as hard as I could. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” I heard him shout in a strained voice, as he fought to steady the wheel. I felt him pressing the brakes on the car as we jerked off the road into the grass. And then we went right toward a tree. 

I watched in stunned silence as I death gripped the wheel, holding it in place. I watched as the car went straight to the tree, and the right front corner of the car hit it. The car came to a sudden stop, I released the wheel and jerked toward the left. That was when I hit my head and shoulder into the side of the door hard. The windshield cracked, the hood curled up, and the airbags came out. I shut my eyes as I tried to catch my breath. My chest hurt from the impact, and immediately my head was throbbing. I opened my eyes to see the air bag deflated, and smoke coming out of the engine. He was slouched in his seat was his arms in his lap. He looked dazed, but remarkably fine expect a few nicks on his face and arms from broken glass. 

He looked over at me slowly, “What was that?” 

Before I could respond, or think of anything else I undid my seat buckle, fought the door open, and started to get out. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” I heard him call out to me. 

But before I could even check to see what he was doing I started to sprint into the woods. With one thing on my mind. GET AWAY FROM HIM!