Midnight Drive

I tapped on the steering wheel as I looked out the window. I had been driving for a while, but the streets were barren with no sign of life. The stars and the moon seemed to be hiding behind the gray clouds. I looked back down the road. It had been a while since I went on a midnight drive. The last time was when... Never mind, it's better not to think about it. 

I turned on the radio to block those distracting thoughts, but all I heard was static. I flinched at the loud noise and adjusted the radio knob. It took a few seconds to get it to a working station: “It’s a sunny afternoon folks! Perfect time to get those chores done. Hahaha, at least that’s what my wife told me…” Huh? Sunny afternoon? I guess the station played the wrong thing. “…Anyways this song is for those who are missing their loved ones…” I flinched as the song started playing; it made me think of him. I shook my head and tried to change the station. To my surprise, the knob wouldn’t turn. “Okay… This is definitely not creepy.” I tried to turn the radio off, but the button didn’t work. I sighed. “Whatever.” 

I looked up to see that I was approaching a tunnel. Just then my phone started ringing. I sifted through my purse to get my phone out. Then as suddenly as it had started ringing, it stopped, and the whole world went pitch black. 

I immediately pumped the brakes and closed my eyes. What. Was. That. I slowly opened my eyes, and a bright light blinded me. What? It’s midnight! How is the sun up? When my eyes finally adjusted, my whole body froze at the sight in front of me. I thought he was dead, but there he was, right in front of me on the street, smiling at me. My heart started beating faster, and my hands started shaking. I rubbed my eyes hoping that this wasn’t some hallucination, but he was still there. I pinched my cheeks hoping that this wasn’t some dream, but he was still there, and he was walking towards me. My mind was racing with thoughts and questions, but before I could figure anything out, he knocked on my window. 

“Hey, Emma! I’ve been waiting for you!” 

I opened my mouth to speak, but instead, teardrops fell down my face. “Woah, are you okay?” he asked worriedly. I rolled down the window and looked up at his face. He's right there. Carter is in front of me. His hazel brown eyes were staring back at me. I reached out to touch his cheek. 

His eyebrows creased together as I whispered, “How is this possible?” 

“ Emma, you’re starting to make me worried. Is everything alright?” Whatever this was, I didn’t want it to go away. I rushed out of the car and wrapped my arms around him. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. 

I sobbed, “I missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re here. I-” I couldn’t make out any words, and all that came out was gibberish. 

I couldn’t see Carter’s face, but his comforting deep voice was enough to calm me down: “Hey, I’m right here with you. I don’t know what happened, but everything is going to be okay.” I took in a few deep breaths and fell out of the embrace. He wiped away my tears and ruffled my hair. I cracked a smile. I missed him doing that. 

I took a few seconds to take a good look at where we are. The tunnel that I came through was a few feet away from the car, but what confused me were the traffic cones in front of it that were in an upright position as if I hadn’t just come in from there. I looked back at Carter and asked the question that’s been weighing on my mind: “What day is it?” 

“It’s Tuesday, March 13th, Emma what’s going on?” I released a breath that I didn’t even realize I was holding. 

“Okay. It’s going to sound crazy. But I just need you to listen and trust me. Okay?” 

He looked confused, but he said, “Yeah, of course.” 

And so I told him everything, from the night of his death to the mysterious tunnel that led me here. After I finished saying how odd it was that the traffic cones weren’t knocked over, I paused to gauge his reaction. 

He stood still and put his hand to his chin. “Well, that’s not what I was expecting. Wow.” He scratched his head and stepped to the side. I gave him a moment to comprehend what I told him. Then, he said, “Let me get this straight. So you’re telling me that on this day, we were driving at night, and we got hit by a drunk driver. I died, but you survived it. And today was the first time you drove since then, and you were about to drive into a tunnel. But then you saw this bright light, and you ended up time traveling back 2 months. Is that right?” 

I nodded, “I know it’s hard to believe, and trust me even I’m still trying to understand this. But that’s what happened.” 

“I don't know if I can believe all of that... but I trust you. So what should we do?” 

“First, get in the car. There’s something I want to test.” After he got in the passenger seat, I put the car in reserve and drove towards the tunnel. I waited for the blinding light to appear, but nothing happened. “Maybe there are certain conditions that need to be fulfilled for time travel to happen. That can wait until later, my top priority is to save you. As long as you stay alive past midnight, I think you’ll be fine.” 

“So... should I stay at my house all day doing nothing until it's after midnight?” he asked in a jokingly manner. 

“Yes, that’s exactly what you’re going to do. You need to take this seriously. I can’t lose you again.” 

“Okay, I’m sorry. I won't joke around until this serious situation has passed,” he said with a hint of a smile. I rolled my eyes and started driving to his house. 

Once we got to his house, I made sure there wasn’t anything suspicious or dangerous that could harm him. After we settled in, he asked me to tell him everything that happened in the two months that passed. I told him basically everything, except the details related to his funeral. We ended up talking for hours. When evening came, I made dinner out of ingredients Carter had lying around the house. We spent most of the time talking, and before I knew it, it was 11:51 P.M. 

“Oh wow. It’s almost midnight.”

“And I’m still here,” he said with a reassuring smile. 

The next few minutes passed by painstakingly slow. I didn’t want to risk anything. When I heard a squeaking noise, I jumped up ready to fight whatever was out there. 

Carter chuckled, “Hey. It’s just a bird. Nothing is going to happen.”

It was 11:59 now, and I started counting down the seconds. 58...46...35...23...18...14…11…7…6…5…4…3…2..1… I waited for something to happen, but it was quiet and calm. 

I smiled, “I think it’s fine no-.” Before I could finish my sentence, everything went dark just like at the tunnel. I clenched my eyes, and as I was about to scream, my body got propelled forward. I slowly opened my eyes, and I was back in my car. It was dark out, and my phone was ringing in my hand. I looked at the screen, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

Carter was calling me.