No Exit

Part 1

You flipped through the radio stations in disgust. Commercial. Commercial. Overrated song played 20 times a day. Ugh, you sigh, putting your hands back on the wheel. You just wanted to find a nice, soothing song after the 12-hour hell shift you pulled at the café. The entire day had been brutal. The new guy at work had messed up three orders in a row, and your boss decided you were the one who should be punished for it. Then, the new kid had ended up spilling scalding hot coffee on your polo, nearly burning the crap out of you. Lastly, to top it all off, you were yelled at by two different customers for something you had no control over. To say the least, you had hit your limit and were beyond ready to be home. A bubble bath and your fluffy bed were calling out your name and would be in reach in about 15 minutes.

After driving through the last intersection that you deemed "safe", your eyes immediately begin tracking everything outside of the car. The area you lived in defined the word sketchy, but it was all you could afford. Being a full-time college student and working two part-time jobs was not a money maker. The neighborhood was known for drugs and prostitution and was definitely not safe to be in at night. In fact, you avoided being out at night the best you could. Glancing at the clock, you see it's 12:07am, and you begin cursing your boss all over again. This was why you despised working late shifts, but your boss didn't give a crap about where you lived. He certainly wasn't going to be the one that stayed at work that late.

Looking in your rear-view mirror, you see the dark SUV that had turned behind you two intersections ago crossover into "Hell's Mile" with you. Turn back now bud, before you find yourself somewhere you don't want to be, you think to yourself. It was only a few seconds before the vehicle sped up behind you, almost like they were in a hurry to get through this stretch of road. However, you were already going five miles over the speed limit, and you refused to go any faster. God forbid you pop a tire on these pothole littered streets and end up stranded out here. No freaking way.

It took you about five minutes to go from being irritated that the person was riding your ass to afraid for the same reason. Heart beginning to pound in your chest, you realize this person should've turned somewhere by now. They've been behind you for way too long, and you knew most of the cars in this area. The one behind you was not one you recognized. You turn your attention back to the road and try to calm down. Maybe you're just being paranoid. Why on Earth would someone be following you?

As you neared a bend in the road, the SUV slowed slightly and put about 10 feet between each of your vehicles. You allowed yourself to breathe for a moment and tried to go back to a less panicked and more logical way of thinking. You are going to be fine. You knew the basics of what to do if someone followed you. Remain calm, drive to a police station, hospital, or somewhere brightly lit and well-populated, and never, ever go home. Mentally pulling up a map, you knew the police station and hospital were across town, so you would have to find a place and make do.

As you drive around the curve, you glance back up into the rear-view mirror. Still there. Still keeping pace with you. Wait... What is that? You squint your eyes towards their passenger window. Something was reflecting off each streetlight you passed, but the streetlights were so few and far between, you couldn't tell what it was. You lean back into your seat and try to bring your attention back to the road and the curve, and that's when you hear three loud pops.

Immediately losing control of your vehicle, your small car started spinning towards the side of the road. You brace yourself, knowing whatever was going to happen next would be bad... You feel, rather than see, your car hit the curb, and then it begins to roll. Through your fear, you feel glass flying in at you from the windows, cutting you up, and at some point, your head bashed into the steering wheel so hard, it felt like you had hit a cement wall.