A Collection of Odd Stories (Aim To Engage Contest - Prompts 3-30)

Flat Tire (Thriller/Mystery)

Heavy rain pours down from the dark sky, lightning crackling behind the black clouds as the wind threatens to blow my car over. My wipers, which I have cranked to the max, slide across the windshield in a frenzy as they try to clear the water away.

I sigh, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, annoyed. The weather forecast said that it was clear today.

But here I am, driving in the middle of nowhere in a massive thunderstorm with no one in sight. Anytime now I could slip and-

My thoughts get interrupted as the car jerks to the side with a blast. I freeze in panic, letting go of the steering wheel and staring at the road in dumbfounded shock. I quickly lose speed, my vehicle running off the shoulder of the road and eventually coming to rest in the grass.

After a moment of silence, I groan loudly, grudgingly opening the door and stepping out into the storm. The cold rain hits me instantly, drenching my clothes and freezing my skin.

I hug myself as I run to the side of the car where the loud noise came from. I purse my lips in annoyance when I see the source. Just as I thought.

A flat tire. 

But how? I squint my eyes and stare back towards the way I drove from. I spot the culprit.

Spikes.

I jog closer to make sure I wasn't imagining it. A more thorough look confirms it, they were spikes.

I look up as I hear the sound of an engine and spot two headlights approaching the spikes. Fast. They probably wouldn't survive.

I rush in front of the road hazard, outstretching my arms. "STOP!"

I close my eyes tightly as the driver slams the brakes, narrowly avoiding hitting me as the car skids to a stop inches away from my body.

"Hey, are you okay?!" A young man steps out of the SUV with a concerned expression. "What's a girl doing out so late in the rain?"

I open my eyes to slits and breathe out a sigh of relief. The car didn't hit me. "My car got a flat tire. Because of this." I point back towards the spikes.

The man's eyes widen. "Who would...?" His voice trails off.

I shrug, "I don't know. A sick joke, maybe."

"Thanks for stopping me." He pats the hood of his car, "This baby's brand new."

"Yea no problem." I hesitantly look at my car, and then back towards the man, "Hey, could you maybe give me a lift...?"

The guy's eyes widen in realization as he notices that I'm standing in the rain. "Oh of course! I couldn't leave a lady like you out here. Please, get in."

"Thank you!" I grin widely and get into the brand new SUV, making myself comfortable in the back seat. "It's cozy here." It even had the smell of a new car.

The radio played quietly in the background. Who even listens to those anymore?

The young man gets into the driver's seat and closes the door. "I know right, I'm Matt, by the way."

"Nice to meet you!" I open the zip of my bag, fishing inside.

"Are you sure you can just leave your car here?" Matt inquires, his expression troubled.

"Oh yea, I can get it later once the weather is settled, don't worry."

"Alright then." Matt pushes the gas gently, carefully moving the car sideways and avoiding the spikes. "What a sick joke that was. Thank you again for stopping me."

"Yea!" I smile, "At the speed you were going, you'd have probably died."

Something on the radio catches my attention. It was faint, but I think I heard something.

Matt chuckles, "Oh and you never told me your-"

"Could you turn the radio up? I think I heard something about a killer on the loose..." I interrupt.
"Oh. Ok..." Matt turns up the volume, sounding a bit confused.

"...the escaped killer is charged with 20 murders in the area around Galesburg. They're known to plant spikes on the ground to flatten a victim's tire and immobilize them before finishing their job," the lady on the stereo informs. "The culprit's name is Deborah Wells. Be on the lookout, folks!"

"How scary..." Matt says, sounding a bit odd. "We just passed by spikes."

"Yea..." I say hesitantly. "...where are we going?"

"Oh! Well you didn't even tell me where you were going. I'll drop you off." Matt replies quickly, "What's your name?"

I pull out a sharp blade from my purse. "You can call me Deb for short."