We Were There

Chapter 70: Ringing

I stumbled back on the asphalt ground.  The cold asphalt beneath my palms made me realize that this was real and this was happening.

" What..." I muttered to say. I looked around frantically for any signs of life. The body was gone. Like it vanished into thin air. Poof. Gone. Totally gone. Without any traces.

All of a sudden, I could feel all the hackles on my body, rising. Something wasn't right here. I stood up quickly and ran off towards the car. I just had  to tell Mac about this. 

Mac looked at me as he was reaching for his phone inside the car. The darkness of the night made it hard to see where he had placed it beforehand. He turned around to see me, breathing heavily. 

" What happened?" he asked. Fear present in his voice. He feared for something else though. 

" We have to get out of here."

" What? What about-?" he tilted his head to look at the body. I saw his eyes widened in confusion as he saw what I just saw. 

" Where... Where is she?" he asked, confused. 

" That's what I would like to know. Let's get out of here." I quickly answered. 

I tugged his arm to get inside the driver's seat and so he did, without questions asked. I hurriedly swerved around the car's hood to get into the car's safety. We quickly buckled ourselves in and that's when I noticed Mac stopped midway. 

" What?" I growled as I looked at him. He was looking at the rearview mirror and I could see his lips curve in a smile. 

" Oh, there she is." he muttered under his breath. I sensed relief in his voice.

My eyes widened to his words and I quickly looked back through the car's back window. The woman, who we just ran over, stood unsteadily in the middle of the road. Her frilly cream colored night gown swayed as she tried to keep balance. Her long wavy dark hair covered her face and her hands were swaying on her sides. She was barefoot.

" Come on, let's go help her." Mac said as he reached for the door. I quickly grabbed his arm away to stop him. He looked back at me, his brows creased.

" What? What's wrong?" he asked. 

I was struggling for the right words. How could I explain to him that I was having a gut feeling about all this? A very strong gut feeling that was telling me to get us out of there as soon as possible. Miles and miles away from there. How could I tell him that it was mere intuition?

I shook my head in silence as my eyes never left his. 

I could make out his hands trembling in the darkness. One part of me wanted to take over the driving and shove him away but one part of me told me not to leave him behind. It was a battle of what's logic and what's not. But I'd prefer the latter. Mac was a good friend. 

I looked back and the woman was sauntering towards us. Her face was still covered with her hair. The slight glow of her gown sent shivers down my spine. We didn't have much time to lose. I turned to Mac who responded by looking back at me. 

" Mac..." I let out a deep breath. " ... we had hit her right?" I asked, calmly. 

He simply nodded. He was about to look back at the woman but I stopped him from doing so by holding his face. 

" Eyes. Here." I whispered. He, again, nodded. Both of us were having goosebumps like no other but I mustered the courage to continue. 

" After being hit hard, we wouldn't be standing like that right?" I asked again. My eyes in contact with his. 

He nodded. His expression flat. 

" You know..." I asked softly. "... that she's already dead, right?" 

This time, he closed his eyes and nodded. He looked front and held the steering wheel like he wouldn't let go. He started the car and changed the gear into first. 

When we were about to bolt our way out from the lone dark road, I caught a glimpse of a silhouette outside Mac's window. 

" Watch out!" I screamed. Mac turned to his left and his eyes widened.

The woman opened her mouth and started screaming. Her high pitch voice made our ears ring in unison. Her eyes were hollow and her mouth was open from her jaw to her chest. Her greyish skin glew under the moon lit sky. The ringing continued and I tried my best to cover my ears. We heard glass cracking somewhere. 

Mac stepped onto the gas and we were a distance away from the so-called entity. 

" Fuck! What the hell was that!?" Mac fumed. 

I was staring into space as we passed numerous fields of trees on both sides. I, myself, didn't have any answers. 

As we drove further away, I could just hear a whisper somewhere. Inaudible but it was clear enough. 

It said...

Behind you. 

But I didn't dare look back.