Grab your favorite snack and settle in with a blanket – Cole Knightly has a creepy piece of flash fiction to share with us today! And remember to comment on this post or sign up here for your chance to win a bunch of ebooks tonight!
Wraith
Greg glanced at his cellphone on the passenger seat beside him. A
blue glow flickered from its face, and a jingle followed. His hands
tightened on the steering wheel. It was Kelly. He knew it without
checking. Greg stared hard at the road ahead of him, his headlights
illuminating the path only a short distance in the pitch black of a
moonless night.
It took every ounce of will power to not pick up the phone and check
the text message. Greg was sure Kelly was texting to apologize and
beg him to come back to the bed and breakfast, but that was not going
to happen. Although they had escaped the city for a secret weekend
getaway at Ms. Martha’s Country Bed and Breakfast in the middle of
nowhere, it had ended abruptly after an argument over Kelly’s
family.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been enough for Greg to leave, but the
fact that Kelly refused to tell anyone about their relationship, as
if he was ashamed of it after four years, was the last in a series of
intensifying arguments. To top it off, Kelly had snatched Greg’s
arm in anger so hard that it had bruised. Sure, it was an accident,
but Greg would not tolerate being treated that way.
The dim lights of the car had difficulty penetrating the darkness as
Greg rounded a curve on the deserted highway. On the opposite side of
the road, fog rolled in from behind the trees. The more Kelly called,
the more pissed it was making Greg. He pushed a little harder on the
gas pedal. As he rounded another curve, he saw the fog gather into
one specific spot. His fingers tighten around the steering wheel.
Every few hundred feet, the fog concentrated into one place. It
appeared to grow each time Greg saw it. The phone vibrated again. He
glanced down, contemplating whether or not to answer. Stay strong, he
thought. When he passed the fog again, it swirled as if trying to
manifest into some form. Greg swallowed hard, unsure wether or not it
was physically possible for fog to move that way. Each time it would
fall out of view in his mirrors, he’d press harder on the gas. The
fog would come back into view ahead of him once it was out of view
behind him.
For a moment, Greg squeezed his eyes shut and blinked a few times to
open them. Maybe he was seeing things. Sure enough, the fog greeted
him as he rounded another curve. This time, it was more translucent
and misty. His cell vibrated again, and this time, he answered it.
“I’m not coming back,” he said when he picked it up. At this
point, he’d take Kelly’s irritating apologies over analyzing a
foggy anomaly.
“I don’t blame you, but can you at least hear me out?”
Greg rolled his eyes and huffed. “Whatever.”
“You don’t understand my mother. She’d make my life Hell if she
found out,” he said. Greg knew that meant Kelly’s trust fund
would disappear and he’d be written out of the will, but he said
nothing. Instead, he allowed Kelly to ramble on about how much he
loved him and how sorry he was for letting things get physical. All
Greg really heard, though, was, “Blah, blah, blah.” He was too
focused on the misty figure on the side of the road. It was taking a
stronger form that looked humanoid in shape. Without realizing it,
Greg accelerated the car. As the car moved faster, the mist became
more defined. Something about it seemed familiar.
“Greg? Are you still there?” Kelly asked. “I know I can’t
make it up to you, but please let me try.”
With heavy breaths and his heart pounding in his chest, Greg hung up
the cellphone. The mist on the side of the road looked clearly like a
person. All that was left was the face. He hunched over the steering
wheel and pushed the pedal to the floor.
One more curve.
Even though he could see the misty figure a few hundred feet away, it
was impossible to make out the face. A hundred feet. The features
became clear. Without realizing it, the car had edged into the wrong
lane. It was important for him to get a closer look. An intense jolt
of electricity flashed throughout his body. He was staring at his own
face. As he passed, he looked over his shoulder and then in the
mirror just to be sure.
The tires shrieked around the corner. Instead of his own ghostly
reflection. Bright lights blinded him. A series of blaring sounds and
screeching followed by the feeling of weightlessness engulfed Greg
completely. All around him, he heard crunching and something
shattering. Then darkness.
***
Cole Knightly writes horror and supernatural thrillers. His debut
short story, Portrait of a Ghost, was released in November 2012. Cole
has a Masters in Fine Art with a Creative Writing emphasis. He enjoys
playing horror and survival video games, which is also where he gets
a lot of his inspiration.
If you would like to read more, please visit ColeKnightly.com or sign up for the newsletter to be updated on new releases and giveaways. Speaking of giveaways, Cole is hosting one for a $25 Amazon gift certificate this week! Go get all the details and sign up to win at his blog…
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