Obsession

Chapter 1

One

T hunder beckoned on the horizon. Night had fallen, and Ren found herself alone on the winding mountain road, the only illumination coming from the piercing glow of her headlights slicing through the thick, enveloping darkness. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she navigated the treacherous path home, the echo of last call still ringing in her ears.

The interior of her car was filled with the familiar scent of the bar— a mix of stale beer and smoke. A combination that was oddly comforting after a long night's work. The taste of hastily consumed, stale coffee lingered on her tongue, a last-ditch effort to stay awake on the drive.

Her worn-out uniform chafed slightly against her skin, the fabric rough from many washings. A simple polo shirt that had the bar’s name embroidered above the tiny alligator and black slacks, the owners felt it was more professional—even if it was just the local dive bar. A previous barkeep had ruined the whole “no uniforms” for everyone when she showed up in nothing more than a lace negligee for a shirt. Sure the tips were great, but when the owner’s wife happened to stop by that night, drastic changes were made to pacify her jealousy.

Outside the car, the weather was a symphony of chaos, the heavens opening up in a torrential downpour. Rain hammered onto the roof of her car, the sound a steady drumbeat that underscored her mounting anxiety. Lightning forked across the sky, revealing the mountain's stark outline before leaving her in darkness once more—save for the headlights that were dim from moisture buildup inside the lenses. No LED lights on this old beater with a heater—at least the heater did work or the windshield would be fogged over too. Luckily the car still ran with how much oil it drank, the black smoke puffing steadily from the tailpipe proving the engine was in fact on its last legs.

Surviving on her own was not always an ideal situation for Ren, but she still had pride in the fact she managed without anyone else.

“I can’t fucking see a thing!” she exclaimed though the sound of her voice was barely audible above the pelting rain on the roof and the swoosh of the wiper blades swiping torrents of water with each pass.

The air was heavy with the earthy scent of wet soil and the charged, metallic tang that came with a warm summer storm. The low rumble of thunder was ever present, rolling off the surrounding valley, chasing the light show of the sparks in the sky.

As she drove on, a bit slower in speed; her wipers sloshing the rain from the windshield on its highest setting, a flicker of movement caught her eye. A blur of motion drew her attention during the flash of a lightning strike.

“What the fuck is that!”

Whatever it was streaked across the pavement only a few feet in front of her as a shadowy figure materializing in the downpour.

It must’ve come from somewhere, perhaps from the woods off to her right. It appeared so suddenly on the road ahead that Ren had barely a moment to react.

“Ahhhh!”

With a gasp and her heart pounding erratically in her chest, she jerked the wheel sideways and slammed the brakes, sending the shitbox car with older worn tread on the tires skidding out of control. She heard an unmistakable thud of clipping whatever had darted out in front of her, but what was strange was the sound of shrieking metal and the obscenely violent jolt. It felt less like she hit an animal and more like a brick wall.

The car went hydroplaning in tight loops before sliding off the road sideways in the opposite direction of whatever was hit; where the tires caught against the soaked earth sending it and her into a roll.

The world spun around Ren as the car skidded out of control, each turn making her stomach churn with fear. She felt the steering wheel slip from her hands despite her desperate grip. Her pulse thundered in her ears, drowning out the storm outside.

“No, no no no nooooo.”

The loose objects she meant to clean up flew about the interior scratching and bruising her as they made impact. She wished that she had taken the time to empty out her car of all those miscellaneous things–garbage really. Then she heard glass shatter and the terrifying crunch of folding steel as the car slammed against a huge tree.