Recalculating

Makena is being led to something, but what is it?

 “Turn Right at the next intersection,” chirped the GPS lady. That can’t be right, thought Makena as she glared at the navigation screen. It had been a long day. She just wanted to get back to the hotel and relax.

She had spent all day touring a haunted Sanitarium and interviewing the owners for her job as a travel journalist. It was an interesting place and it felt spooky, but not overtly scary. Only once did she experience anything in the six hours she was there. They were in the west wing of the building and she thought she had heard a breath in her ear. Other than that, there were just strange noises but that was to be expected; the building was built in 1870. Mak considered herself an open-minded skeptic.

She obeyed the GPS lady and turned right at the next intersection. “Continue on straight for 10.3 miles.” Mak furrowed her brow as she eyed the navigation screen again. The GPS was directing her out of town, the opposite direction of her hotel. Her eyes watched the city limit sign fade into darkness in her rear-view mirror.

She was tired, but her curiosity got the better of her this time. Where are you taking me? She thought. Is this a technical glitch?

Mak decided to go along on this side quest. Why not? she thought. Maybe she could add it to the article she was writing for the travel magazine. Afterall, it was the middle of October and Halloween would soon be here. It would certainly add another spooky aspect to the article.

As the city receded and the road became more rural and somewhat isolated, her curiosity developed a quiver of anxiety. She imagined what could be waiting for her. A pot of gold? A ghost? A ghoul? A vampire? A werewolf?

She laughed to herself trying to subdue the anxious feeling in her chest. Werewolves and vampires, how ridiculous!

GPS voice instructed her to turn left at the next intersection. The road was dark and both sides were flanked by old oaks that hung grimly over the pavement in a broken arch. The twigs like skinny fingers reaching for her from the inky blackness. She clicked on her brights to get a better look at the road and to avoid hitting any deer.

She passed a dead-end sign, and it sent another ripple of anxiety down her back. “Continue straight for 1.6 miles,” said the GPS.  The darkness seemed to grow ever deeper and blacker the farther she rode. It seemed like the brights were not as bright anymore, almost as if they couldn’t cut the darkness.

She gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles blanching with the dread she felt bubbling up inside her. Maybe this was not such a good idea, she thought. Just as that thought departed her mind, she came upon a wrought iron archway with the words Crawley Hill Cemetery spelled out in metal letters, surrounded by iron flourishes. There was no gate, just an ominous path through the arch into black obscurity.

She hesitated and jumped nearly out of her skin when the GPS lady’s voice barked out of the navigation system, “Continue on for 0.2 miles.” Mak caught her breath and steeled her nerves and decided she needed to find out what she was being led to.

She continued up the road and passed through the cemetery arch onto the gravel path. “Turn left ahead.” Mak did as the voice commanded. “Continue for 0.1 miles. Your destination is on the left.” Mak slowly creeped her car along the pathway searching for what possibly could be out here that she needed to see.

“You have reached your destination.” Mak looked out beyond the beams of her headlights. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. It was a fresh, open grave with a mound of dirt beside it. As if the cemetery workers had dug it jus for her to see.

She contemplated not getting out and speeding the hell outta there, but again her curiosity won out over her fear. She put the car in park but left it running for the use of the headlights. She got out slowly and searched the area with squinted eyes for any unnatural movement in the darkness. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary for an old cemetery.

She let out a breath and tried to shake the tension from her shoulders and arms. She walked in the beam of the headlights up to the open grave. A marble gray stone sat at the head of the open pit. Her shadow played over the headstone as she moved so she could see inside the grave. She kneeled before the opening and leaned over to peer in.

It was empty. Just an empty hole in the cold ground. She sat back on her heels and made a “Hmpph” sound in her confusion. She glanced at the smooth headstone and gasped. She reached out and traced her fingertips over the engraved name.

“That’s… me.”

Her full name was set there in stone, Makena Ivy Ward. And below was her birthday and her… death day. Which was… today.

 

Author's Note

Its been quite a while since I've written anything. This story came from a prompt I heard on a podcast.

Reviews

[Squid]

This is a really neat concept, I like the way Mak slowly realizes that following may have been a bad idea. I feel like it ends to abruptly however. Good story though

[Ryn]

Thank you!

[Haley]

This piece is quickly engrossing, making you want more and more. It's easy to get lost in these words and it feels as if you are in the car as well. A great story that I'm hoping has more to it in future writings!

[Ryn]

Thank you!