The radio plays in the background, going in and out of static interruption. The storm seems to be getting stronger. Natasha has been driving all night. It might be a good time to pull off somewhere, but where, she thinks. Taking the scenic route doesn’t always have its advantages. This time being one of them. And to think she would’ve already made it to her destination if she would’ve just flown like she originally planned. But Natasha has never been one for airplanes. A large strike of lightening flashes before her eyes, followed by a loud boom. The car shakes and Natasha swerves nervously. Nearly going over the ledge, deep into the woods, her car screeches to a halt. Just in front of her there is an sign that reads: lodging 5 miles. Natasha is breathing heavy, not sure what to make of what just happened. It seemed as if the lightening was just inches away. She takes a deep breath and puts her head back against the seats head rest. “This is crazy,” she says under her breath. The rain begins to pour aggressively, making it hard to see. Natasha turns her windshield wipers on high and sees a figure in the distance. Is someone really standing out here in this storm, she wonders. Natasha turns her high beams on to see if she’s just seeing things or if there’s an actual person standing on the side of the road. The person walks towards Natasha’s car. Natasha is nervous, but curious. The person walks up to her window, tapping it lightly. Natasha rolls down the window just a crack. “Are you ok,” Natasha says through the cracked window. “I am now. Do you think you can give me a ride to the nearest motel?” A sultry voice comes from the stranger, definitely not something Natasha was expecting. Natasha looks down the road, nothing. There’s no way for her to know how far the nearest motel is, especially since her phone died 20 minutes ago. She knew the rule that was ingrained in every child, don’t talk to strangers. And she was Pretty sure don’t pick up strangers was on the list too. But Natasha was known for being a sucker when it came to helping people, even when they didn’t deserve it. Natasha sighs, “sure, get in.” She watches the stranger walk across the front of the car, the headlights beaming on her and Natasha still could not make out what the stranger looked like. The door opens. It’s too late now, Natasha thinks, if I’m meant to die than this is it. “Thank you so much,” the stranger says while removing the hood from her head, “I was starting to think i was going to die alone out there.” Natasha glances at her as she speaks, slightly mesmerized by the stranger. How is this a hitchhiker and what on earth was she doing out in the middle of nowhere, alone and in this storm. “My car broke down a little while back, thought I could probably make it to the nearest town if I walked but I guess I was a little over zealous,” the stranger says with a chuckle. “I’m Eva, by the way.” “Natasha.” Natasha is still not sure what to make of this stranger, but she puts the car in drive and takes off. “Do you mind if I turn the radio on?” “I’m not sure there’s much of a signal.” “Oh, no problem. So, where are you from?” How is it possible that this hitchhiker is so upbeat right. She just said that she thought she was going to die out here. “I’m from up North,” Natasha murmurs. “Oh, cool,” the stranger says as she starts to dig through her backpack. Natasha peeks over to see what she’s digging for, nervous that she’s about to pull out a knife and slit her throat. After all, who would ever know. “I was supposed to meet someone, an old friend, but they never showed,” Eva says as she pulls out a joint and lighter from her bag. “Do you mind?” Natasha looks over, not the slightest surprised, “no, go ahead.” This has to be one of the longest roads between towns, how is that even possible? “So what happened to your friend,” Natasha says as she looks down at her dead phone. “I don’t know, maybe she got cold feet. No bother, though, I’ll find her again, the stranger says and she takes a long puff from her joint. “Want some?” “Oh, I probably shouldn’t,” Natasha says while pointing to the steering wheel. Another loud boom and a strike of lightening crashes before them. The car trembles and just as Natasha is about to swerve Eva puts her hand on Natasha’s to steady the car. Natasha looks at Eva in shock. “Sorry, looked like you could use a hand.” “Thanks,” Natasha says while glancing in Eva’s eyes. Her eyes look very familiar to Natasha. “Do I know you from somewhere?” “I’m not sure, do you?” the stranger says in an eerie manner. Just then, a bright light is flickering in the distance. It looks like an old motel sign. Saved, Natasha thinks. The car pulls up into what looks to be an abandoned motel parking lot. The lights flicker in the front of the building, with the letter “L” completely missing from the sign above. Natasha and Eva both step out of the car and head to the front office. Once inside the office, there is nobody there. The coffee machine is covered in dust and the bell to ring for assistance has cobwebs covering it. Eva peeks into the back office while Natasha attempts to ring the bell. It sounds a little dull, so she blows off some of the dust and wipes the cobwebs and attempts to use it again. While doing that, Eva disappears into the back office. “Hey,” Natasha whispers, “hey, I don’t think you should go back there.” Natasha, scared, follows Eva into the dark room. The thunder starts booming loudly as Natasha tries to feel her way around the dark room. “Natasha?” Natasha hears her name being called. Soon the sound of her phone ringing engulfs the room. Natasha heads towards the light, heading back out of dark room, back into the lobby. Smoke has started to fill the lobby. Eva stands at the door, “Natasha, your phone, I thought you said it was dead?” “It is,” Natasha responds confused. She reaches in her back pocket and pulls out her phone. It’s ringing and the name reads: Eva. Natasha looks at Eva and turns the phone towards her, “how,” she says with a tremble in her voice. The smoke starts to completely fill the room. Once the smoke clears the phone is still ringing but it’s now placed on the floor, entangled in shrubbery on the forest floor. Natasha’s hand is stretched out as if she was once holding it. Her body lays half outside of the driver window and her car is upside down. Smoke is filling the inside of the car as the rain pours down aggressively. A sign has gone through the windshield that reads: lodging 5 miles. Natasha lays there with her eyes closed as her phone continues to ring reading: Eva.