I was driving along a winding road lined with trees, admiring their fall colors when I noticed a hooded man walking with his thumb up — the universal signal that said: “I need a ride”.

I pulled the car over just a short distance in front of the man, watching him in the rear-view mirror as he approached. I turned to look at him as he reached the already rolled down passenger side window.

“Hi there, where ya headed?” I asked cheerfully, noticing that he was carrying a backpack. I didn’t think too much of it since he had been traveling on foot, it was a common thing.

“I’m trying to get to the harbor,” He said plainly.

‘Well that’s pretty vague. Good thing there’s only one harbor around these parts.’ I thought, briefly pursing my lips.

“That’s not too far, hop in.” I retorted, moving my jacket from the seat beside me. I threw it into the backseat as the man got in, shutting the door.

“My names’ Chuck,” He said, taking his bag off his shoulders and plopping it next to him.

“I’m Erin. It’s good to be acquainted,” I said simply, shifting the car into drive before pulling back onto the road.

The ride was somewhat silent aside from the faint murmur of the radio. Chuck appeared to be taking in the scenic view of a lake we were passing.

It was quite nice.

We were rounding a wide corner when the car hit a bump, and that’s when I heard something rather strange… And it wasn’t the vehicle.

A sharp sound, like metallic scraping could be heard coming from… Somewhere? Well, it was definitely inside the car, and I didn’t recall ever hearing it until Chuck entered the car. And then it occurred to me, Chuck’s backpack.

That damn thing looked to be absolutely bursting at the seams full of whatever might be inside.

I glanced at it, and then at him to see if he looked nervous or suspicious, but he didn’t. It was as if he hadn’t heard the ear-piercing sound at all.

I cleared my throat after a moment, breaking the prolonged silence. My curiosity got the best of me as I made to speak.

“So, uh… I don’t mean to be nosy or anything, but can I ask what you’ve got there in that bag?” I questioned, stealing another look at the dark green pack.

Chuck’s gaze seemed to burn holes into the side of my head as he looked at me. I didn’t look back at him to see what kind of stare he was giving me, it made me a bit uncomfortable, until he finally gave a clipped response.

“…It’s none of your business,” He eyed the bag protectively, glancing at me once.

I made an unimpressed face and gave a half-shrug. He was right, after all. But it had been such a loud sound… Just what could that have been?

It went silent again, after that slightly awkward scene. I didn’t mind at all, being used to driving without passengers; the quiet was my favorite, normally.

About twenty minutes had passed and the silence stretched on. There was a lovely view of some mountains across the river from us, and I gave Chuck a sidelong glance, noticing he was taking in the view. As we went along, I failed to notice a pothole in the road and the car jolted harshly as we ran over it.

And then I heard that same sharp metallic sound again! So loud it was like somebody scraping a knife across a chalkboard.

“Alright, Chuck. I know the bag is a sensitive topic, but what on earth is making that sound from in there?!” I demanded, slowing the car down a bit.

Chuck looked at me sharply, taking a breath through his teeth before he answered.

“I thought I told you, it’s none of your damned business!” He appeared to be very irritated now as he stared back out the window.

I shook my head in silence. I knew that I didn’t have to give this guy a ride, I also got the feeling that he wasn’t dangerous by any means, but there was definitely something that rubbed me the wrong way about the sounds coming from that bag. Good god, I’d never been so curious about something like this… It was surreal!

We drove through an open field for a few miles before the road was lined by trees once more. It was a short distance to the harbor now, so close I could smell the briny air. Chuck had remained frozen in place, staring out his window ever since I’d dared to ask him a second time about the bag.

It was still gnawing at my mind and I was trying very, very hard to leave it be.

‘Whatever. We’re almost there anyway and he can take that screeching thing the hell out of here when he goes,’ I said to myself, chewing the inside of my cheek as I quickly looked over.

We were at the harbor now, finally, and I had stopped the car next to a small rest area with a picnic table beside it. Chuck turned to me and held out his hand, and I politely took it as we wordlessly shook hands. It was a little awkward, I won’t lie.

He opened the car door and shambled out, and then he reached for the bag. The second he picked it up, I heard the sound again! So ear-shatteringly loud it was impossible to miss!

“Holy hell! Chuck, what the fuck is in that bag?!” I nearly shouted, bringing my hands to my ears.

“I deserve to know! I did give you a ride for free, y’know!”

Chuck simply blinked at me before he gave a heavy sigh of defeat.

“Okay, alright. Jeez, I’ll show you what’s in the bag,” He began, slowly unzipping the zipper of the largest compartment. He opened the flaps to show me what was in there, and to my surprise, it was… None of your goddamn business!!