Living along a busy highway was how Sam and Elaine lived for twenty years. A tow truck driver could make good money answering calls in the middle of the night. Elaine took them calls and sometimes rode along to rescue people concerned by all the darkness with them along the forest highway.
Retirement was selling a younger man the towing business and taking care of Elaine as her health declined. They talked about moving closer to the city but she wouldn’t have it. She loved the mountains. Loved her home until a frantic knock hit the door one night. “Sam, someone’s at the door,” she said waking him at exactly 2:15a.m.
Sam put on his shirt and shuffled to the door. The knocking continued until he opened it and found a drenched woman crying. The rain was heavy and she was talking so fast. He rubbed his eyes and said, “Slow down, I can’t understand you.” He pulled her in out of the rain and a puddle formed on the foyer floor.
“We had an accident. My husband and baby are trapped in the car. Please help them!”
“Okay. Let me get dressed,” Sam said. He hollered, “Elaine call emergency services.” He turned to calm the woman and found her gone. The puddle in the foyer and an open door was left. He closed it and prepared to go out in the rain as Elaine was talking to the responders.
“I’m going out,” Sam said putting on a rain coat minutes later. He reached the highway where the emergency lights were flashing and saw the shattered compact wedged among the trees.
A baby was wailing in the arms of a medical technician and a man was being loaded into the ambulance as Sam reached a group of men he was familiar with. He looked around the scene for the woman.
“Sam, why you here? I thought you retired,” a state trooper asked.
“I did. A woman come to the door and had us call this in. Is she okay?” he asked with concern becoming confusing real quickly.
“The woman died. Wasn’t her at your house, she died on impact. They have to cut her out.”
“Thin with brown hair and in a yellow dress?” Sam inquired.
“Yep, that’s sounds right. Her husband and baby are lucky we arrived when we did. They will be okay,” the trooper said.
The morning newspaper had an article in it about the tragic accident in which A young mother lost her life. An accompanying photo was lifeless compared to the frantic woman that left a puddle on the foyer floor. Sam had no doubt they were one in the same as he read, “survived by her husband and son.”
DAGilberthorrorwriter 