Dark Highway

By M.Willow

It was a dark night as Dave Starsky drove across the barren road. The road was an old one and not really a highway, but Starsky called it Nowhere Highway because in all the miles he had driven, he had not glimpsed anything that vaguely resembled civilization. In short, the road was out in the middle of nowhere.

Evelyn, a former lover, was the reason he was on this road to nowhere.  He had dated her five years ago.  The relationship had been promising, but she had been offered a job in another city.  She had accepted the position, ending their relationship but not the friendship.

Evelyn had called a few days ago to invite him to a Halloween party.  She was visiting friends in a town two hundred miles from Bay City.  The invitation had included Hutch, who declined, citing the need to just stay home and get some rest. Now, he wished he had insisted on Hutch going with him.  He would have enjoyed the company on this dark night.  He was tired of looking at the endless road.  He hadn’t noticed a car or house in miles. He couldn’t even listen to the radio.  It had stopped working on his way back from the party.

Now, he noticed how dark the road was.  It was difficult to see even using the bright lights of his car.  Inky darkness was the best word to describe the night.  He desperately needed a cup of coffee or just the chance to enjoy some human contact, but he hadn’t seen a restaurant in miles. He kept his eyes on the road and noticed a house.  It was one of those old Victorian houses.  The house had not been well maintained.  The porch seemed to barely hang from the house and some of the windows appeared broken.  He noticed a bright light coming from the open front door, but the rest of the house was dark.  It was strange how people living in remote areas felt comfortable with their doors unlocked.  It was not something that he was accustomed to.  In Bay City an open door was an invitation to crime.

Starsky drove several more hours and noticed the unusual amount of telephone booths along the highway.  It seemed that every few miles another telephone booth appeared.   There appearance actually made him relax.  He wasn’t totally cut off from civilization as long as they were there.  And then he came upon another old Victorian house.  Again the house was dark except for one bright light coming from an open front door; again the house had a porch that barely hung from the house.  And the windows were broken.  Creepy.  It looked identical to the first house, yet he had driven at least five miles since he saw that house.

He continued to drive another five miles and noticed another Victorian house with the bright light coming from an open front door.  Could he be driving in circles for the last three hours, he wondered.   He was becoming spooked.  His mind went back to an old television show about a woman driving alone and seeing the same hitchhiker.  But this was a house, not a man, and the house was not trying to get into his car.  He looked at his gas gauge, plenty of gas to get him back to Bay City.  He relaxed.  

And then the house appeared again, the open front door an invitation.  He drove faster and the road moved in a blur.  He saw a telephone booth and pulled over.  He checked behind him as if he expected to see the house following him.  His hands were shaking as he inserted some coins and dialed Hutch’s number.  He listened to the comforting sound of the telephone and then Hutch’s voice. 

“Hello.” 

Starky fought for control of his emotions.  This was ridiculous; he was a grown man, a cop, calling his best friend to tell him that he was afraid of an old house.

“Hi, Hutch.  Just checking in.”

“Starsky, it’s two o’clock in the morning.  Where are you?”

“That’s just it Hutch.  I should have been home hours ago, I seem to be lost.  You know these rural roads.”

“Yeah.  You see any signs?”

“No.  Just an old house and thankfully these telephone booths.” 

“You okay buddy? You sound a little strange.”

“Nah, I was just hopin’ to be home by now.  It’s only two hundred miles from Bay City, but I’ve been driving for several hours and well over two hundred miles by now.”

“You’re lost, Starsky.  Look there’s nothing to worry about.  Just stop at one of the houses you see and ask for directions.”

Starsky paused before speaking.  He couldn’t even consider stopping at that house.  The thought sent shivers down his spine.

“Yeah.  Of course you’re right. Besides, nobody ever gets lost forever.” 

“Starsky, you okay? You sound a little… I don’t know, spooked.”

“Nah, I’m alright.  Just tired.”

“Not to tired to drive, I hope,” Hutch said.

“No.  Not that kind of tired.  Listen.  I’ll see you when I get back in town.  Okay.”

“Okay, starsk.  You sure you’re okay.”

“yeah, like I said.  Just tired.  I’ll talk to you later, okay.”

“Sure Starsky.

Hutch hung up, leaving Starsky to face the dark road ahead of him.

Two hours later Starsky was still driving.  It was still dark and he had encountered the same house at least three times.  The light was still on at the front door.  The gas tank was still nearly full even though it was impossible to drive six hundred miles on one tank of gas.

Now he could feel the fear creeping up his spine.  He would have called Hutch, but he was actually afraid to get out of the car.  The last time he got out, he could actually feel the darkness enveloped him.  My God, he thought, what is this?  

He saw another telephone booth in the distance.  He was desperate to escape the darkness and the only way he felt he could do that was to call Hutch.   He stopped the car in front of the booth, looked around before getting out and made a quick dash to the telephone booth.  He closed the door of the tiny booth, catching his breath and plopping the coins in the slot in one quick movement.  Soon, he heard the reassuring voice of his best friend.

“Hutch, I don’t know what’s going on.  I can’t get home and I’m scared.”

“Starsky, calm down.  You’re just lost.”

“I ain’t lost.  I keep seeing that same house with the light on at the front door.  It’s like the damn thing is following me.”  Starsky was grasping for air, his hands shaking.   Hutch was the only thing keeping him sane.

“You see any road signs?” Hutch asked urgently.

“No, just that damned house.”

“You keep talking about a house.  What house?”

“It’s an old Victorian house.  It looks empty except for a bright light at the door.  I…I keep seeing it Hutch.  Over and over again.  Man, it’s following me.” 

“Listen, Starsky, calm down.  In the country, lots of houses look alike.

“For four hundred miles!  A house with broken windows, a porch falling apart, and a bright light on at the front door.”

“Maybe, you should go to the house.  Someone there might be able to help you.”

“I can’t, no way.”

“Listen Starsky.  I’d come, you know I would.  But I don’t know where to look.”

“Have you seen any cars? Restaurants?”

“Nothing.  I’m telling you. It’s like that old Twilight Zone episode.  You know the one with the hitchhiker.  And you know how that one ended.”

“Starsky, I don’t know about that episode, but that’s not what’s happening here.  You’re just lost.  I want you to go into that house.  You said the lights are on.  Well that means they’re awake.  Go in, they would probably at least offer you a place to sleep.”

Starsky thought about it for a few minutes.  Hutch was right.  Maybe, a decent night sleep would do the trick.  He was probably tired and imagined the houses looked the same.  Still, that didn’t explain how he could drive six hundred miles on one tank of gas.

“Listen to me Starsk.  I want you to go into the next house you see with the lights on.”

Starsky laughed with a trembling voice, “Are you saying go into the light?” 

“Funny, but I’m afraid about you driving with no sleep and I don’t like the way you sound.  Please Starsk, do it for me”

“Okay, Hutch.  I’ll try,” Starsky said slowly.

It was still dark as Starsky, hunted for the next house.  He still hoped to find civilization, maybe a nice hotel with hot coffee and a warm bed.  He looked at his watch, and was startled to find it was six o’clock in the morning, yet the road was as dark as if it was three hours ago.  That’s impossible, he thought, it should be daylight.  

He started to shake as he saw the house looming in the distance.   This time he found himself driving up the dirt road that lead to the house.  The house looked even more sinister as he approached.  He could tell that no one lived there, maybe not for decades.  Still, who paid the electric bill?  The door was open with a bright light shinning so intensely he wanted to shield his eyes.

 He parked his car and slowly walked toward the house.  It was a balmy summer night.  One would expect to hear the sounds of crickets, but instead there was only eerie silence.  He slowly approached the house, feeling his body move even though he was not conscious of the movement.  Soon, he stood on the porch and reached his hands out, touching the icy cold of the porch railing. 

Now he could see into the light.    

“I think he is back with us”

“Thank God, I thought I had lost him.”

“His vital signs are back to normal. 

“Hutch, Hutch where am I?”

“You’re at Bay General Hospital.  You’ve been in a coma, Starsky.”

“What happened to the house?”

“House.  What house?”  Hutch looked questioningly at the doctor.

The doctor answered, he may be confused for awhile, but I expect that he’ll make a complete recovery.”

Hutch looked gratefully at the doctor.  Only few weeks earlier, Starsky had been on his way to see an old girlfriend a few miles away.  He had an accident with a tractor trailer on his way back.  It had been touch and go for awhile with Starsky in a deep coma.  Now Hutch looked gratefully at his best friend.  Again, he had survived a near miss.  

Starsky looked around the room with confusion.  “I don’t understand.  I was on a road and this house kept appearing.  Hutch, it was like that old TV show, the one with the hitchhiker only it was a house.”

“Mr. Starsky,” the doctor said. “You’ve been in a coma.  You may have been experiencing certain….”

“Listen, I’m telling you.  I was on a road, driving.  It was dark.  Dark for a long time.  There was this old Victorian house following me.”

“Doctor, can you leave us alone for a few minutes,” Hutch asked.

The doctor reluctantly left promising to return in a few minutes.

“Listen to me buddy.  A few weeks ago, you were in a bad car accident.  You were in a coma.  You’ve just awakened.  This thing about a house was just something you must have seen while in the coma.  You’re gonna be alright.”

Starsky stared at his partner and then looked around the room with confusion.

“My God, Hutch.  You saved my life,” Starsky said with a trembling voice.

“What do you mean?”  Hutch asked.

 “You told me to go into the light.”

Fin