I am in the process of reworking Exit 31. I will give you a teaser for Exit 31 below
Exit 31
© 2013 by E. T. Brother
Pete Johnson drives along up Highway 53 and passes a sign for Exit 31. Exit 31 To Pleasantview one mile ahead. Pete continues to drive and looks up the road ahead of him. The exit is coming and he sees a vehicle just pulling onto it.
Pete drives to the exit, pulls off onto it, slows down, and drives up the ramp. The vehicle, he has seen getting on the exit, turns right, and begins to drive away.
Pete drives up to the stop sign, stops, reaches over into the passenger seat, and picks up the piece of paper with the directions on it. He looks at the directions, sees he needs to turn right, and head toward Pleasantview. He puts the paper back on the seat, looks left, the road is clear. He makes the right and gets on the highway.
Pete isn`t aware of it, but not remembering which way to go and spending that extra 10 seconds at the stop sign, is going to be the most costly mistake of his life. If he had made the turn immediately after getting to the stop sign, he would have gotten onto the highway and driven to Pleasantview. That extra 10 seconds means he is not getting onto the highway heading to Pleasantview, he is sidestepping into a parallel universe, he is driving through an open door heading into another dimension. If Pete had turned right immediately or if he had of waited 20 seconds longer, nothing that follows would have happened, because the door only stayed open for 30 seconds. Pete didn`t make the turn immediately and he didn`t wait those measly 20 second, he made the turn while the door was open, and drove through the open doorway.
Driving through the open doorway is putting him onto the highway headed to Raef, the highway looks normal enough, harmless even, but it is anything but normal. Pete isn`t aware of it yet, but he is going to find out soon enough, he is on the highway to Raef, and his nightmares are about to become a reality. He will soon discover the boogeyman is real, he lives in Raef, and he feeds on fear.
Pete drives past a sign that reads, Pleasantview 15 miles, but as he passes the sign it changes to reads, Raef 15 miles.
Pete drives up the highway and hears a noise in the backseat. He glances up at the rearview mirror, sees movement, lifts his foot off the gas pedal, turns his head, and looks back. The backseat is empty. Pete turns his head back to the front and speeds back up.
My mind must be playing tricks on me, I thought I saw someone in the backseat, but it`s empty, Pete thinks.
Pete shakes his head and laughs.
I must be getting tired, I will be glad to get to Pleasantview, it has been a long day, Pete thinks.
Pete passes a 55 mile an hour sign, glances at the speedometer, and sees he is only doing 45. He pushes the gas pedal down and bumps his speed up to 60. He hears a noise directly behind him, glances at the rearview mirror, and sees movement. He lifts his foot off the gas pedal, turns, and looks in the backseat. The back is empty, there is nothing there. Pete turns back to the front and gets his speed back up to 60.
It sounded like someone was breathing right behind me, I look at the mirror and see movement. I can sort of understand my eyes playing tricks on me but my ears too. What is going on, it has been a very long day, but this is sort of strange, Pete thinks.
Pete hears an intake of breath directly behind him, then hears it being released, and he feels the breath on the back of his neck. He looks in the rearview mirror and sees movement. He lifts his foot off the gas pedal and begins to turn around. He sees movement in his periphery vision, but when he looks in the backseat, it is empty. He turns around, looks out of the windshield, and sees a pull off up ahead. He begins to slow down, pulls onto the shoulder, and stops.
What is going on, am I losing my mind? Im hearing things, seeing things, and feeling things, what the hell is next? Pete wonders.
Pete puts the car in park, opens the drivers door, begins to get out, and sees movement in his periphery vision. He jerks his head around, looks in the backseat, it is empty. He turns his head back to the front and gets out of the car. He opens the back door, looks down in the floorboard, and sees there is nothing there. He shuts the back door.
Damn it, what is going on, am I going crazy, is this how it starts? I keep hearing things, seeing things, and even feeling something, but when I look around there is nothing there. Im tired but Im not that tired, Pete thinks.
Pete feels a hand touch his back, he spins around, there is no one there. A chill runs up his spine and he shivers.
What is going on, am I imagining all this, am I going crazy? I must be having a breakdown, I must be going crazy. My mind is playing tricks on me because I like all that horror stuff, I have a very active imagination, and it has gone into high gear because Im tired. That is what is going on, it has to be what is going on, either that or Im going crazy. Yes my imagination has just kicked into high gear, that has to be what`s going on, Pete thinks.
Pete leans back against the car, closes his eyes, and the car shakes. Pete`s eyes fly wide open and he begins to turn around. The car shakes again, he sees movement in his periphery vision as he turns, a chill runs through him, and he breaks out in gooseflesh. He looks all around but doesn`t see anyone. He looks into the car and sees it is empty. He takes a step back, looks behind the car, doesn`t see anything, he looks at the front of the car, and doesn`t see anyone there either. He walks around the car to the passenger side and sees there is no one there.
Now Im imagining someone or something shaking the car. What is it going to be happen next, hearing someone whisper my name? I would be wondering if maybe someone was playing a sick joke on me but there is no one around, I haven`t seen a single car since I got on this road, there is no one around, Pete thinks.
Pete looks all around to confirm this.
Yep no one is around, Im all alone out here, Pete thinks.
A chill runs through Pete, as if his blood has suddenly turned to ice water, as this realization comes to him. He shivers, as the chill runs though him, and he shakes to get rid of the chill.
Im spooking myself, either that or Im going crazy, Pete thinks.
Pete hears a breath behind him, feels it on the back of his neck, and he feels a hand lightly brush his neck. "Pete," a voices whispers. A chill runs through him, he breaks out in gooseflesh, and the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stands up. He spins around, no one is there, he shivers.
I must be losing my mind or I could be asleep and having a nightmare. If Im having a nightmare, it is a real good one, but I can check and see if it is a nightmare, Pete thinks.
Pete pinches his left are and feels the pain.
Damn it, Im not having a nightmare, Im awake, Pete thinks.
Pete feels something like fingers brush his neck, he screams, spins around, there is no one there.
I must be going crazy that is the only possible explanation, Pete thinks.
"It could be a ghost or the boogeyman," A voice whispers from directly behind him.
Pete spins around, looks everywhere, but sees no one.
Oh shit, this place is haunted, I have to get out of here, Pete thinks.
Exit 31
© 2013 by E. T. Brother
Pete Johnson drives along up Highway 53 and passes a sign for Exit 31. Exit 31 To Pleasantview one mile ahead. Pete continues to drive and looks up the road ahead of him. The exit is coming and he sees a vehicle just pulling onto it.
Pete drives to the exit, pulls off onto it, slows down, and drives up the ramp. The vehicle, he has seen getting on the exit, turns right, and begins to drive away.
Pete drives up to the stop sign, stops, reaches over into the passenger seat, and picks up the piece of paper with the directions on it. He looks at the directions, sees he needs to turn right, and head toward Pleasantview. He puts the paper back on the seat, looks left, the road is clear. He makes the right and gets on the highway.
Pete isn`t aware of it, but not remembering which way to go and spending that extra 10 seconds at the stop sign, is going to be the most costly mistake of his life. If he had made the turn immediately after getting to the stop sign, he would have gotten onto the highway and driven to Pleasantview. That extra 10 seconds means he is not getting onto the highway heading to Pleasantview, he is sidestepping into a parallel universe, he is driving through an open door heading into another dimension. If Pete had turned right immediately or if he had of waited 20 seconds longer, nothing that follows would have happened, because the door only stayed open for 30 seconds. Pete didn`t make the turn immediately and he didn`t wait those measly 20 second, he made the turn while the door was open, and drove through the open doorway.
Driving through the open doorway is putting him onto the highway headed to Raef, the highway looks normal enough, harmless even, but it is anything but normal. Pete isn`t aware of it yet, but he is going to find out soon enough, he is on the highway to Raef, and his nightmares are about to become a reality. He will soon discover the boogeyman is real, he lives in Raef, and he feeds on fear.
Pete drives past a sign that reads, Pleasantview 15 miles, but as he passes the sign it changes to reads, Raef 15 miles.
Pete drives up the highway and hears a noise in the backseat. He glances up at the rearview mirror, sees movement, lifts his foot off the gas pedal, turns his head, and looks back. The backseat is empty. Pete turns his head back to the front and speeds back up.
My mind must be playing tricks on me, I thought I saw someone in the backseat, but it`s empty, Pete thinks.
Pete shakes his head and laughs.
I must be getting tired, I will be glad to get to Pleasantview, it has been a long day, Pete thinks.
Pete passes a 55 mile an hour sign, glances at the speedometer, and sees he is only doing 45. He pushes the gas pedal down and bumps his speed up to 60. He hears a noise directly behind him, glances at the rearview mirror, and sees movement. He lifts his foot off the gas pedal, turns, and looks in the backseat. The back is empty, there is nothing there. Pete turns back to the front and gets his speed back up to 60.
It sounded like someone was breathing right behind me, I look at the mirror and see movement. I can sort of understand my eyes playing tricks on me but my ears too. What is going on, it has been a very long day, but this is sort of strange, Pete thinks.
Pete hears an intake of breath directly behind him, then hears it being released, and he feels the breath on the back of his neck. He looks in the rearview mirror and sees movement. He lifts his foot off the gas pedal and begins to turn around. He sees movement in his periphery vision, but when he looks in the backseat, it is empty. He turns around, looks out of the windshield, and sees a pull off up ahead. He begins to slow down, pulls onto the shoulder, and stops.
What is going on, am I losing my mind? Im hearing things, seeing things, and feeling things, what the hell is next? Pete wonders.
Pete puts the car in park, opens the drivers door, begins to get out, and sees movement in his periphery vision. He jerks his head around, looks in the backseat, it is empty. He turns his head back to the front and gets out of the car. He opens the back door, looks down in the floorboard, and sees there is nothing there. He shuts the back door.
Damn it, what is going on, am I going crazy, is this how it starts? I keep hearing things, seeing things, and even feeling something, but when I look around there is nothing there. Im tired but Im not that tired, Pete thinks.
Pete feels a hand touch his back, he spins around, there is no one there. A chill runs up his spine and he shivers.
What is going on, am I imagining all this, am I going crazy? I must be having a breakdown, I must be going crazy. My mind is playing tricks on me because I like all that horror stuff, I have a very active imagination, and it has gone into high gear because Im tired. That is what is going on, it has to be what is going on, either that or Im going crazy. Yes my imagination has just kicked into high gear, that has to be what`s going on, Pete thinks.
Pete leans back against the car, closes his eyes, and the car shakes. Pete`s eyes fly wide open and he begins to turn around. The car shakes again, he sees movement in his periphery vision as he turns, a chill runs through him, and he breaks out in gooseflesh. He looks all around but doesn`t see anyone. He looks into the car and sees it is empty. He takes a step back, looks behind the car, doesn`t see anything, he looks at the front of the car, and doesn`t see anyone there either. He walks around the car to the passenger side and sees there is no one there.
Now Im imagining someone or something shaking the car. What is it going to be happen next, hearing someone whisper my name? I would be wondering if maybe someone was playing a sick joke on me but there is no one around, I haven`t seen a single car since I got on this road, there is no one around, Pete thinks.
Pete looks all around to confirm this.
Yep no one is around, Im all alone out here, Pete thinks.
A chill runs through Pete, as if his blood has suddenly turned to ice water, as this realization comes to him. He shivers, as the chill runs though him, and he shakes to get rid of the chill.
Im spooking myself, either that or Im going crazy, Pete thinks.
Pete hears a breath behind him, feels it on the back of his neck, and he feels a hand lightly brush his neck. "Pete," a voices whispers. A chill runs through him, he breaks out in gooseflesh, and the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stands up. He spins around, no one is there, he shivers.
I must be losing my mind or I could be asleep and having a nightmare. If Im having a nightmare, it is a real good one, but I can check and see if it is a nightmare, Pete thinks.
Pete pinches his left are and feels the pain.
Damn it, Im not having a nightmare, Im awake, Pete thinks.
Pete feels something like fingers brush his neck, he screams, spins around, there is no one there.
I must be going crazy that is the only possible explanation, Pete thinks.
"It could be a ghost or the boogeyman," A voice whispers from directly behind him.
Pete spins around, looks everywhere, but sees no one.
Oh shit, this place is haunted, I have to get out of here, Pete thinks.