"Would you like to take a road trip, darling?"
That's the last thing I remember from my beloved...
That trip...
...
I can still hear the engine...
The car rolling down the highway.
Just the two of us...
...
But that wasn't just a memory...
—I-it... hu... rts...
My vision slowly recovered, allowing me to make out darkness...
A... steering wheel?
At that moment, the rest of my senses returned, only to reveal that I was inside a vehicle.
A car.
—Where... am I?
I got out of the vehicle to look around.
Only darkness.
Gloom.
An absence of happiness...
A forgotten road.
Lost...
Without end.
Stretching into the shadows of the night.
Using my flashlight, I tried to illuminate the surroundings.
But nothing.
Just an open field stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
And me, stranded in the middle of nowhere...
I returned to the car to think calmly.
—My belongings are still with me...
—The ring... too.
At that moment I searched the entire car, looking for anything useful.
Something that could help me...
In the trunk, I saw it.
A baby stroller.
...
I checked it carefully.
Only to find a magazine full of bullets.
I kept it and reloaded my weapon.
—I'll need protection against whatever I encounter on this highway.
I returned to the driver's seat to check the glove compartment, where I found a note.
"I'm so excited for this trip. It'll be our last trip before we lock ourselves into the new responsibilities that are coming our way, right darling?"
—What responsibilities is she talking about?
I knew perfectly well who had written the note...
But parts of my memory were still empty.
Mental gaps.
—I'll find out soon...
The most important thing was reaching some kind of town.
The vehicle already had the keys in the ignition. I simply started the engine and began driving.
The headlights worked perfectly, revealing a sign...
No.
A billboard.
"Lost Highway 1997"
—That seems to be the name of the highway...
A very extravagant name for a simple road.
And so I drove.
First minutes, then hours...
Every so often, the same sign bearing the highway's name appeared again.
!
That was when my thoughts aligned.
I took the baby stroller out and placed it beside the road where it would be easy to see. Then I continued driving...
Until I reached the same sign again.
But with one difference. The stroller was beneath it.
At that moment, I stopped the vehicle to inspect it.
—It's the same one...
It was obvious that the same situation as the house was repeating itself on this highway. Resisting would get me nowhere.
I was forced to keep driving in circles, without any clue that might spare me from continuing this bullshit.
All I could do was keep moving. Again and again.
The same stroller.
But on one of the loops, something changed. The stroller was no longer there.
In fact, it had completely disappeared.
I slammed on the brakes and searched with my eyes, without leaving the safety of my car. Just watching.
Looking. But nothing.
I pressed the accelerator. With nothing left to lose.
Maybe, just maybe, death by speed would change things.
...
But it was a mistake.
The moment I noticed the baby stroller in the middle of the road, blocking my path, it was already too late.
A dark female-shaped silhouette seemed to be pushing it. The car's headlights were the last thing that woman saw before the tires ran through her.
Destroying the stroller.
At that moment, I braked as hard as I could.
Maybe trying to avoid the accident.
But I failed.
I approached the woman in the middle of the road. She lay face down.
Her dark hair covered her face. I placed my fingers against her neck, trying to find a pulse.
Hoping she was alive.
The woman...
Was dead.
No pulse. No heartbeat.
Her life had vanished in an instant.
—No... it can't be...
—I...killed her...
My body trembled.
—It was an accident... I'm sorry... forgive me...
The guilt only grew with every word I uttered.
The dagger that pierced my heart was the fact that the woman's stomach was swollen...
—She was... pre... gnant...
Her stomach and everything from her arms to her head remained intact, marked only by bruises.
The rest of her body had been crushed. Blood covered her completely, staining her clothes with the color of death.
Panic.
Fear.
Regret.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I had killed the poor woman and her baby...
—Zzzzzzzzzzz
—Zz
—Yo... zzzz
—Zzz
The radio emitted a signal. Serena was saying something.
But I couldn't pay attention. My thoughts were fixed on the woman.
Until I noticed another body. A man lying nearby, hidden in the darkness of the road.
—Sir!
When I called out, there was no response. bI decided to approach. The man's face was hidden. I turned his body over to see who he was.
But he began to contort.
Then move erratically in every direction as he slowly stood up. I quickly backed away.
The man now emitted a caw and a thud with every violent movement, while his appearance shifted between a man hiding in the darkness, concealing his face through frantic motions, and the bird...
I quickly drew my weapon and fired.
In an instant, the creature vanished...
—I need to get out of here.
But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, the radio warned me.
—Zz
—Zzzzzzzzz
It was no longer a message from my beloved.
It was a warning.
Something was nearby.
!
—H... help...
A voice.
The pregnant woman...
She was alive.
I approached to help her.
—Easy, I'm going to help you.
—Everything will be okay.
Something was different.
Her hair completely covered her face.
The crushed parts of her body were now necrotic, oozing putrid fluids. Her stomach was even more swollen now, veins bulging visibly.
Her skin had turned gray.
The same color as the beasts...
—He... lp me!
The woman lunged at me with her injured, ruined body.
I saw her face.
None.
She had no face.
No eyes.
No mouth.
I couldn't understand how she could speak.
—Get away from me!
She was no longer a person. I struggled to push her away.
Her injured arms clung to me with surprising strength. But I managed to break free and aim at her.
I had her in my sights. Ready to fire.
—You... you killed me...
I couldn't.
I couldn't do it.
I refused.
Something about the creature prevented me from pulling the trigger. I simply got into the vehicle as fast as I could and drove away.
Hoping never to encounter that creature again...
...
Not long after I left, I saw an ambulance driving in the opposite direction.
The sirens were so...
...
—Familiar...
But it was already too late for me.
I just needed to keep driving. Without stopping.
Without slowing down.
I needed answers.
That was what I wanted. I needed to know what happened to my baby and my beloved. I needed to delve deeper into my memories.
Even if it cost me everything I had. I was willing to sacrifice it all...
!
At that moment. In that fraction of a second. A man appeared out of nowhere in front of the vehicle.
The only thing I remember is the sound of metal crashing, tires scraping, and brakes failing...
The last sound I heard was the heavy footsteps of a man. A caw...
Thuds...
I couldn't see the man's face...
I lost... con...
scious...
....
...