The Silent Passenger

Jason hated driving at night, but his shift at the diner always ended late. Tonight, the highway was deserted, the moon barely visible behind thick clouds. He turned up the radio, hoping music would keep him awake.

The road stretched endlessly ahead, the trees lining it swaying in the cold wind. His headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the fog that had begun creeping in.

Then he saw her.

A figure standing on the side of the road. A woman in a long white dress, her dark hair hanging over her face. She didn’t move, didn’t wave for help—just stood there.

Jason’s hands tightened on the wheel. He wasn’t the type to pick up strangers, especially not in the middle of nowhere. But as he drove past, his headlights caught something that made his stomach twist.

Her feet weren’t touching the ground.

His foot slammed on the gas. He didn’t care if it was a trick of the light or exhaustion playing with his mind—he wasn’t stopping.

The road was silent again. The radio crackled.

Jason exhaled. Just a weird moment. He was overthinking it.

Then—

A whisper.

“You shouldn’t have left me.”

His heart stopped. The voice hadn’t come from the radio.

It had come from the back seat.

Jason’s breath came in sharp gasps. His hands shook as he adjusted the rearview mirror.

At first, nothing. Just the empty back seat.

Then—

A face.

Pale, sunken eyes stared at him through the mirror. A sliver of a smile curled on cracked lips.

He swerved violently, nearly running off the road.

When he looked back—

The seat was empty.

Jason’s pulse hammered in his ears. He had to get home. Now.

The road stretched ahead, endless and dark.

But then he saw it.

His stomach turned to ice.

The woman was standing ahead of him again.

Closer this time.

Impossible. He had left her miles back.

The radio screeched with static. The whisper returned, closer now.

“Let me in.”

Jason slammed his foot on the gas, barreling straight through the fog—straight through her.

The car jerked as if hitting something solid. The impact sent him spinning. The tires screamed against the pavement before the car finally skidded to a stop.

Jason sat frozen, gripping the wheel, his breath ragged.

The road was empty. No body. No sign of anyone.

A chill crawled down his spine. Slowly, with trembling hands, he reached for the rearview mirror.

She was there.

Sitting in the back seat.

Grinning.

Jason didn’t have time to scream.

The lights flickered—

And the car door unlocked.