Restless Highways

by Melissa L. Webb

  The lights flickered around Hunter then came back on. He realized the hospital had returned to normal. Standing there, eyes glistening in the harsh florescent light, he listened to the confirmation of life from down the hall. He had never heard anything so beautiful before, the presence of love which flowed with it was breathtaking. A life was given and a soul had found a home.

  “Are you okay?”

  Turning, he looked at Raven and Cedric. “I’m great. How about you?”

  “Doing just fine, brother,” Cedric informed him. “I suppose we won?”

  “Yes. The Princess has been born.”

  ***

  Hunter stood down the hall from the viewing window of the nursery. He couldn’t bring himself to go down there. She wasn’t the version he needed, and seeing her would just drive the nail further into his heart. He could wait. He had become really good at that.

  Raven and Cedric walked past him and stood in front of the window next to the proud parents, who smiled down at the new baby.

  “Which one is yours?” Raven asked them.

  Kathy Taylor’s face lit up even brighter as she pointed to a baby in the front. “That one, right there. That’s my baby girl.”

  “She’s beautiful,” she told her, smiling down at the baby herself.

  “What’s that mark on her wrist?” Cedric asked, glancing knowingly at his wife. “It looks like an arrow.”

  “That’s nothing,” Dr. Taylor said quickly. “It’s just a mark left from the delivery.”

  Cedric nodded, looking back at the baby. “What’s her name?”

  Mrs. Taylor glanced away. “We haven’t decided on one yet.”

  Hunter smiled slightly, thinking of all the names she ever had. “I’ve always liked the name Melissa,” he called to them. That name had been the one that suited her the most.

  Mrs. Taylor looked up at her husband and smiled. “I like that name, David.”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I do, too.”

  Looking down at the small little bundle she had created, she nodded. “Melissa Anne Taylor.”

  Raven turned to look at the mother. “Congratulations. She’s a very special girl. You should be proud,” she told them before turning away. She and Cedric walked back down the hall, Hunter falling in step with them as they headed out the front entrance.

  The sun greeted them as they stood outside, melting away the last memories of the night before. Raven looked at her brother. “Melissa, huh?”

  He shrugged. “I know she likes the name, plus…I get my Liss this way.”

  Cedric let out a deep breath and looked at the others. “So, I guess we watch our girl grow up again.”

  Hunter shook his head. “I can’t. Not yet. I know you’re both here and that you’ll look after her. That’s good enough for right now.”

  “Hunter,” Raven began, seeing the pain in his eyes. “Don’t do this to yourself.”

  He smiled affectionately at her, knowing how much she wanted to look after him. “It’s okay. I know we’re all safe until she comes of age. I just need to find some peace for a while. Recharge, so I can be here when she needs me.” He turned, heading towards the trees surrounding the hospital. He stopped, feeling their eyes on his back. “Don’t worry. I’ll show up sooner or later,” he told them with a smile. “This old dog always finds his way home.” He slipped into the trees, disappearing from their view before glancing back at the hospital, unshed tears shining in the sunlight. “I’ll see you soon, my love.”

  ###

  Continue reading for an excerpt from

  Melissa L. Webb’s

  horror novel

  Weaver of Darkness.

  When evil comes for the ones you love, who will you choose to be?

  Liss Taylor always suspected she was a little different than other people, between the nightmares of desolate wastelands and the tattoo of an arrow she was born with; but when one of Liss' friends dies at the teeth of a Raggedy Ann doll as a warning to her, she knows she is anything but normal.

  Armed with knowledge instilled from the past, Liss pushes forward with the aid of her high school friends, two five-hundred year old Druids and a heroic shapeshifter. As an old god stirs, Liss realizes she has faced its summoner before. Can Liss release her powers from within and stop this evil before it claims humanity as its own?

  Prologue

  He twisted the dial of the radio, scanning the airwaves for something matching his mood. Rock spilled forth from his speakers. He grinned as the driving beat crept into his soul.

  “I’m done for the summer!” Andy Parker shouted to the night as his car raced down the highway. He was a free man until college started up again in the fall. He was going to enjoy every minute of it.

  He glanced over at the passenger’s seat, at the letter he had received that morning. He shook his head in disbelief. How lucky he was to have found the one.

  “Katie,” he spoke the name in awe. She was waiting for him. This would be their summer. He patted his jacket pocket, checking for the millionth time the ring box was still there. It was time he asked her. He couldn’t wait to start their life together. Especially not another year until he graduated. He took a deep breath to steady his pounding heart and focused back on the road.

  “No way.” Standing in the middle of the road was a figure, its long jacket fluttering in the breeze behind it.

  Andy slammed on the brake, but it was too late to stop. The car struck the figure, sending its body flying over the hood and landing on the pavement behind the car.

  He swerved hard, sending the car into a spin. It came to a stop, facing the way he had come. The headlights illuminated the lifeless form in the darkness. Andy turned down the radio and leaned back in his seat. He lightly touched his forehead where it had slammed into the steering wheel. He felt the sticky warmth of blood and wiped at it as he grimaced at the pain.

  “What was that?” he muttered as he leaned against his door and pushed. It opened easily, causing him to tumble onto the pavement. He moaned in frustration as he tried to focus. The world spun in front of his eyes.

  He slowly made his way to the lifeless form in the road. The long jacket was draped perfectly over the length of the shape. He blinked, wondering if he was seeing it right. He stood there a moment trying to get his mind to work. When he decided his brain wasn’t going to function any better, he leaned over and pulled back the dark material.

  “What?” he spoke in shock. Lying on the ground was a stuffed doll. He recognized it immediately. It was a giant Raggedy Anne doll. He nudged it with his foot timidly, half expecting it to grab him.

  He hated the Raggedy dolls with a passion, even though he had been named for them. His parents had decorated his room in that horrid motif, and their ghastly images had scared him to death. Where others saw laughter and happiness in their faces, he had seen pure malice. He knew what that twinkle in their eyes was. They were hungry.

  Now, staring down at this doll, he felt the terror rise up once again. He felt as if a dark cloud was forming around him, ready to ensnare him in pure and total darkness. He shivered as a breeze pushed at his body. Eyes darting around nervously, he started back to the car, then stopped. Sighing, he walked back to the doll and stared down at it. “I never liked you,” he whispered and gave a kick, sending the doll flying into the weeds on the other side of the road.

  Swiping at the blood on his forehead again, he got back into his car. He sat behind the wheel, eyes glazed, taking deep breaths. “What just happened?” he whispered and leaned back into the seat. He put his head in his hands and tried to calm himself down. “Get a grip, Parker,” he muttered as he tried to regain his composure. Eyes closed, breathing in and out slowly, he tried to calm his nerves.

  A horn’s angry blast made his head snap up. He found himself staring straight into the headlights of an oncoming car. Frantically, he reached for the keys, hoping
to spring the car into life before he tasted the angry metal of the charging beast. As he turned the keys, the opposing car swerved into the next lane, sparing him from a nasty accident.

  “Learn how to drive, bozo,” a man yelled from the car as it veered back into its own lane.

  “Damn it,” Andy swore as he pounded the dashboard with his fist. He sighed as he put the car into gear, turned it back around, and pointed it back towards sanity and the way home.

  Taking a deep breath, he tried to ease back into driving. He knew he had hit something, and whatever it was, it had been standing in the middle of the road.

  He turned the radio back up and tried to relax, but the image loomed in his mind. It was like a continuous loop from a nightmare. There had been someone standing in the middle of the road. He had hit something solid.

  He shook his head and tried to put it behind him. It didn’t matter. What was done was done and he had his whole life waiting for him. Andy needed to silence the dark thoughts fluttering in his head, but they stuck to his mind like old cobwebs.

  Someone had been standing in that road.

  Soon a familiar sign glistened in his high beams. NIGHT OAK, OHIO-5 MILES.

  “Home,” he whispered. Soon he’d be at his mom’s table eating her home cooking. He’d soon have Katie in his arms. He patted his jacket pocket, feeling for the ring box and the future he was carrying. It was still there where he had left it. Yes, everything was going to be okay.

  Darkness suddenly slammed across the front of the car. Andy’s attention snapped back to the road. The entire windshield was covered in total blackness. He couldn‘t see where he was going. Cussing, he slammed on his brakes. The car fishtailed instantly, flipping into a roll.

  Andy blinked. He slowly realized he must have been knocked unconscious; but how long he had been out, he had no clue. He moved hesitantly and realized he was hanging upside down in his seat belt. Fresh blood seeped into his eyes. He quickly tried to blink the blood away.

  “Damn it” he yelled as he struggled with his seat belt. The buckle finally popped open, sending him tumbling onto the ceiling. He winced from the pain, tears welling up in his eyes. Slowly, Andy reached for the door and tried to open it. It groaned under his weight, but didn’t open. He shoved at it several more times, but it still didn’t budge. “This can’t be happening,” he whispered as the tears slid down his cheeks.

  His fingers were slick with blood from trying the door so hard, but somehow he managed to find the window handle. He tried frantically to get a firm purchase on it, but his fingers kept sliding off.

  “Open, damn it.” he whispered as he slid his jacket sleeves down over his hands and used them to grab onto the handle. The window slowly rolled down enough for Andy to crawl through it.

  He was almost out of the car, when something came down around him, turning his world dark. He scrambled forward, clawing frantically at what held him. He suddenly realized he was fighting material. He gave it a good hard yank and pulled it off. The moon gave off enough light to see what it was. It was the jacket that was laid over the doll.

  He shook his head. There was no doubt in his mind that‘s what caused the accident. “What the hell is going on?” he asked, anger dripping from his voice as he tossed the jacket aside. He stood up slowly. The world swam before his eyes as the darkness seemed to close in on him. He closed his eyes and fought the urge to vomit. After a couple deep breaths, Andy opened his eyes. The world was no longer swimming, but it was still quite fuzzy. He glanced over at his car. He could see well enough to know he had problems. His new car was lying in a ditch along the side of the road.

  “Oh, God. No,” he whispered. The car was totaled.

  He patted his jeans pocket, looking for his cell phone. The pocket was empty. He must have lost it somewhere. It slowly dawned on him he was all alone.

  He looked around, trying to decide what to do. He knew he wasn’t far from town. He should just wait until someone came by.

  A bird called into the night, causing him to jump. He looked behind him, at the thick dark woods fewer then five feet from him and shivered. It was a warm breeze that drifted through the night, but inside his bones were like ice. He peered at the highway through the haze in his head. There should’ve been at least a half of dozen cars gone by on this road, yet he hadn’t seen a single one. He glanced around nervously. Something wasn’t right here. He needed to leave. Now.

  He gave his car one last pitiful look and started around it, towards town.

  “Hey, where are you going?” a voice called from behind him.

  Andy spun around. There, leaning against a tree, batting its eyelashes, stood the Raggedy Ann doll. “No freaking way,” he whispered under his breath as he took a few steps back.

  “Oh, Andy. Please don’t leave,” it cooed at him. “I want to play.”

  “No,” he whispered. “You’re not real.”

  “Andy, Andy…” it called in a singsong voice. “Please get up. It’s time to brush your teeth.”

  He thought back to his room and to that awful alarm clock that used to haunt his mornings. It had said the same thing. With out realizing it, he started whispering Raggedy Andy’s response. “Okay, Ann. I’m awake. It’s time to start the day.”

  The doll giggled and clapped its hands. “Very good!”

  The sound of the clap broke the spell. “No!” he screamed. He turned around to run, but blocking his way was a dark figure.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” the figure spoke as a powerful force lifted Andy up and tossed him hard into a tree.

  He slid down it in a daze. His head felt as if a terrible force was trying to free itself from within. Blinking, he cleared his eyesight and suddenly wished he hadn’t. The dark figure was standing over him with the hungry looking Ann, rows of razor sharp teeth jutting from her mouth, standing behind him. The doll stared at him and licked its lips.

  “Who are you?” Andy managed to squeak out.

  “That is not important,” the figure’s voice boomed.

  He moaned and put his head down. “Why me?” he begged.

  The figure chuckled. “You are special. You are to be the first.”

  With that, Andy’s world went dark.

  About the author:

  Melissa L. Webb is a writer of dark words. She spends her days creating new nightmares in Northern California.

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