A Black Cadillac
Don cursed the snow as his foot was sucked down into a mound
of brown colored slush. It had been snowing for three days straight and the
city wasn’t prepared for this type of all-out weather. Although visibility was
low and most of the streets were clogged there were still flocks of taxis out.
He flailed his arms in the air as a number of yellow flashes sped by him
without a hint at stopping. His face stung as the wind picked up and nipped at
his face. He kicked a pile of snow but was rewarded with a pile of ice as pain
shot through his leg. He limped back onto the sidewalk and rubbed his hands
together just as the squeal of brakes stopped behind him. Don turned around to
a black Cadillac that looked like it had just driven out of the factory. The
front passenger window rolled down as a glove wrapped hand beckoned Don
forward.
“You need a ride?” a deep gargle of a voice asked. Don moved
closer but had trouble seeing the driver, the windows were tinted and shadows
lapped the driver up in a blanket of darkness.
“You a taxi?” Don asked as another yellow blur blew past
them.
“Yup, not your run of the mill but I’m a taxi.”
The car had no markings, a scent of burnt wires and lavender
escaped from the interior. Don ripped open the back door and plopped into the
back seat.
The seats were covered in dark smooth leather and the tinted
windows seemed to eat the sunlight as it hit the car. The driver rolled up the
front window but didn’t bother looking back as he began to drive forward.
“I need to get to 217 Hampton Street.”
The driver sat still as the car moved forward.
“You need to buckle up, dangerous without a belt.”
Don sat back and looked for the belt, it was stuck in
between the middle seat and his. He pushed his fingers between the cushions and
felt something hairy brush against them.
“Whoah!”
The cushion gurgled under him as something hard pushed
against his bottom on the seat and moved around.
“Shit! I think there’s something in your seat man!”
Don stood up awkwardly and leaned over the front seat.
“Sit down! Put belt on now!”
Don glared at the driver and gagged as the smell of burnt
wires jumped at him.
“There’s something in your seat dude, some kind of animal or
something! Stop the car I’m getting out!”
“Can’t stop car. No place to pull over.”
“I don’t fucking care, pull over the car!”
“Put seat belt on! NOW!”
Something brushed against Don’s leg as he jumped and
screamed hitting his head on the roof.
“Fuck this!”
He fumbled his hands over the backseat door, had it gotten
darker since he got in? He could hardly see what he was touching with only the
back of his hand rubbing against the doors leather. There was no crevice, no
indent for a handle the door was completely smooth.
“Stop the fucking car!”
Don looked at the driver but no one was in the front seat.
He jumped forward into the driver’s seat and grabbed the wheel. It tugged and
pulled against his movements, the gas pedal was slowly pushing itself down as
the car accelerated. Traffic swerved and screamed as the car began to gain
speed. An 18 wheeler emerged from a side street and Don covered his face with
his arms and screamed.
The sound of the trucks horn cut out midway. Don could feel
his heart slamming inside of his chest as a steady droning silence filled his
ears. He slowly opened his eyes but was only greeted with darkness. He prodded
in front of him where the windshield was but only felt cold leather. A small
pulse pumped where his hand was as he jumped back into the driver’s seat. He
shut his eyes and began to whimper as his seat belt slowly glided across his
chest and buckled itself. A number of what felt like furry whips caressed Don’s
entire body echoing with small chirps. The belt squeezed and pushed down on Don’s
chest as the whips grabbed his hands and legs back with what felt like small
beaks. A warm wet feeling dripped down his wrists as Don realized it was his
blood escaping from where the whips were. He tried to scream as more tiny whips
began to rip off his clothing and bite into his chest but another seat belt
clicked over his mouth drowning out his screams into its leathery cover.
Michelle was already worried that it was dark out and that
she wouldn’t be making Steven’s play tonight. She held her hand up as taxis
blew by her in a stream of crushed snow and ice. She hugged herself as a cold
wind whipped through the streets and swept the warmth away from her. She stared
at the crushed snow beneath her and sighed to herself as a black Cadillac pulled
up in front of her. The front window pulled down and a deep gargle of a voice
came from the inside.
