Balete Drive

One night I was working late preparing marketing materials for a high-end cosmetics brand launch I had finished the pamphlets and power point presentations while yawning every now and then finally I stretched my arms out and looked at the time it was 11 pm I decided to call it at night and go home I walked out of the office and made my way to the parking lot going home already yes well just a heads up there seems to be a roadblock up on kia soon avenue you might want to change your route I thanked him for the heads up as I got in my car and started the engine I took out my phone and checked the traffic details sure enough there was a notification about the roadblock i began to calculate the best route from the office to my apartment I found one and drove off I drove slowly while blasting loud music to help keep me awake when out of nowhere I saw a woman standing at the side of the road all alone she looked lost and like she had been crying I stopped in my car next to her and lowered my window do you need help the woman looked at me and nodded been trying to get home but there are no taxis right now come inside I'll give you a ride it's not safe out here and who knows there could be a crazy rapist or thief just waiting to get you the woman looked at me for a brief moment before getting into the backseat of my car I asked her where she needed to be while pulling out google maps that's when I realized where I was she didn't say anything I began to drive and we started going through balete drive I asked a woman who she was and what she was doing there but she wouldn't answer a few minutes passed I should have been out of balete drive by now but the more I drove down the street the more it looked as if I was driving on an extremely long path or that I was going around in circles I looked at the rear view mirror to check on the woman only to find the back seat completely empty I immediately stepped on the brake and looked behind me where did she go I didn't hear the door open I started to think that because I was exhausted I was imagining things I was sure I stopped the car in front of the woman and gave her a lift I began to drive once more staring at the road when all of a sudden I stopped the car and stared at the road ahead of me in complete shock there standing in the far distance of the road was the woman I had picked up only she looked completely different her face was now pale with blotches of gray and her cheeks were sunken and hollowed her dress was stained with blood and dirt and was ripped her eyes were what terrified me the most as blood began to trickle down from hollowed black sockets she began to walk across the road and suddenly vanished into one of the balete trees that lined up along the street I started the car once more and I began to drive I looked at the rear view mirror and then I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck the woman was sitting in the back seat once more staring at me with bloodshot eyes and an almost eerie gaze in that brief instant I lost all senses as I began to drive as fast as I could hoping to get out of balete drive and possibly get away from this woman I didn't know where I was headed or how fast I was going but every time I saw the woman in the rearview mirror it just made me drive faster and faster then I saw the familiar street that led to my apartment I quickly entered the street and stopped in front of my apartment I looked at the rear view mirror and saw that there was no one in the back the woman had disappeared I quickly parked the car and got into my apartment and for the rest of the night I practically slept with the lights on I never thought the stories were true I will never pass through belletti drive again is.