"Thanks for the Ride Lady!"

They had enjoyed the day, it had been years since any of them had been in contact. What a great idea Max and Amy had when they decided to host a "Paint the House Bar-b-Que!" They never expected the turnout would be this good. There must have been forty old friends and schoolmates who showed up to help put the finishing touches on the fixer-upper they had purchased last year.

They had painted and partied well into the night. Those who had made up for lost time and had celebrated to the fullest were already past-out in their tents, posted up, in no particular order, under the stars of a clear summer night.

She was unable to stay the night, as she had made prior commitments and needed to be at her sister's early in the morning to babysit her niece while her sister had oral surgery, this was a solid commitment on her part and she had no choice, she would have to leave soon. After all, it was almost 3:00 am. She was thankful she had stopped the intake of alcohol a couple of hours earlier.

She had joined the die-hards at the fire pit and enjoyed the rapport of her old peers, not giving it a second thought, she took a long hit off the joint as it was passed to her within the circle of friends. She would have been on the road already if she hadn't joined in the belly laughs and storytelling, many of which included madmen and spirits of the undead, enhanced with nerve-rattling sound effects and the sudden unexpected attack from behind that would result in a terror-filled scream, which transitioned to un-controllable laughter from all. Albeit, she was having a great time, but it really was time for her to go.

"You know you really shouldn't be driving at night out here!" "Ya, stay till morning, it's so dark and there are no street lights." "And not only that but the road is unfamiliar to you!" "No really Emma, we are serious, come on stay until dawn at least!" "Besides you've been drinking, right?" "You do know your phone will not get a signal out here if you need help, Emma?" They barraged her with objections to her leaving. To which she had given every firm no she could muster up, "I don't have a choice! I have already stayed too long and will be cutting it short as it is..." She responded, as she gathered phone numbers and exchanged hugs. She loaded up her trunk and waved goodbye as she headed down the long driveway to the main road that would take her out of Black Diamond, WA.

The long winding road she was traveling seemed to keep going and going and it was pitch black. With not even a headlight from passing cars, she was thankful for the glow of the moon on the lake, this cast a shimmering light on the road and added to the ambiance of the night. As she replayed the day's events in her head, she thought of the stories around the campfire and wished she had not taken that hit off that joint, due to the fact that she was beginning to feel a bit paranoid. Ever so often she would see forms in the tall trees that lined the road and she actually felt as if someone was watching her. She did her best to shake this off and concluded it was a result of the weed!

The fact that she was about to pass the last of the lake and would again be enveloped in total darkness sent a shiver up her spine, I really should roll up the windows she thought, but it was so warm and she needed the breeze to keep her alert as she traveled the unfamiliar back road. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and... froze in terror, at the sight of someone's head popping up ever so quick from the back seat of her car. OMG! She thought, why had I not checked the back seat when I got in the car! She instinctively flicked her inside light on, but failed to look, as if looking would move her assailant into action. She hit the off switch as quick as she had flicked it on.

The hairs on the back of her neck only provided evidence of the fear she was now consumed with. There it was again, sudden movement from the back seat. She expected to be grasped around her neck at any moment and she had no weapon to defend herself. She was alone on a desolate road with a stranger in her back seat and all she could do was drive. So drive she did!

She accelerated as she ranted to whoever was in her back seat! "You son of a bitch, I am not going down like this!" "I will take us both out before you have your way with me!" "Who are you damn it?" Demanding an answer, she continued her rant. To which there was only silence..."Answer me, damn it!" "I am going to crash this car and kill us both, do you understand?" "Do NOT touch me!" She was so angry at the thought of being violated this way. She was 100% prepared to die rather than suffer at the sick hands of her violater!

She gathered speed and rocked back and forth along the road, which had changed from dirt to pavement allowing her to gain even more speed, catching the curves without caution. All she expected, was for him to make a move, and they would both die! And she let him know this! Her tires squealed and slid along the road as she continued her drive to the death of both of them. She could smell her tires as they skidded along, leaving a trail of rubber where she had been! When suddenly, she felt him raise up from the back, silently, as if he was enjoying the ride! As much as she did not want to look, she forced herself to because if she was about to die, she wanted to look in his eyes as they slammed into her chosen tree along the way!

What she saw blew her mind! It can't be she thought! She was looking straight into the face of a ...a... paper bag! A paper bag! She repeated as she pulled over and stopped her car.

She had almost killed herself out of fear of a paper bag that had caught wind from the rolled-down windows and had danced in the back seat of her car! She sat stunned as she tried to grasp what had just happened. Then suddenly... she burst out laughing! She laughed until her tummy hurt and a tear ran down her face! Only me! She thought, only me! She wondered if anyone would ever believe her? She laughed again at the thought. She grabbed the bag and scrunched it up as if to announce her victory!

Once she composed herself she started out again, but first, she took the bag and folded it neatly, placing it next to her on the passenger seat. Every so often she would glance over and laugh out loud with the thought of how she had overcome her attacker on a dark winding road on her way out of Black Diamond, Washington!