Peter peered through his car window into the stormy night, aided only slightly by fast moving windshield wipers that were cutting a hazy arc spattered unceasingly by fat heavy raindrops. Even with his headlights set on high, he could see only a few feet ahead, and so he gripped the wheel with an anxiety that caused him to jerk it every now and again when a shadow cast by his headlights darted across the road startling him.

Outside, the rain fell in weighted drops that lashed the earth and everything on it, spurred even more by a gale like wind that was forcing the trees to bend to it. Peter imagined he could feel his car lift every so often, whenever the wind would suddenly pick up and moan through his tightly shut windows like a ghoul. Beneath his fear, irritation burned him as he mentally chastised himself for running out without his coat, and in his pyjamas too, but what could he do when he’d been shaken awake from his slumber by this emergency.

Braking suddenly

Distracted by a loop of thoughts while trying to see in the less than stellar conditions, it was only until the glare of another car’s headlights filled the cabin of his that Peter snapped to awareness. Why was this car following him so closely? Why was it swerving like it wanted to overtake, but braking suddenly, as if to force him off the road? His heart jumped to a steady jarring pace and he pressed his slippered foot harder on the accelerator.

“Oh no,” Peter exhaled in a panicky whisper as the other car picked up speed too, matching and then surpassing his, coming ever closer, filling his car with a bright, blinding yellow light.

Properly shaken now, he swerved madly off into a back road he knew well, clenching his teeth when the other car turned off to follow him. Picking up speed and swerving again and again, from this lane into that avenue and down that road and back through an alley, Peter drove like a man possessed. As he cut through a narrow lane lined by trees that were almost horizontal in the driving wind, still being pursued, his phone which was connected to his car speakers rang shrilly, and it was all Peter could do to stay on the road as his hands wrested the wheel in an erratic jerk that almost drove him into a ditch.

“Hello? Helloo? Peter are you there?” his wife’s groggy voice came on the line, “What’s taking so long? Did you get it?”

“Hi, uh…” Peter had recovered enough to speak, but the car in pursuit was gaining on him after his swerving mishap, “Can’t talk now…call you back.”

“But where are you and…”

Passenger seat

Her voice cut off as Peter yanked the cord attaching his phone to the car speakers, which went dead as he hung up and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. His eyes darted to his side mirror as headlights once more flooded his rear and biting down curses, Peter now pressed down fully on the accelerator. His car leaped forward with a roar, and now as the road turned into a blur, he drove purely from memory; remembering a turn here, recalling a curve in the road there. It was several long minutes before he dared slow down and only because he was coming into unfamiliar territory and he needed to actually see where he was going. Raising fearful eyes to his rear-view mirror, Peter exhaled audibly as he saw nothing behind him but the solid blackness of the night beyond the red illumination of his tail-lights.

Trembling with the remnants of adrenaline and fear, he kept up his speed all the way to his destination, a 24 hour shopping mall. He parked, dashed out into the pouring rain cursing loudly as the cold water drenched him and was back in a few minutes, leaping into the warmth of his car, shivering and grumbling. Then he sat back in his seat and closed his eyes and forcibly tried to calm himself down, but his heart was still going like a racehorse and he felt sick and weak. But he couldn’t sit there forever, so mentally visualising his route home, Peter turned the key in the ignition and was off. This time, despite the darkness and rain and numerous shifty characters roaming the night, his trip home was blessedly uneventful.

Stomping his wet feet on the warm rug at the entrance, he’d barely shut the door behind him when his wife’s voice filled the foyer and he spun round to see her standing at the top of the stairs, one hand on her hip the other cradling her heavily pregnant belly.

Her eyes

“What took you so long?” she was already coming down the stairs, not bothering with his reply, “The bakery isn’t that far away,” she continued chastising as she smoothly relived Peter of the cake box he was holding, “Thanks, I was really craving this,” she said as she flipped the box open and broke off a piece of a thick slice of moist looking black-forest cake, “But really Peter, you go there and come back,” her eyes flicked over his wet clothes, “You shouldn’t be out joy riding at this time, and on a night like this when…” her lecture tapered off as her mouth filled with cake and Peter, too drained to feel irritation or anger or anything at all, shuffled upstairs unnoticed to bed and the comfort only sleep would bring.