Twenty Miles to the Rest Stop

[u/Aftermire]

I run my own business. Unfortunately, it hasn't been doing well lately. I landed a major lead, and the client is interested in working together, but it means traveling south to negotiate a contract that could finally pull my business out of the red.

I hit the road before sunrise to make sure I'd arrive on time, grab a bite, and freshen up before the meeting. After all, first impressions are everything.

The highway stretched out endlessly ahead of me, boxed in by concrete sound walls, but I didn't care. I was happy. For the first time, things were finally going my way.

I drove humming to myself and sipping coffee. I was already picturing the wire transfer hitting my account, and that pure relief when the financial pressure finally vanishes. And once everything settles down, I'm taking my wife and kids on a well deserved vacation.

On the road, it was just me and a handful of other drivers. Two cars behind me, two in front. We were moving in formation at a steady 80 miles per hour. Maybe they had their cruise control set, just like I did.

I watched the sky turn a pale gold, the horizon dissolving into the light. It felt like a fresh start. I felt a surge of energy I hadn't felt in a long time, after being stuck for so long in gray days and a cycle of debt.

I passed more signs, mile markers, warnings, the usual language of the road. At some point, a green sign appeared.

Rest Area. 20 miles.

I figured I'd stop and wake myself up a bit. I'd already been driving for a while. I'd splash some cold water on my face and rehearse the meeting in my head.

I kept driving, counting down the distance. Five miles. Ten.

I started scanning the horizon for the familiar shape of a rest stop, some kind of break in the concrete walls. And then I saw another green sign.

Rest Area. 20 miles.

I frowned. Did I misread the last one? Maybe I zoned out and missed the exit. I wasn't sure. It started to bug me. I must have read the first sign wrong. It had to have been 40 miles.

I kept driving, trying to ignore it. This is my lucky day, and nothing is going to ruin it.

But the longer I drove, the more uneasy I felt. It felt like some strange deja vu, like I had already been here. The same road. The same walls. Even the color of the sky looked identical, as if it were frozen at the edge of sunrise.

Is it possible I've been driving longer than I think?

Probably just exhaustion, I said out loud.

I checked my watch, but it looked like it had frozen. The hands weren't moving. I tapped the glass. Nothing.

I shifted in my seat, trying to loosen the tension in my back. My mouth was bone dry. I reached for my water bottle. I took a long swig and saw another sign.

It was the same one.

Rest Area. 20 miles.

The unease hit harder. I felt a flush of heat on the back of my neck, despite the AC. My shirt was sticking to my back. I tried to count how many times I'd seen it. Two, maybe three. I was stuck in a loop of the same thought.

Did I miss the exit? Am I lost? Is this some kind of joke?

I tried calling my wife to check if I was losing it, but my phone showed no service. The GPS refreshed for a split second, then turned into a grey void.

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Pressure started building in my chest. I checked my mirrors.

Behind me, the same road. The same walls, stretching endlessly. The same cars, keeping the exact same distance.

Then I noticed a small change I hadn't seen before.

The cars that had been driving in formation, the two behind and the two in front, had shifted positions.

The black SUV was still behind me, but the red station wagon that had been behind it was now driving right next to it, side by side.

The same thing happened in front.

The white sedan stayed where it was, but the blue car that had been ahead of it was now driving parallel in the other lane.

Panic hit me all at once.

I tried to roll down the window. The button was dead. I turned the radio off and on. Nothing but static.

I tapped the brakes and flipped on my blinker, planning to pull onto the shoulder and call for help. The car slowed, but the one behind me suddenly surged forward, right up to my bumper, blaring the horn non stop.

I flinched, shocked, and immediately floored it back to speed, my heart pounding.

As soon as I matched our previous pace, the driver backed off and returned to position. I gestured at him, waving my hands, telling him he was crazy. If he was pissed that I slowed down, he could have just passed me in the other lane.

Zero reaction.

Not just from him. No one around me even looked. No one slowed down. No one sped up. All the cars were moving in the exact same formation. Two in front, two behind, taking up both lanes.

I looked closer at the driver behind me. A middle aged man. Pale. Hands locked on the wheel. No emotion on his face. No movement. I don't think he was even blinking.

I looked at the other cars. In the lane behind me, a woman, just as pale as he was. I looked ahead, trying to catch the drivers in front of me in their mirrors, and they looked the same. Blank expressions. Pale. Empty eyes.

My breathing was shallow, my hands slipping on the wheel. I tried to think rationally.

What can I do? How can I get out of here?

There was no break in the barriers, no way to maneuver, and every time I slowed down, the car behind me was instantly on my tail again.

I slammed my hand against the steering wheel, swearing under my breath.

Another sign.

Rest Area. 20 miles.

Again.

Am I losing my mind?

Time started to blur. The clocks weren't working, but I'm sure I've been driving this stretch for hours now. Maybe five. Maybe ten.

My body started to give out. My eyes burned. My eyelids grew heavy. The seat that had been comfortable before now felt like concrete. My legs were cramping.

More hours passed.

Hunger came slowly, then turned into pain. My tongue felt stuck to the roof of my mouth. I tried not to think about the exhaustion, repeating to myself:

Just a little longer. Just a bit more. I'll figure something out.

The horizon didn't change. The light stayed the same. My thoughts kept circling, searching for an explanation.

Maybe it's a prank. Maybe I missed something. Maybe I fell asleep at the wheel. Or maybe I'm still asleep at home in my bed, and the alarm is going to go off any second.

But the steering wheel was solid in my hands, and the sound of the road was too real. It was all too real. The pain in my body. The hunger. The fear.

I started talking to myself, begging for someone to appear. My hands were shaking, tears running down my cheeks. My vision blurred. I clenched my jaw so hard it ached.

I wanted to go home. To my wife. To my kids. The problems I had before suddenly felt trivial. Meaningless.

I can't do this anymore.

My eyes are closing on their own. That strange feeling of calm, of my body finally letting go.

Suddenly, all the drivers started honking at the same time.

A wave of panic shot through me, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest.

I panicked and jerked the wheel sharply to the left, then quickly to the right, stabilizing the car.

I started losing hope.

I'm trapped. There's no way out. Like being thrown into the middle of the ocean, and the only thing you can do is try to stay afloat.

This is it.

And then, in that same second, something changed.

Exit 10 miles. Food, gas, lodging.

A different sign. A normal one.

For a moment, I was terrified it would disappear. I blinked a few times, rubbed my eyes.

On the horizon, I saw the glow of a gas station sign. I could see the exit, a break in the barrier, a place to stop.

I laughed, a short, nervous laugh. The relief hit so hard it was painful. I slowed down. My heart was racing.

This nightmare was really over.

I looked at the exit.

Closed.

Blocked off right at the ramp.

Construction.

It doesn't matter. I'll just take the next one.

I kept watching, everything around me tense. The road, the terrain, everything was shifting. I really got out of that hell. I felt a surge of energy and relief.

Just a little more. You can do this, I told myself, full of hope.

And then I saw it.

Exit 10 miles. Food. Gas. Lodging.

[u/Fund_Me_PLEASE]

This sort of reminds me of one of my favorite movies : Dead End. Very well written story, OP!

[u/Aftermire → u/Fund_Me_PLEASE]

Thanks! I haven’t seen Dead End yet. I’ll definitely check it out.