Parker

Shannon White drove her little blue Volkswagen Bug down the narrow back streets on her way home. In another twenty minutes, she would be telling her mother and father the good news. Mike Shelly had finally done it, asked her to marry him, and she had said yes. She knew her parents would be very pleased; they thought the world of Mike and they had known his family for years. As for his parents, she knew that they would be very overjoyed indeed. They treasured Shannon, of that she was certain. Even Mike’s sister was closer to her than she ever was to him. It was the perfect fit.
Just wait until mom sees this rock, Shannon thought, holding up her hand for another look. He had a good job, but still; this must have set him back a lot of coinage. After waiting for so long for him to pop the question, Shannon started questioning if he was truly in love with her. After all, they had been together for five years now and never once had he brought up the subject of marriage. At one point, she even thought of ending the relationship. But that, she knew, was nothing more than a brief flash of insecurity. She knew he was the man for her; she loved him with every inch of her being.
As the snow started picking up, she turned up her wipers. She hoped she would make it home before it got too bad. She loved her V.W. Beetle, but it was not the best in snow, even with the sandbags her father placed in her trunk. Her dad had tried to talk her into a truck last winter, telling her that it would be safer, but she refused. It was a long way to the town where she worked, and she could barely afford gas for the Bug as it was, let alone a pickup. Maybe after she and Mike were married awhile, she would think about a new ride. But for now, the bug would have to do.
She would wear her mother’s wedding dress and, of course, her grandmother’s saltwater pearls. The bridesmaid dresses would be her favorite color, light pink, and nothing too outlandish, something they could wear more than once. For her bouquet, she wanted beautiful white roses with angel’s breath. She had it all worked out.
As Shannon was coming over a slight hill, a white object appeared out of nowhere, just to the side of the road. She struck it at full speed, never getting the chance to brake before impact. Shannon heard a loud thud as the car struck whatever it was. Then came the feeling of the front tire as it lifted and fell. Whatever was in the road she had hit, she had managed to run over it as well. Quickly she applied the brake, but her small car started to swerve. She was able to steer successfully against the slides until she came to a complete stop along the side of the road. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast that she thought it would burst. What the hell just happened? She thought, while trying desperately to calm herself down. Whatever it was that she hit, it succeeded in taking out her front passenger side headlight. Only the driver’s side light now shown in the darkness.
“Shit!” she yelled and hit her hands on the steering wheel. This was not how this day was supposed to end. Her first thought was a deer, and she had been fortunate in that department. Almost everyone in her family had hit one at some point. Still, in that momentary flash of the headlights before impact, the object seemed far too small for a deer. Shannon turned and looked back up the road, the red glow of her taillights reaching all the way to the crest of the hill. The figure lying along the roadside resembled that of a little child. Now, terror filled her whole being. Had she just killed someone’s kid? she thought. With a burst of adrenaline, she flew out of her car into the bitter night air and started to run back up the hill to where the child laid. The figure did not move, just lying there with its face turned in the opposite direction. It was a girl clad only in a white night dress, no shoes, no hat, no coat. Shannon had been along this road a million times. There were few, if any, houses along this stretch of road. That is why she always came this way. There was no traffic at all.
A million thoughts were racing through Shannon’s mind as she rushed forward. Why would a little girl be dressed like that on such a cold night? Why would she be walking along the road? And most important: Was she still alive? Did I just kill an innocent little girl? Shannon dropped to her knees when she reached the girl. Then, with a deep breath, she ever so gently turned her over to see her face. She was as cold as ice to the touch.
Shannon jumped back as she gazed down at the form in front of her. Even in the limited light, she could see this child had been dead for some time. Her face was not blue with cold but greenish brown from some bizarre form of decomposition. Shannon’s mind was now in overload. Had someone thrown a dead body at her car?
That is when the little girl opened her eyes and sat straight up, glaring out into the darkness. Shannon froze, fear immersing her to the point she could not move. Every instinct was telling her to run, but she couldn’t move a muscle. Gradually, the girl turned her gaze towards Shannon, her long-deceased eyes fixed on hers. Then the adolescent gave Shannon a very unnerving grin. That’s when Shannon felt a hand reach for her from behind.