Short Stories

The Racecar Driver

He woke to the sound of his alarm cutting through the silence, a silence that had lingered for far too long. The cold and quiet seeped into his bones despite the luxury sheets and down comforter she had insisted on buying. He rolled over and hit snooze on the alarm on his phone and glanced over the notifications on the screen. The number was drastically decreasing. His career was getting less and less attention. In some aspects, he appreciated being out of the public eye, but he also needed the distraction from the emptiness he felt. He put his phone back down, and with a heavy sigh, he flipped the covers over and got out of bed.

Coffee was brewing in the kitchen, and the smell filled the stale air. He got his mug out of the cabinet, the only one he was willing to use. It was a gift from her for their first anniversary. He hadn’t used anything since. It had always sat beside hers, a customized mug with their wedding photo. But now the spot was empty. No one had been here, and he could never bring himself to touch it.. He couldn’t bring himself to even touch it. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. She was slipping away from his life piece by piece. It had felt like years since he touched her or heard her voice. Who would take her mug? He was abruptly shaken out of his daydream by the shrill sound of his phone ringing. Putting his mug down by the coffee pot, he walked back into the bedroom. It was Chris, his agent, and his best friend. 

“Hello?” He answered in a raspy, morning voice. 

“Did you really just wake up? We need to be at the track in an hour!” Chris sounded frazzled, which is extremely out of character for him. 

“Kind of. I know when I need to be there. Just grabbing coffee before I leave.” Not a complete lie, but still not completely truthful either. 

“Alright, good. I’ll see you there. We need to get your image back up, so you need to be ready for some press. Charm it up. Just like you used to.” 

Click

“Wow. Thanks for the pep talk, Chris.” He shook his head and put his phone down to get his now much-needed coffee. His racing gear was all at the track already, so he brushed his teeth, put on some jeans and the cleanest shirt he could find, his boots, and walked out the door. Chris’ words echoed through his head. He couldn’t even recognize himself in the mirror anymore. Being his old self in front of the press seemed impossible. No one treated him the same anymore, and fans were dropping like flies. Fame and the thrill of the public eye seemed like a whole different life. It just wasn’t reality anymore. 

It took about 15 minutes to get from his house to the racetrack, which made him early. Chris was relieved to see him. He was ushered in by Chris and his team to the dressing room, cameras flashing and reporters asking questions. Everything was a blur, and he probably looked like a deer in headlights, much like the one they hit on the day that changed his life forever. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and pushed past the press as fast as he could. When they finally got into the dressing room, he exhaled sharply. 

“What was that? You pushed past every single reporter. We need to work on your publicity, Rich.” Chris stared at him like a disappointed father scolding his son. It broke his heart to be so frustrating, but faking it just wasn’t what he was good at. 

“I’m sorry, Chris. I just can’t deal with it like I used to. It was easy before, but now, I can’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

“News flash! You are, in fact, a race car driver, and a damn good one at that. You aren’t pretending.” 

“I know I’m a driver, and I know I’m a good one. I just can’t pretend to be-”

“What? Happy?” Chris raised an eyebrow and looked at him, more like a friend and less like an agent this time. 

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, I was happy and had everything, and it made being everyone’s favorite really easy. Now it just isn’t. I’ve lost everything.” 

“Look around you. You haven’t lost everything. People are still rooting for you even though you don’t hear it.” 

“I lost my everything, Chris.” Silence filled the room, and Chris looked at him, sympathy in his eyes. There were a few people in the room watching but trying not to make it obvious. People are always watching. 

“I know, Rich. I can’t begin to understand, but do me one favor, please.”

“What’s that?”

“Put on that suit, get in your car, and just drive.” He nodded at Chris reluctantly and started getting ready for the race. 

Race prep was always the same. He moved through the motions, one step at a time. Once he was down on the track and in the pit, he was focused and ready. This is what he did. Except this time, it felt different. The crowd was there, but he couldn’t hear them. All he could focus on was the car, the track and his feet moving him forward. It was almost as if his mind was just visiting his body. Cold chills ran down his spine as he stared ahead. 

The steering wheel felt good in his hands, normal. Normal was something he could barely grasp anymore. He pulled forward out of the pit and revved the engine. A small burst of adrenaline shot through his spine in anticipation. He drove to the starting line and waited. His vision focused on the goal ahead. Everyone else disappeared. It was just him, the car, and the road. As the flagger came onto the track, he looked over to the passenger seat and his heart fell into his stomach. There she was, beautiful and perfect sitting next to him. She smiled at him with that same smile she always had. She was there, alive and perfect. She winked at him and looked forward towards the track. 

“Ready?” She asked. His heart raced, and his hands gripped the wheel as he looked forward, revving the engine. He was ready. 

The car sped off, and the race began. His eyes zoned in on the road, and his hands were shifting and steering like his life depended on it. The first lap flew by, and the second after that. At the start of the third, his vision blurred and his grip loosened. It was as if he were moving in slow motion. He turned to see if she was still there. She was, and she was smiling and laughing and looking at him with nothing but pure love and adrenaline. He turned back to the track only to see the figure of a large buck clambering across the track. 

His eyes widened, his foot slamming the brake, but the speed was too much. He hit the deer with so much force, the back of the car flipped, and they were sent rolling down the side of the track. Pain seared into his entire body as they slid to a stop. The car was completely demolished, and he wasn’t sure he could even move, let alone get out. Upside down in the car, he turned his head carefully to look out his window, sure he would see a trail of the other cars behind him. But he didn’t. He saw an open field with a willow tree in the distance. It looked like a two-lane highway, not the track. As realization hit him, he turned and looked at her. She wasn’t there. The windshield was completely shattered, and dread filled his soul as he focused on her body just outside the front of the car. Bloody, broken, destroyed. She was there, lifeless, and he was stuck there... helpless. 

Tears flooded his eyes as he looked again at the willow tree in the distance. It was the same one he proposed to her all those years ago. Loss, grief and brokenness clawed itself back out of his soul, ripping any hope he left to shreds. This had to be a dream. This night had already happened. She was dead. He knew she was dead. He had buried her.

“Why is this happening?” He cried into the darkness. “Why am I being tormented like this?” He yelled and screamed, but no one heard. No one came. 

In the distance, he heard footsteps on the pavement. The sound echoed over the pounding in his head.

Click. 

Click. 

Click. 

As they drew closer, he saw someone approach the car, straining to turn his head in the flipped car. A man in an all white suit and tan leather shoes knelt beside him. His skin was pale, his eyes burning like fire. Auburn hair, pulled into a tight bun, glowed against the sunset. He smiled, pointed teeth poking out from behind his cracked lips. 

“Hello, Richard. Need some help, I see.” The man was unlike anything he had ever seen. His voice fell like silk on his ears. “How rude of me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Alastor, and I am the demon of torment. Welcome to your new home. Let’s get you out of there.” 

With a snap of his fingers, he was out of the car, unscathed. In fact, the car was completely gone and there was nothing but the road, the willow tree, and her mangled body. He looked at her. Fear struck his heart like an arrow.  

“My new home?” He asked, looking back at Alastor. 

“Oh yes. Do you like it?” Alastor asked with a wicked grin. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes as if that would make it all go away. “Don’t bother. We aren’t going anywhere. This, my friend, is your eternity.” 

“Eternity? What do you mean? I was just at a race.” 

“Were you, though? Tell me, what exactly was the last thing you remember before you woke up this morning.” A stillness washed over him. An eerie silence rolled over him like a fog on an October morning.

He thought, and he thought hard. But it was as if his brain hit a brick wall. 

“I, remember -” 

“The deer? The car crash?” 

“No! No way. I buried her. We had a funeral.” He was shaking with fury, fear, and confusion, all while trying to make sense of what was happening. 

“Somebody did. But you were not there." The demon chuckled. "You were at yours, though." Alastor ran his cold fingers along the driver's cheek. "Lots of people came. All your fans and your team, everyone. It was quite a production, really. More so than most that come my way.” He shook his head again and started walking toward her mangled body, Alastor following closely behind. 

“Where is she? Is she here?” 

“Oh no, not anywhere close to here. This is just your memory of her. Her soul is safe, and I’m sure she is having a jolly ole time.” Alastor laughed and skipped around him, like a kid at recess. Anger boiled deep within him. The emotion washed out everything but the demon in front of him. 

“I can’t survive an eternity without her, I just can’t. I can’t see her like this. Not again.” 

“You should have thought about that before you drove these old country roads like a racecar driver. The deer out here run rampant. You’ve got to be more careful!” Alastor skipped towards him and hugged him. As he pulled away, he grinned and reassured him. “Don’t worry, it will all be over soon!” He snapped his fingers, and the world went dark. 

He woke again to the sound of his alarm cutting through the silent house, the same silence that had haunted him for too long. The cold and the quiet chilled him to the bone despite the luxury sheet and down comforter she had insisted on getting. He rolled over and hit snooze on the alarm on his phone and glanced over the notifications on the screen. The number was drastically decreasing. His career was getting less and less attention. In some aspects, he appreciated being out of the public eye, but he also needed the distraction from the emptiness he felt. He put his phone back down, and with a heavy sigh, he flipped the covers over and got out of bed……