The Net: Nightmare On The Highway: Chapter 1

Jacob left the University of Washington's library ahead of his classmates. He looked at his watch and hurried over to his car.

"Going to Angela's for dinner?" one of his friends asked.

"Yeah, actually I am," he replied.

"You're so lucky man. What did you tell her to make her want to cook for you?" someone else asked.

"I just told her the truth: that we'd be working late on a project for class and that by the time we would be finished the dinning hall would be closed. She offered to make me dinner. That's all. Now, I really need to get going. I have to be there by eight-fifteen, and it's eight now. So, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah sure, see ya!"

Jacob got into his car and sped out of the parking lot. He drove down the familiar back roads to Angela's apartment, excited about having dinner with her, when he saw an orange barrier in the road up ahead. He slowed to a stop and saw a huge hole in the road on the other side of the barrier. Jacob sighed heavily and looked at the clock. It read eight-ten. Sighing again, he slowly turned his car around and headed back the way he had come. He'd have to take the long way now.

Back out on the highway, he drove for awhile as he watched the sun sink lower and lower until it was pitch black out. He was forced to turn on his headlights as he continued on. He searched for the right exit but couldn't find any at all. Jacob kept on driving, growing more and more worried by the minute. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed Angela's number. There was no ringing sound at all when he put the phone to his ear, only static. He hung up and looked at the clock again. Eight-ten. His watch said the same thing and the second hand wasn't moving.

Maybe I should turn around, he thought. But if I do, I'll run into that road block again and there's no getting around that thing. And on top of that, I don't know any other way to Angel's other than these two. I guess the only thing I can do is keep going the way I am.

So, he kept driving, seeing no exits, no buildings, no people, no road signs, no nothing at all, just highway stretching out in front and in back of him as far as the eye could see. There was no other cars on the road either. He tried calling Angela's again, but still, there was only static. On the road, there wasn't a single exit, no houses, no people, no signs. No signs of life. Turning on the radio and wishing desperately to be able to see Angela soon, he got only static there too and turned it off. Both his watch and the clock in his car still read eight-ten, even though it seemed like he'd been on the road forever. It seemed like this was taking way too long to get to Angela's, even by highway instead of his usual shortcut.

All of a sudden there was a man standing in the road in front of him. Jacob swerved to miss the guy but his tail end knocked him to the ground. The front right tire tipped off the road and then the whole car went with it, rolling over and over down the hill until it hit a tree. Jacob sat there for awhile, resting his head on the side of the car. He could feel blood running down his face as he opened his eyes and blinked. He looked around and realized that his car was on its side and he couldn't get out.

Thank God I wore my seatbelt, I think it just saved my life. But what about the other guy? I hope he's alright. I didn't see him standing there. He's the first person I've seen on this road too. I wonder what he was doing out there in the middle of the road anyway? I can't even call for help or see if he's ok. No one would hear me through this glass even though it's busted in several places. God, what am I going to do? No one's going to find us out here in a million years. And Angel's going to get worried. ྭHe sighed heavily. If only I could see her again, that would be the best thing in the world!