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[Crying]

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My story isn't probably one that fits your call for Squatchmas stories, but it did happen at Christmas, so I'm gonna send it in to you.

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I grew up with a mom and dad that struggled to make the penny stretch, and it was never harder than at Christmas for them.

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I grew up with the understanding that I probably wasn't going to get a lot of the things I asked for because although everything came from Santa,

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mom and dad still had to pay for it.

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And we did that for all the weeks leading up to Christmas by paying a bill to Santa at K-Mart's layaway counter.

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That's correct.

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Mom explained that K-Mart was Santa's finance people.

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That's how it was when I was growing up.

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It wasn't glamorous, but my mom tried hard to give us kids a fabulous Christmas with what little she had.

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So my mom did layaway every year.

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She would take me with her sometimes, and I can still see it like a snapshot in my memory.

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Her thin winter coat smelling like fresh laundry soap.

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Her hands all red and rough from work.

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Her face serious at the counter as she carefully counted out the money.

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I didn't understand all the stress behind her then.

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I just knew it meant I would be getting some kind of gifts from Santa that year.

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So when I got older and I had my own kids and money got tight, like it does, especially in the early years,

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well, I did the same thing and I headed straight to Walmart layaway. This was when they still had it.

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The year that this happened, everything was rough on us.

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My hours had gotten cut at work and my husband, Mark, while he still had steady work that didn't mean it was easy when you've got two kids in a mortgage.

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I paid good on the layaway all the way through October, but mid-November things happened.

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A sick kid, car repair.

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I paid the bare minimum on the layaway just to keep it going, but then we were almost to the date that all layaways had to be out, and mine was nowhere near paid off.

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After a few sleepless nights I decided to put off a bill to pay that layaway.

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I'm not proud to say it, but that's what I did.

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All I had to do was go pay it and pick it up. It should have been simple.

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It was December 20th, late afternoon, the last day for layaway pickups.

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I was feeling sick to my stomach wondering how on earth was I going to pay that bill that I put off to buy out my layaway?

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And wouldn't you know it? That's when the snow started to top it all off.

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It was nothing terrible at first, just a few flakes coming down.

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My husband Mark had the kids at home. They were supposed to be baking cookies together.

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I was supposed to be gone an hour tops.

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"Don't you take any backroads? They're starting to get slick." He told me as I pulled on my boots.

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"I won't," I said, as I fought off the kids begging to come along with me.

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But I already knew I was probably going to take some backroads. It was quicker, less people. I always did."

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But I should have listened to him.

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Walmart was the usual Christmas season zoo. Parking a lot, reddit was slush.

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Carts abandoned everywhere and people looking stressed and being grumpy.

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The layaway pickup took forever.

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There was one young employee at the counter handling a line that should have been handled by at least three people working it.

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I stood there clutching my receipt nervously, waiting my turn.

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When my boxes finally came out, two big ones and a smaller one, I felt my throat tighten with that weird mix of both relief and pride.

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I did it. It was going to hurt later on, but there was going to be Christmas for my kids.

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I loaded the boxes into my trunk, got in the car, turned the heat up and let out a big sigh.

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Then my phone buzzed. It was Mark.

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"Hey, how's it going?" he asked.

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I had been gone twice as long as I was supposed to be.

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"Now, there were really long lines, but I have it," I said, and I couldn't stop the smile in my voice.

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"I have it. I've got the kids' Christmas."

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The kids were in the background yelling about whose turn it was to shake the sprinkles on the cookies.

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"Good," Mark said. "You be careful coming home. I heard on the TV it's getting pretty slick out there.

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I will," I promised, and I minted.

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The first part of the drive home was fine. Traffic lights normal.

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Then I did the thing I always do when I want to shave a few minutes off my drive.

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I took the turn that leads out of town and into the quieter roads.

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I felt like I needed that calm after being in the Walmart zoo.

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This road was familiar, comforting, even.

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Corn fields on either sides, they were now flat and white.

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A few scattered houses, a line of woods that follows the creek like a dark seam through the landscape.

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"Now, my car is reliable most days. Nothing fancy. It's not new. But it had gotten me through many years of life."

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But that night it decided I needed just a little more stress.

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It started off small.

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It looked like the lights were getting a little bit dimmer, but I thought maybe it was just my eyes playing a trick on me.

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Then I thought the dash lights were getting dimmer too.

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I turned the heater fan down, thinking maybe it was just the cold making everything sluggish.

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Then a little tiny icon lit up on my dash. It was the battery symbol.

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I was scared at it for a second, confused, because in my head battery light meant battery.

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And my car had been starting final week. In fact, this battery wasn't even a year old.

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I didn't know then what I found out later.

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I didn't know that the alternator was the real problem, that it wasn't charging the battery as I drove.

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The car had been basically living off whatever juice was left in the battery, like some poor flashlight fading.

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All I knew in that moment was this.

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A warning like "Hamon in the winter" on a back road and my stomach dropped.

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I told myself it's probably just a sensor. It's a glitch. It isn't real. It's something small.

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I said a million prayers. I talked to my car and begging it to just get me home, please.

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A mile later the headlights looked, well, noticeably, dimmer.

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Then the heater fan slowed. I could hear it. It was like it was losing strength.

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The air that was coming from the vents got weaker and weaker.

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My chest tightened. I turned the radio off completely, as if silence could give the battery more life.

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But I shut off the seat warmer too. I shut off everything I could trying to be smart, trying to stretch what was left at the battery.

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But the battery light stayed on.

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In the power steering started to feel heavier, like the car was suddenly tired and it wouldn't cooperate well.

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A minute after that another warning light blinked and the dashboard went a little more dull like the whole car was slowly dimming.

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And that's when I knew, deep down, I wasn't going to make it home.

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The road out there is straight for long stretches, then it bends around fields and dips near a creek.

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In summer, it's nothing, but in winter that road can be a trap.

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By now the snow had thickened. Twilight was turning into night.

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The woods were closing in on one side and the open feel on the other looked endless and empty.

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Then the car jerked once, like it hiccuped.

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The dash lights flickered, the headlights dimmed even further, and then it all went dark.

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And then the engine was losing power, like it was trying to run on fumes that weren't even fuel anymore.

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The steering wheel had no power in it.

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I eased off the gas and kept my wheel steady, hoping maybe I could limp to someone's driveway or a house or somewhere with a porch light.

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But out there, there's a stretch where you can go a couple miles without seeing anything human.

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The engine was slowing.

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I looked ahead and saw only flurries in my headlights and an empty ribbon of road.

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I had enough momentum to just coast over to the shoulder, but out there, saying the word "shoulder" is being generous,

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it's just a narrow strip of packed snow before the ditch drops off.

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I eased the car as far over as I dared without sliding down into the ditch.

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The headlights were gone now.

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I tried to click my hazard lights on. They blinked barely a few times and they went dark too.

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The engine sputtered, and it was gone.

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I turned the key, often on again, hoping against hope.

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But it was nothing but a clicking silence.

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I stared ahead at the empty road and felt a heavy dread and hopelessness settle around me.

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I banged my head on the steering wheel.

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Then I checked my phone, 12% battery.

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I could kick myself for not having plugged it in earlier.

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I picked it up and I called Mark immediately.

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He picked up on the second ring.

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"Hey, everything all right?"

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"No," I said. "It isn't."

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The car died, and I'm on...

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I had to stop and think.

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I was so stressed I didn't remember what road I was on.

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I'm on County Road 6, just past Miller Bend, right before the Creek Bridge.

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There was a pause on the other end of the line.

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I heard his voice change. It was less casual, more focused.

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"Are you safe?"

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I'm on the shoulder of the road.

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The car just... I don't know, Mark. It just went dead.

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And now it won't start.

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The headlights are out. Dash lights are out.

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Then it just all went dead.

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The battery light came on though.

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I think the battery's dead.

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I was rambling and I knew it.

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"Okay, okay, calm down," he said.

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Calm down. I'm coming.

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Let me get the kids together, and I'll be right there.

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"Okay," I said.

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I felt utterly defeated right then.

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"I'm coming," he repeated firmly.

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"Now how far are you from the bridge?"

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"Not far," I said.

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"Couple minutes before you get to it."

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"All right, listen, that's about 20 minutes from here with this weather.

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Maybe a little longer," he said.

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"My heart squeezed."

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"Mark, the kids."

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"Well, I have to bring them," he said, already thinking ahead.

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"Your mom's not close enough, and I'm sure not leaving them here alone."

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"Listen, I'll get them rounded up, strapped in, and we'll come there."

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"Of course he would.

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Of course he had to bring the kids."

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And that's what made this all feel so much heavier.

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Because now it wasn't just me in this predicament.

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It was my husband and my kids having to drive out into worsening weather to rescue me.

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Because I made a foolish choice.

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"Okay, I whispered."

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"You stay in the car," Mark said.

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"Keep the doors locked, and don't get out unless you absolutely have to."

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"I won't, I promised."

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"I'm leaving now," he said.

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"I love you."

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"I love you, too," I said, and my voice cracked because I hated that I had created this situation

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with one stupid shortcut.

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I should have listened to him.

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The call ended.

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I looked at my phone.

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It was down to 11%.

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I sat there on the verge of tears.

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I felt the cold creeping in through the car doors without the heater running.

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Then I tried the ignition again in desperation.

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Nothing, not even a cough.

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Because the battery was done, fully drained, dead as a stone.

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I didn't know the term "alternator" mattered that much until the next day when the

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mechanic said it, like it was really obvious.

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That night all I knew was.

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I was stuck, and my car wouldn't even give me a single flashing hazard light to let another

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motorist passing know I was there.

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I was not in a good spot.

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At first the waiting was just waiting, minutes ticking.

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I watched the clock on my phone and counted the minutes like it would somehow speed them

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up.

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The snow was falling.

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The light had faded.

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The world went from grey to the darker grey to that deep winter blue that occurs right

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before full darkness.

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After about five minutes I saw headlights far behind me.

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Relief swept through me.

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Until I realized they weren't coming my way.

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They passed in the opposite lane, slow, and the driver did not even glance over at me.

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I think they didn't think anyone was in the car.

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There were no lights.

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I watched as their taillights vanished, and the road became empty again.

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That's when my nose picked up something.

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He was faint at first, a musky smell, damp, and earthy.

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He was carried in with the cold that was seeping through the car doors.

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I frowned, sniffed again.

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When I told myself it was probably some fluid that was leaking from the engine, and that's

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probably what my whole problem was.

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But my stomach tightened anyway.

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Because what I smelled didn't smell like gasoline or coolant or oil, or anything mechanical.

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It smelled like wet animal.

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I reached over and checked the door locks again, just to make sure they were locked.

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And I saw movement on the wood side of the road.

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At first it looked like a shadow just shifting between the trees.

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But shadows don't move against the wind like that.

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Then an impossibly tall shape eased out from the tree line.

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Its dark shape against the bright snow, visible even in semi-darkness.

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For a split second my brain tried to label what I was seeing as a human, a man, maybe

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a hunter, someone just out there walking in the snow.

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But let's be real, no one walks out there like that, not in that kind of weather, not without

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a flashlight, not without a coat.

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And no man is built like what I was looking at.

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This had to be close to seven feet tall, maybe more.

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The shoulders were so wide I don't even know a number.

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When the shoulders looked wrong they looked rolled forward and the arms hung low.

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I saw it was covered in hair.

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This wasn't some coat.

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It was dark hair with snow clinging to it.

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It looked wet, clumped and heavy.

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I stared in horror as the shape came very close to my car.

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Then it stopped and just watched.

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My mouth went dry.

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I could hear my breathing loudly in the car fogging up the glass.

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The shape took a few more steps forward.

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I began fumbling for my phone and then I stopped.

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I had only an 11% battery.

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Mark was on his way.

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I wasn't about to drain my phone filming some shaky video at night and then have no way

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to call for help if I should need to.

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So I held the phone in my lap like a lifeline and did nothing else.

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The shape stepped forward again.

227
00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:28,760
This time it moved into clear view, mere yards from my car.

228
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,160
I could see it better now.

229
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:37,160
It was massive, solid, big, all those words and all the others you can find in the dictionary

230
00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:38,160
like them.

231
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,960
It's chest was thick.

232
00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:42,640
This neck was heavy.

233
00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:50,320
Its head sat low on the collar bones and the head looked like a huge coconut in the face.

234
00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,680
I don't want to exaggerate the face.

235
00:17:53,680 --> 00:18:00,520
I saw it in less than ideal light, but I could see a wide nose and a heavy brow bone.

236
00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:05,680
I couldn't see the eyes clearly through the snow, but they weren't glowing or anything

237
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:07,200
weird.

238
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,680
They were higher than they should have been and they were very wrong for any normal thing

239
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,280
that you could name.

240
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:19,280
And it was looking at my car like it was a puzzle.

241
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:25,160
It approached the car slowly walking along the ditch line toward my rear bumper, staying

242
00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:30,720
partly in the shadows, using the uneven terrain to its advantage.

243
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:36,240
I turned my head and watched it through my mirrors because the rear window was frosting

244
00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,200
and it was getting hard to see through.

245
00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:45,760
The shape moved behind the car and for a moment it disappeared completely from you.

246
00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,560
And that was the worst moment, not seeing it.

247
00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,760
I clutched the steering wheel tightly.

248
00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:54,760
Then the car rocked.

249
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:59,520
Just a little, just a little gentle sway at first.

250
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,840
Honestly at first I thought it was just a gust of wind.

251
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,080
But then the car rocked again in a heavier way.

252
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:13,160
I felt the hard bump of something being placed on the car to rock it.

253
00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:17,360
It might have been its hand, a hip, something.

254
00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:22,120
I steered forward frozen to frighten to look.

255
00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:27,040
Then the car rocked a third time, much harder than the first two.

256
00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:31,000
That sure was not the wind moving my car.

257
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,560
When I heard a low sound over the wind, it sounded like a strange, huffing sound, a sound

258
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,080
of frustration.

259
00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:43,440
I hit the horn reflexively thinking I can make it go away.

260
00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:44,880
But I got nothing.

261
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,960
Of course, the battery was dead.

262
00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,160
The lights were dead.

263
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:54,920
Everything that made noise or light on that car was dead.

264
00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,320
My throat tightened so hard it hurt.

265
00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:01,440
The rocking stopped for a few seconds.

266
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,360
Then it started again.

267
00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,400
This time harder.

268
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:10,120
The car shifted and snow slid off the roof in a soft rush.

269
00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:14,280
I was checking all my mirrors because I couldn't see it.

270
00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:19,120
It was getting darker by the second and I was becoming terrified.

271
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,760
I was looking at the other mirrors when I turned to check the driver's side mirror and I

272
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:25,920
had a horrible shock.

273
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,400
It was right there.

274
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:32,560
It space up close to the glass, mere inches from my own.

275
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,400
I screamed in terror and surprise.

276
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:43,720
When I did that, I saw a hand come up, dark and big, fingers too long, and it pressed against

277
00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:45,240
the window.

278
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:51,800
The fingers moved against the glass, testing it as if it didn't understand what glass was.

279
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,720
It seemed puzzled.

280
00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,720
The hand left a wet smear on the glass.

281
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:02,880
It was wetness and dirt and grime mixed with melting snow.

282
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,960
Then the face appeared again, close enough that the glass fogged where its breath hit.

283
00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:13,560
I leaned as far away from it as my seatbelt would let me.

284
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:19,520
The features were there in pieces, the brow ridge, the nose, mouth shape, hair stuck to

285
00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,920
the side of its face.

286
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:27,320
It leaned in and stared through the glass like it was trying to understand what it was looking

287
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:32,160
at and how on earth was it supposed to get inside.

288
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,800
I hit Mark's number on my phone again with trembling fingers, praying the call would connect

289
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,120
fast.

290
00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:45,680
The shapes hand moved against the window again, tapping two soft taps, testing the invisible

291
00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:47,440
barrier.

292
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:49,320
Then it pressed inward.

293
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:54,800
I saw and heard the glass flex in its frame under the pressure.

294
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:59,560
If it had pushed harder, it would have broke through.

295
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:04,840
Luckily it stopped and it moved around to the passenger window.

296
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:10,920
I tracked it through the car interior, my head turning like I was tracking a predator, which

297
00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:14,360
I honestly believe I was.

298
00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:19,120
Then it put its hands on the top of the door frame where it met the top of the car.

299
00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:24,720
It began rocking the whole car like it was testing it, like it was checking.

300
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:25,880
Can I tip it?

301
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,160
Can I pry it?

302
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,040
Can I open it like this?

303
00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:35,880
It was like the car was some kind of container and I was the food inside.

304
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:37,680
That thought hit me so hard.

305
00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,920
I almost thought I was going to throw up.

306
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:45,400
My phone finally connected and Mark's voice came through strained.

307
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,400
"Hello?"

308
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,520
"Mark," I hissed.

309
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,280
"There's something out here."

310
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:52,840
His voice snapped instantly.

311
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:53,840
"What?

312
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:55,120
What do you mean?"

313
00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:00,040
"It's," I started to speak, but my voice broke.

314
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,000
I don't know Mark, it's big.

315
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,440
And it's outside the car.

316
00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,520
It's touching the windows and rocking the car.

317
00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:07,240
It's trying to get in.

318
00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,760
"Are you joking?"

319
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,240
He demanded.

320
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,920
And I could hear the kids in the background, little small voices asking questions.

321
00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:20,680
"No," I whispered, tears spilling hot down my face.

322
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:22,600
"I'm not joking, Mark.

323
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:24,320
It's rocking the car."

324
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,640
"Well, what is it?" he asked.

325
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,200
"I don't know," I said.

326
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:36,240
Deep inside I did know, but I did not want to say that word at this point.

327
00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:41,600
I was looking, and I saw the face press near the passenger window again, its eyes catching

328
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,880
the faint glow from my phone's screen.

329
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:49,360
I don't know, Mark, but it is not a person.

330
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,360
Mark swore hard, and I heard him breathing fast.

331
00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:57,080
"I'm ten minutes out," he said, "maybe less.

332
00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:58,080
Keep the doors locked."

333
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,760
"I can't even honk," I said.

334
00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:03,720
The battery's dead.

335
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,520
Everything is dead.

336
00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:07,800
"Okay," he said quickly.

337
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,240
"Listen, just talk to me.

338
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:11,800
Stay on the line if you can.

339
00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:13,960
I'm coming."

340
00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,480
I heard my son's voice in the background, sounding small.

341
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,680
"Is mom okay?"

342
00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:22,640
That almost broke me.

343
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:27,320
I didn't want my kids hearing any of this, and I didn't want any of them driving right

344
00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,320
into it.

345
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,880
"Mark," I whispered, "the kids."

346
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,560
He stopped me and he said, "Don't worry, they're with me, they're fine."

347
00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:41,320
Then in a tight voice he said, "I didn't have a choice but to bring them.

348
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,360
Just a tight, we're coming."

349
00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:47,360
The call crackled, and it dropped.

350
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:51,040
My phone flashed, 7%.

351
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:56,960
I stared at it like it had been trade me, then I looked up because the car was rocking again,

352
00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,880
hard enough that my body swayed in the seatbelt.

353
00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:07,360
The shape was at the back of the car again, just out of sight, hidden in the blind spot.

354
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:10,760
Now the car rocked in the opposite direction.

355
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:15,720
Instead of being rocked from side to side, it was going up and down.

356
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:20,520
I looked in the mirror and it had its hands on the trunk of the car, and it was bouncing

357
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:21,520
it.

358
00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:25,720
Then it stopped, and the car settled.

359
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,760
Then I heard a metallic creek from something on the rear.

360
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,480
I don't know, but it sounded like it pulled on something.

361
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,000
My stomach turned to ice.

362
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,000
What was it?

363
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,160
The bumper?

364
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,360
The loose taillight?

365
00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:46,120
I didn't know, but I felt sure it was testing, pulling, learning.

366
00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:51,880
The shape came back into view at the driver's side, and I saw its hand go to the door handle.

367
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,320
It was feeling it, testing it.

368
00:25:55,320 --> 00:26:01,320
I think it knew what to do, because then it curled its fingers around and pulled.

369
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,960
The door didn't open.

370
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,920
It got mad and it kept pulling harder and harder.

371
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,960
I thought it was going to rip it right off.

372
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:14,280
The car shifted slightly from the effort that it was putting out.

373
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:19,160
Then the hands lit up the window, pressed flat like it was going to start slapping the

374
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:20,160
glass.

375
00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:22,880
That's when I started yelling.

376
00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:28,000
I yelled out into the empty darkness, because it was nothing else left for me to do.

377
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:33,280
No horn, no lights, no engine, nothing to scare it off.

378
00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:35,000
Just my voice.

379
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,920
"No," I screamed, "no, go away."

380
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,360
It paused, looking in at me.

381
00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:47,760
Its head tilting slightly as if it was surprised I could make sound.

382
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:52,480
Then it stepped away just one pace, like it was thinking about it.

383
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,720
It calculated.

384
00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:56,640
But it didn't leave.

385
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,080
It stared at me.

386
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,440
It's big chest heaving.

387
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,960
It was like looking at an angry bull about to charge.

388
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:08,760
Then it moved to the front of the car and stared at the car like it was studying, "Where

389
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,600
best to attack it now?"

390
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,520
It pushed down on the hood a few times.

391
00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:19,320
It seemed puzzled by the up and down motion of the car.

392
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,560
Minutes crawled by.

393
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,120
It would pace around the car sometimes.

394
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:29,920
Move a few steps away, then come charging at it, running right to a stop, right next to

395
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,920
the car, like a bluff charge.

396
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:38,200
One time it came right up to my window, just inches away.

397
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,600
It leaned in close to the window.

398
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,160
Its nose almost touching the glass.

399
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:46,960
Its breath fogging up the window.

400
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:52,680
To say I was terrified is the biggest understatement of my life.

401
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:58,560
I had a fear that my husband would show up, and it would attack him and the kids.

402
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:00,840
My mind was all over the place.

403
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,920
I just couldn't see how this was going to end.

404
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:10,960
It was now touching, testing, pulling, pushing on everything it could.

405
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:15,040
Windows, mirrors, trunk, door handles, door seams.

406
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:17,760
It was going for everything it could.

407
00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:21,040
It didn't feel like random touching.

408
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:26,920
It felt methodical, like it was testing, learning.

409
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:32,080
I sat there rigid, hands braced on the steering wheel like I could somehow keep the car from

410
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:39,960
being rocked apart by will alone, that maybe if I sat there quiet, it would go away.

411
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:45,720
At one point it shoved the passenger's side so hard the car shifted enough that snow fell

412
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,560
off the roof and the whole vehicle slid.

413
00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:53,240
The shape pressed its hand to the driver's window again.

414
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:56,160
The glass fogged from its breath.

415
00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,800
It was so close I could see the texture of hair clumped with snow.

416
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:05,960
The curve of the knuckles, the wet sheen where the hair parted.

417
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:10,240
It tapped the glass once, then again.

418
00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:11,760
I looked away.

419
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,800
It tapped harder.

420
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:14,880
I looked back.

421
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,760
It started pushing on the glass.

422
00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:19,920
The window creaked.

423
00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,720
I yanked my phone up and tried Mark again.

424
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:27,040
My thumb shaking so badly I nearly dropped it.

425
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:32,360
Before it connected, the shape stood up and turned its head toward the road behind me,

426
00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:35,000
like it had heard something.

427
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,840
I held my breath and listened through the wind.

428
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,120
At first I didn't hear anything.

429
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:42,440
But then I did.

430
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,600
He was faint, an engine, a car for sure.

431
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,640
No, our minivan.

432
00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:53,480
Relief hit me so hard my vision blurred.

433
00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,080
The shape out there heard it too.

434
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:58,400
Its posture changed.

435
00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,360
It wasn't panicked, but it was alert.

436
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:07,840
It looked like it was deciding whether to stand its ground or go hide for a bit.

437
00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,480
Then headlights appeared in the distance.

438
00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:16,600
They were swinging around a bin, cutting through the snowfall like two white knives.

439
00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:21,000
The shape backed off toward the tree line, but it didn't run.

440
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:25,960
I'm certain it thought that this car would pass, like the other had, and then it could

441
00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:28,400
start again.

442
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:30,320
The van came closer.

443
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,480
I recognized it as ours by the way.

444
00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,200
One headlight was slightly brighter than the other.

445
00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:41,360
When the van pulled up behind me, Marx high beams lit the whole world up.

446
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:47,080
And for a split second, the shape was fully visible at the edge of the woods.

447
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:52,800
Tall, broad, dark hair, upright and beastly looking.

448
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,720
It looked angry.

449
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:59,040
But it stood there still as a statue, watching.

450
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,480
I saw it.

451
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:05,000
I know he did, because I heard him yell something through the closed windows.

452
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,000
It was pure disbelief and anger.

453
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,360
The kids were in the van, too.

454
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:17,880
I saw their faces as silhouettes in the back seat, little heads craning, trying to see.

455
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:22,980
Suddenly Mark backed up, drove around and repositioned his van in front of my car, so the

456
00:31:22,980 --> 00:31:29,340
big that was lit up at the headlights even more, then he laid on the horn.

457
00:31:29,340 --> 00:31:35,460
Now either the light or the horn, or maybe the combination of both made it move.

458
00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:41,300
It stepped back into the tree line with a smoothness that made my skin crawl.

459
00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:47,060
It disappeared into the darkness of the trees, and the night swallowed it up.

460
00:31:47,060 --> 00:31:51,540
Mark jumped out of the van with a flashlight in one hand, and something in the other.

461
00:31:51,540 --> 00:31:56,560
I think it was a tire iron, whatever he had in the van that he could grab.

462
00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,900
He ran to my driver's side window, his face white.

463
00:32:00,900 --> 00:32:02,060
Are you okay?

464
00:32:02,060 --> 00:32:04,460
He shouted through the glass.

465
00:32:04,460 --> 00:32:10,860
I nodded hard, sobbing now, because the tension finally had somewhere to go.

466
00:32:10,860 --> 00:32:13,140
It was right here, I gasped.

467
00:32:13,140 --> 00:32:14,340
It tried the handle.

468
00:32:14,340 --> 00:32:16,420
It was trying to get in.

469
00:32:16,420 --> 00:32:17,420
I know.

470
00:32:17,420 --> 00:32:20,100
I saw it, he said, his voice low and fierce.

471
00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:22,300
I saw it.

472
00:32:22,300 --> 00:32:27,020
He glanced toward the woods like he expected it to step back out.

473
00:32:27,020 --> 00:32:31,860
Then he leaned in close, his eyes scanning my door in my window.

474
00:32:31,860 --> 00:32:33,540
Did it break anything?

475
00:32:33,540 --> 00:32:36,380
No, I said.

476
00:32:36,380 --> 00:32:38,460
He looked at me fiercely.

477
00:32:38,460 --> 00:32:41,740
We're getting you out of here now.

478
00:32:41,740 --> 00:32:45,660
He got a toaster out of the back of the van and hooked it to my car.

479
00:32:45,660 --> 00:32:47,180
Thank God he had one.

480
00:32:47,180 --> 00:32:48,660
But that was Mark for you.

481
00:32:48,660 --> 00:32:52,940
He was the kind of man who keeps practical things in the van because, well, he grew up around

482
00:32:52,940 --> 00:32:56,380
people who always needed something.

483
00:32:56,380 --> 00:33:00,180
He attached it while I kept watch on the woods.

484
00:33:00,180 --> 00:33:02,540
Then he said, "Get back in the car.

485
00:33:02,540 --> 00:33:03,860
Put it in neutral.

486
00:33:03,860 --> 00:33:07,580
I'm going to try to slowly pull you out of here.

487
00:33:07,580 --> 00:33:13,940
I don't think I can drive all the way home like that, but I can get you away from that."

488
00:33:13,940 --> 00:33:16,380
And he motioned to the woods.

489
00:33:16,380 --> 00:33:19,460
"I nodded and did," as he said.

490
00:33:19,460 --> 00:33:24,620
Mark got back in the van, east forward, and the strap went taught.

491
00:33:24,620 --> 00:33:29,220
My car lurched, the tires fighting against Pac-Snow.

492
00:33:29,220 --> 00:33:32,020
Then we began slowly rolling.

493
00:33:32,020 --> 00:33:38,620
I held my breath as we passed through the darkest areas, certain that Bigfoot would follow.

494
00:33:38,620 --> 00:33:42,460
We rolled until we hit an intersection about a mile away.

495
00:33:42,460 --> 00:33:45,940
It was wider and had a good street light.

496
00:33:45,940 --> 00:33:52,260
Mark came to my car, told me to steer over to the shoulder, and he would unhook me.

497
00:33:52,260 --> 00:33:54,020
So that's what we did.

498
00:33:54,020 --> 00:33:58,700
Then we quickly transferred the boxes from my car into the back of the van.

499
00:33:58,700 --> 00:34:02,140
The kids were so shook up, they never noticed.

500
00:34:02,140 --> 00:34:06,020
I locked my car and got in the van.

501
00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:11,580
The moment I climbed into that warm mini-van with my kids, I was shaking and almost cried

502
00:34:11,580 --> 00:34:13,180
with relief.

503
00:34:13,180 --> 00:34:18,940
Mark got in the driver's seat, put the van in gear, and started driving.

504
00:34:18,940 --> 00:34:23,020
We would come back with daylight, with a toe and with help.

505
00:34:23,020 --> 00:34:26,820
But right then, all I wanted was distance.

506
00:34:26,820 --> 00:34:29,020
We didn't talk much on the ride home.

507
00:34:29,020 --> 00:34:34,980
The kids kept asking questions, but Mark kept answering the soft, but firm, "Laters, we'll

508
00:34:34,980 --> 00:34:39,060
talk about this later, kids, quiet down."

509
00:34:39,060 --> 00:34:45,660
The heater was blasting, the wipers fought the snow, and the road felt endless.

510
00:34:45,660 --> 00:34:51,540
When our house finally came into view, the porch-like glowing, the windows warm, I felt

511
00:34:51,540 --> 00:34:55,300
a relief so strong it actually hurt.

512
00:34:55,300 --> 00:35:01,700
Inside, Mark sat the kids down and turned on cartoons like it was any other normal night.

513
00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:04,180
Then he pulled me into the kitchen.

514
00:35:04,180 --> 00:35:06,460
He helped me buy my shoulders and looked at me.

515
00:35:06,460 --> 00:35:10,020
"What happened?" he said quietly.

516
00:35:10,020 --> 00:35:13,540
"Tell me exactly what happened."

517
00:35:13,540 --> 00:35:14,540
So I did.

518
00:35:14,540 --> 00:35:20,260
I told him about the battery light, the dimming headlights, the dead horn, the way the car

519
00:35:20,260 --> 00:35:26,780
went silent, the shape of the tree line, the hands on the glass, the door handle, the car

520
00:35:26,780 --> 00:35:28,780
rocking.

521
00:35:28,780 --> 00:35:35,420
As I spoke, my voice kept catching, and I hated it because I'm not a fragile person.

522
00:35:35,420 --> 00:35:39,980
But this was way out of the norm for anyone, I think.

523
00:35:39,980 --> 00:35:44,020
Mark's face got harder the more and more I talked.

524
00:35:44,020 --> 00:35:51,020
When I finished, he exhaled slowly and said, "It was trying to get in, wasn't it?"

525
00:35:51,020 --> 00:35:55,340
I nodded, tears spilling down my face.

526
00:35:55,340 --> 00:35:57,660
He looked down at his hands for a second.

527
00:35:57,660 --> 00:36:00,700
"I did see it," he said.

528
00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:03,660
I saw it standing there when we pulled up.

529
00:36:03,660 --> 00:36:07,300
It looked pretty pissed off that we were there.

530
00:36:07,300 --> 00:36:09,900
All I could do was nod.

531
00:36:09,900 --> 00:36:14,020
Then softer he said, "I'm so sorry."

532
00:36:14,020 --> 00:36:16,060
I was surprised.

533
00:36:16,060 --> 00:36:17,900
"For what?" I asked.

534
00:36:17,900 --> 00:36:24,580
"I'm sorry for letting you take the back roads," he said, even though it was not his fault.

535
00:36:24,580 --> 00:36:26,500
I'm sorry for not coming with you.

536
00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:31,380
I'm even more sorry for not running that errand for you."

537
00:36:31,380 --> 00:36:34,100
"Stop," I said.

538
00:36:34,100 --> 00:36:37,820
You told me not to take those back roads.

539
00:36:37,820 --> 00:36:41,620
But he wasn't the kind of guy to say, "I told you so."

540
00:36:41,620 --> 00:36:49,020
Instead he just hugged me tight and said, "It's okay, it'll be all right, I promise."

541
00:36:49,020 --> 00:36:52,780
We went back the next morning with daylight in a tow truck.

542
00:36:52,780 --> 00:36:57,780
The road looked very normal in daylight, and that really messed with me.

543
00:36:57,780 --> 00:37:03,900
It looked like any other winter-backed road, fields, woods, it was quiet.

544
00:37:03,900 --> 00:37:08,140
And I thought about how many times I had traveled that road through the years.

545
00:37:08,140 --> 00:37:10,700
It always just looked normal.

546
00:37:10,700 --> 00:37:14,100
But it would never look normal to me again.

547
00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:19,220
And I swore I would never travel that road again if I never had to.

548
00:37:19,220 --> 00:37:24,580
And when we reached my car, the marks were still there.

549
00:37:24,580 --> 00:37:31,020
One smears on the driver's window, a streak on the passenger side glass, a dull patch

550
00:37:31,020 --> 00:37:36,820
where something had pressed hard, a dent in the back of my trunk.

551
00:37:36,820 --> 00:37:39,580
There was a faint arc where the car had rocked enough.

552
00:37:39,580 --> 00:37:42,420
You could see the snow was gone.

553
00:37:42,420 --> 00:37:45,540
The mechanic later said it very plainly.

554
00:37:45,540 --> 00:37:47,380
The alternator wasn't charging.

555
00:37:47,380 --> 00:37:52,780
The battery drained all the way down and once it hit bottom, well, everything died, lights

556
00:37:52,780 --> 00:37:54,780
a horn, all of it.

557
00:37:54,780 --> 00:37:57,900
Just bad timing, he said.

558
00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:05,100
I just stared at him because bad timing felt like another understatement of my life.

559
00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:11,420
Mark stood there staring at the window, Mark's, his jaw clenched, and then he said real low.

560
00:38:11,420 --> 00:38:13,220
It was real.

561
00:38:13,220 --> 00:38:17,460
Again, all I could do was nod.

562
00:38:17,460 --> 00:38:25,060
We got the car toad, we got the alternator replaced, and life kept moving the way life does.

563
00:38:25,060 --> 00:38:29,540
But it never went back to normal as before.

564
00:38:29,540 --> 00:38:35,660
Because now I was aware what lurked the back roads and hidden the woods.

565
00:38:35,660 --> 00:38:41,300
So if anyone listening is ever tempted to take a shortcut, especially on a dark winter's

566
00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:44,300
night, don't do it.

567
00:38:44,300 --> 00:38:50,460
Go ahead and drive the extra five minutes, because sometimes those back roads are empty for

568
00:38:50,460 --> 00:38:52,540
a reason.

569
00:38:52,540 --> 00:38:55,540
You've been listening to the Buckeye Bigfoot podcast.

570
00:38:55,540 --> 00:39:00,060
Find more stories, hundreds more, over on our YouTube channel.

571
00:39:00,060 --> 00:39:01,900
Just look for Buckeye Bigfoot.

572
00:39:01,900 --> 00:39:11,900
[BLANK_AUDIO]