So maybe the way that I figured out that the world was ending wasn't that interesting. It was unpreferable, though. If it were up to me, I would have been sitting on the couch with my parents. I would have held their hands or have embraced them tightly. Instead, I learned early in the morning with only me, my boss, and a random stranger around.

I left without doing any paperwork or counting the money. Tracy told me that she would take care of it.

I grabbed my purse and slipped out my phone, feeling an overwhelming amount of giddiness. No matter what was actually happening, I was free from work for ten days. And from the numerous amount of emails I was getting, my classes may have been canceled, too.

Or I was getting assignments telling me to explain whether or not I believed that the world was ending. One of the two.

Either way, I was having a spontaneous vacation, and that was exciting.

From the corner of my eye, I saw two men standing in front of the pumps. I ducked my head, hoping that they weren't going to go inside and complain about how we closed early.

I had made it halfway to my car when a hand snatched my wrist. I dropped my phone in shock as I was pressed against the figure's body. His hand released my wrist and clasped over my mouth before I could scream.

"If you shoot," the man said from behind me, "you risk hitting her. And that wouldn't be good, would it?"

My eyes widened as I saw who he was talking to. Another man with a hat shadowing his face had a gun pointed at me. I clawed at the hand over my mouth. He held on tightly.

"I'll call the police if you shoot her." I looked over at the building I just came out of and released a muffled scream. Please come outside, Tracy, please!

The man with the hat snarled but lowered his weapon. "Fine. But this isn't over. Face me—alone—when you're ready, coward." He turned and ran, disappearing within the shadows.

After a moment, the hands released me. "Sorry about that."

I hardly heard his apology. I was running as fast as I could, trying to reach my car as quickly as possible. I scrambled around my purse to find my keys, my hands shaking. I've had some strange encounters with customers at the gas station before, but nothing like this.

Finally, I found my keys and unlocked my car. I slid into the driver's seat and closed my eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths. If that man would have pulled the trigger, I could have died. The thought shot shivers down my spine. First I heard that everyone might die in ten days, and now this happened?

My car door opened. My eyes snapped open. A man was sitting in my passenger seat. He closed the door. I looked over and shrieked.

"Hey, hey, hey," the man said. It was the same person who had just used me as a human shield. "Calm down."

I shook my head frantically. I opened my car door but didn't slip out. Instead, I looked back at the man. "Get out of my car."

He didn't budge. "I need to apologize for what I did. I wouldn't have put you through that if I thought that he was going to shoot you."

I snorted. Okay, sure.

I opened my purse and felt around. I swore that I had pepper spray in here. Though I had never needed to use it before, this seemed like the perfect time.

"Look." Found it. I popped open the lid and aimed the spray at him. He quickly snatched it from my hand.

"Hey!"

"That man you saw?" He pointed towards the pumps. "He's going to come back. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

I blinked. This situation was ridiculous. After what he just did to me, did he really think that I was going to help him?

"I'm calling the police."

I searched around for my phone. My eyes rounded. My phone. Where did I put it? I looked through my bag and slid my hands in my pockets. What happened to it?

I looked at the pumps. Lying under the light, lo and behold, was a phone with a light pink case. My phone.

Great.

"I only need to go a couple of miles. Then I'll leave you alone."

I twirled strands of hair through my fingers. After the scene that just occurred, I knew that this was a dangerous man. Who knew what he could do if I didn't listen? He could easily kill me and steal my car.

My breaths grew heavy. All I wanted was to go home. Why, out of all days, was this the day that this had to happen?

I sighed. "Okay, okay."

"Thank you." The man smiled. "Get out and swap seats."

"No. Give me the directions."

He didn't argue, to my delight. Good thing, too. Him manning my car was too far.

I started my Prius, stopping for a moment to grab my phone. I looked through my mirror and saw Tracy exiting the gas station. She waved at me. I waved back, trying to swallow down my disbelief. Talk about perfect timing.

The man was silent as I drove. The only time he spoke was to tell me to turn right or left. Though I was still in shock about what had happened, I was no longer panicked. Focusing on the road had helped to calm me down. After some time, I felt good enough to turn on the radio.

"Alright, folks. Coming up is our final song of the night," the lady hesitated, "of forever. Thank y'all for tuning in to 101.2 FM radio. Our next song is an oldie, but a goodie, it's called It's the End of the World by R.E.M. You have a nice night now."

I raised a brow and changed the station. The same song, almost in the same spot, blared. After switching through three other stations and hearing the same song, I turned it off. There was more silence.

"Wait, I forgot to tell you to turn. Make a U-turn."

I checked to make sure that no one else was on the road before doing as told. I sighed, waiting for his next instructions. Does he even know where he's going?

"Okay, now turn right."

I slowed down, trying to see where he wanted me to turn. There wasn't a road. There was a dirt path, but it looked too thin for my car to fit through (even with a small Prius I didn't think I could drive through it).

I gave the man a look. "Are you sure this is it?"

"Yes. Turn."

With a sigh, I turned onto the dirt road. My car jolted from side to side as the terrain turned from smooth to bumpy. I held onto the steering wheel tightly. This is bad news. Bad. News.

"And turn your headlights off."

I slammed on the brakes. He clutched onto the seat tightly, not expecting the sudden stop.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to suppress my emotions. I went over everything that had happened tonight in my head. First, the news. Then, I almost got shot. Now, this mysterious, obviously dangerous man wanted me to drive through a suspicious road with my headlights off.

"I am not doing that," I said slowly.

He stared ahead, tapping his fingers on his leg. I waited for his reaction, suddenly feeling nervous. He seemed like he could just kick me out of the car and drive away if he wanted. Would he do that, though?

Suddenly, he leaned over so that our noses were inches apart. His face didn't expose any emotions. I leaned back so that I was touching my door. I felt for the handle, making sure that I could get out if needed.

"If we get caught," he said softly, "then you won't be able to leave. I'm doing this to help you, not me. So turn off your headlights."

"Who won't let me leave?"

We both stared at each other. For the first time, I took in his appearance. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of dirty jeans. He had dark hair and slight stubble on his chin and above his lip. I couldn't make out his eye color, but I could make out the intensity within them. He didn't appear that frightening. He seemed almost trusting, actually. No, that's a facade. He doesn't care about you. He has to be asking you of this for himself.

When I accepted that he wasn't going to respond, I looked away and turned off the headlights. I also adjusted my seat so that I was closer to the steering wheel. It helped me to be able to see better in the dark, though not by much.

Every bump caused my heart to leap. I couldn't tell if I was driving on the dirt road or if I had wandered elsewhere. I continued driving straight, hoping that I wouldn't have to turn.

"Stop."

I slowly pressed the brakes. I looked at the man. He was leaning close to the window. After a moment, he flung the door open.

"I'll be back. Stay in the car."

I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip. I wasn't going to refuse. Who knew what was out there? Or who? Who won't let me leave? Goosebumps formed on my arms. How did I get into this mess? Why me?

He got out and closed the door. I watched fearfully as he walked away and was swallowed by the night.

Woah! Who is this guy? What do you think of him so far? Do you think Natalie is in trouble? All will be answered next chapter!

If you liked this chapter, try to vote with your phone case. Stay awesome!