Don't Look Now

It's very easy to lose focus when driving. Sometimes a car will listlessly swerve unexpectedly in front of you. Maybe a song you like will come on the radio. Maybe a disembodied hand will manifest and grab your shoulder. All of these things happened to Isaac on his commute home today. Going about 90 on the highway, he pulled into a nearby gas station. 

Isaac got out of his car and half-walked, half-jogged inside. He grabbed a water bottle and some cheap, off-brand aspirin and walked over to the counter. The man running the gas station was a burly, middle-aged man who resembled a heavyweight boxer. Isaac placed his items on the counter and reached for his wallet. As he did so, he felt the hand from earlier grip his shoulder. Hot breath touched the back of his neck as a harsh voice whispered, "Don't. Turn. Around." Isaac looked up at the cashier, who stared at him impatiently. 

Isaac gave the man a pleading look, which prompted the man to yell, "Are you gonna pay or not, bud?!" Isaac flinched as the grip got even tighter on his shoulder. He quickly paid, muttered something that sounded like "keep the change", and left. As soon as he left the gas station, the grip disappeared from his shoulder. He got in the car and began to unscrew the water bottle's top. The grip returned, somehow even tighter than the last time. Isaac's whole arm shook as he unscrewed the aspirin's cap. Before he could take them, the harsh voice returned to say, "I wouldn't. If I were you.",

Isaac downed the medicine very quickly and sped off. The grip ever tighter, the voice began to talk more to Isaac. Things like "Don't you have a family?" or "Have you any idea of the time?" swam through his head. Isaac's vision blurred, his mind wandered. Eventually, through tears, he turned to confront the hand's owner. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!", he screamed. To his horror, he found no-one in the back seat. But the voice spoke to him again. "I've been trying to save you.", it replied.

Isaac thought in confusion for a moment. "Why, why do I need saving?', he cried out. The voice let out a scratchy and raspy laugh. "You're about to find out. Don't look now, kid.", the voice replied. The voice's last words echoed as it faded out with one final laugh. Isaac's car flooded with light while Isaac's ears were assaulted with a piercing truck horn.