The Dead road

The night was young and a cool breeze blew across the highway. There was a full moon and a man was lying down by the side of the lonely road. The man on the ground started moving slowly in discomfort, forcing himself to get on his feet. Coughing and shaking, he managed to get up but suddenly fell down. He noticed that he was bleeding from his head as he gazed around in confusion, trying to figure out where he was. Finally he got on his feet again and started walking down the deserted road. The man was a tall male in his late 20s. His white T-shirt had been stained from the dirt and blood, and his hair was soaked from the blood coming from the back of his head. Staggering along the road with his left hand at the back of his head to slow the bleeding, he reached into his back jean pocket with his right hand and pulled out a wallet.

The full moon was so bright that it gave light to the highway. The man searched through the wallet and found a Texas driver’s license with his picture and information on it. The name was Edwin Jones.

“Oh, my name is Edwin,” the man said to himself. Edwin couldn’t remember who he was or what happened before he found himself lying beside the road. As he was walking down the road with his left hand still on the back of his head, he kept talking to himself trying hard to remember. It was a long walk and there were no signs or any kind of direction on the road. Edwin started to get concerned about where he was and how he was going to leave the lonely road.

Time passed by into the night, and Edwin started to get weak and exhausted from losing blood. He came to a stop under a tree by the side of the road and decided to rest for a while. He then looked back at the road and saw two balls of light shinning in the distance. Edwin couldn’t tell what kind of light it was; he thought he was hallucinating. As the two balls of light drew nearer, Edwin started to hear the sound of a running motor engine. He crawled to the middle of the road and started waving his right hand, hoping the light would be that of a vehicle. Fortunately for him it was indeed an old pickup truck approaching at a high speed with its windows down. The music that was playing in the truck was so loud Edwin could hear every single lyric bumping hard in the middle of the lonely road.

The truck driver was singing out loud with the music that was playing, at the same time he was reaching in his compartment for his tobacco case. The driver took a glance at the road after he got his tobacco case, and suddenly stepped on the brakes when he saw a figure lying in the middle of the road. The truck stopped approximately two feet from where Edwin was lying. The driver looked at the figure and saw that it was a man. Then he quickly got out of the truck and walked towards Edwin.

“Hey are you alright?” the driver asked, leaning towards Edwin.

“I need some help,” Edwin replied in a weak voice.

“Don’t worry, I will help you,” the driver assured, and helped Edwin to get on his feet. The truck driver helped Edwin into the passenger’s side of the truck, and gave him water from the water bottle in the back of the truck. The driver also gave Edwin a piece of bandage to slow the bleeding from his head. The truck driver started his truck and drove away as he looked at Edwin in pity.

“What is your name?” the driver asked.

“Edwin, I think,” Edwin answered sluggishly.

“You think? What do you mean by that? What exactly happened to you over there?”

“The only thing I remember is waking up on this road,” Edwin replied. The driver looked at him.

“Are you telling me that you have amnesia?”

“Yes, you can say that,” Edwin replied.

“You are one lucky fellow to be alive in a place like this.”

“What makes you say that?” Edwin asked in a weak voice.

“Well the road you were lying on is called “The Dead Road”, and nobody takes this route anymore, especially at this time of the year,” the driver explained.

“Then why did you take the road?” Edwin asked. The driver paused for a while and then looked at Edwin.

“Four years ago, my father got lost on this road, and nobody has heard from him or seen his body. Since then I always follow this road to see if I can get some answers about why people disappear whenever the follow this road.”

“But you haven’t disappeared since you’ve been taking the road,” Edwin said, looking into the night.

“No I haven’t, and I wonder why,”

“So, where are you going at this time?” Edwin curiously asked.

“Well I’m heading to the small town few miles ahead.”

“Have you been there before?” Edwin asked.

“No, but I think I can get some answers about my father’s disappearance over there. And also, since you don’t know where you are from, we could ask the people for help,” the driver added.

“What is the name of the town?” Edwin asked.

“Dunsvale. Rumor has it that it is the town of the lost and I am about to find out what that means,” The driver said, chuckling.

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling that someone in that town doesn’t like me that much,” Edwin said.

“Well, we shall see, bro,” the driver said, reaching for his tobacco case in the glove compartment. The driver took a rolled cigarette and a lighter. He closed the compartment and looked at Edwin.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about this Dunsvale town, especially around the time my father disappeared. I decided it was time to pay the town a visit, and see what’s going on,” the driver said.

“What kind of stories have you heard about the town?” Edwin asked.

“Stories about people losing their heads. And also about people who have been missing for a long time.”

“Do you think your father might still be alive?” Edwin asked.

“I don’t know, but I bet you I will get some answers when we get to Dunsvale,” the driver said, inhaling tobacco smoke.

“Hey, are you sure you can’t remember anything at all?” the driver asked.

“Of course I’m sure, but I think I will remember in due time,” Edwin answered, still looking into the bushes. Edwin paused for a while and then he asked the driver,

“By the way, what’s your name?”

The driver looked at Edwin with a grin and said,

“It’s funny how you asked me about my name after we’ve been talking for a while.” Puffing on his cigarette, he paused for a minute, and then said,

“My name is Felix.

• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three

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