The Girl in Red

It happened on that abandoned street with a cracked pavement. Many, many years ago, the street was used as a shortcut to get to the nearest town. But ever since what happened, everyone prefers the long road. Very few have dared to even step into the street, and when they do, they come out the other side with skins as pale as paper and their eyes wide, frozen in terror. Some get through it, others... well, they have succumbed to madness.

Many outsiders say it’s just a myth, but often, they are proven wrong.

It is said that it happened on a cloudless night when a newlywed couple passed by through that street in their van. This was the night everything changed.

The husband drove silently as the wife rested her chin on her hand and her elbow rested over the door’s window, sound asleep. They were warned by an old man not to drive this road. But as young and reckless as they were, they did not heed the warning.

“Beware of the danger that road puts you in. You do not want to encounter the Girl in Red.”

“The Girl in Red?” The wife had asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

“Yes, a girl who seems to grow older every time you look at her. At first, she starts as a small toddler, but then, as you encounter her many times on the road, she ages. She wears this red gown. She will not stop following you. Ignore her. Do not interact with her. Don’t stop driving. And if you see her right in the middle of the road, run over her. It will be your salvation.” The man fixed his hat and adjusted his coat against the harsh cold.

“It’s just a myth.” The husband said. “Who believes in myths nowadays? It's the beginning of the twenty-first century!”

“Sweetheart, maybe we should take the long road just in case.” The wife suggested.

“You believe what this old man says, honey? It is just a campfire story to scare travelers.”

"Your wife is wise to follow advice, lad.” The old man frowned. “She is in all her right to choose to run away.”

“Well, I’m driving and I choose not to run away from a ghost story.”

“Very well, young man. Don’t ever say I didn’t warn you. I just hope you don't pay the price for your recklessness.” The man sighed and continued his path back home.

With that said, they resumed their journey. But for a road that was called the fastest way to town, it certainly seemed to take longer than it should have. Maybe it was the bumpy asphalt due to abandonment. The young man drove silently while his wife slept peacefully next to him.

An unusual splash of color appeared on the road ahead, then disappeared.

With a slight shake of his head, he dismissed it as his silly imagination and continued to drive silently. It was a couple of minutes later that he saw it again.

There, on the side of the road, sat the most perfect example of an innocent little girl in a red gown playing with the grass. Her hair was as black as charcoal, and her skin was as white as porcelain. She seemed to be humming a melody, and a smile seemed to brighten up her face. He blinked a few times before his brain could completely process what he was seeing.

Terror consumed his soul. He could not look away when he realized, this girl was the horror the old man warned them about. As soon as he realized what was happening, the girl looked up with eyes full of innocence and curiosity. She gave him a big, sincere smile and waved at him. The man gasped, turned away, and accelerated the van, quickly leaving the girl behind. He took a look in the rear mirror to see the little girl’s sad and disappointed face.

He did not wake up his wife.

It was minutes later, and he saw the same girl on the other side of the road, but a little older. She was pulling away a rose’s petals before she looked up and made eye contact with the young man. She smiled and waved at him again. But again, he chooses to ignore her. He checked the mirror again to see her silently wiping away some tears; the scene alone almost made him feel sorry for her.

‘Was the girl even real? I must be imagining things...’ He thought.

He expected to see her a few minutes later, but he didn’t. Half an hour passed, and he gave a sigh of relief. It was all in his mind; he convinced himself. He was just tired. The girl was only an illusion created by his mind due to exhaustion. Nothing more.

However, just when he was starting to believe he wouldn’t see her again, he saw her sitting over a rock while drawing in the dirt with a stick. She looked like an awkward preteen as she looked up and gave him a toothy smile. The innocence, however, was written all over her eyes. The young man accelerated the van a bit faster than he should go, but he didn’t care. Again, disappointment filled the young girl’s face.

Not long after, he saw her again.

She looked like a depressed teenager sitting on the grass while looking down at her bare feet. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes seemed devoid of any emotion. Her tear-stained eyes looked up at the oncoming van with a hopeful gaze. The man accelerated the car and passed by the girl at top speed. He panted as he glanced back. The girl glared back at him with eyes full not of disappointment, nor innocence anymore, but with hatred and sorrow, like a girl who had just been heartbroken.

With one hand, he reached his wife’s shoulder and shook it slightly. She woke up and yawned while looking around. “Are we there yet?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” He replied. “But I saw her.” He barely whispered.

“Who?”

“The Girl in Red.”

The wife rolled her eyes and sighed. “You said it yourself that it was just a ghost story. Don't tell me you're regretting it now.” She sighed. “We should've gone through the long road instead.”

The husband stayed silent. His eyes were full of terror, and his hands trembled a little.

The wife’s gaze softened. “It's a scary story, and you’re just tired. Don't let it get to your head. Do you want me to drive?”

“No!” He exclaimed immediately. “I’m fine. You can go back to sleep.”

The wife sighed and resumed her previous position. But she couldn't sleep, not with how her husband reacted.

As he drove, the husband looked constantly at both sides of the road and checked the mirrors. He had not seen the girl or any other suspicious movement so far. A wave of relief washed over him when he spotted the city lights ahead. For a moment, everything seemed like it was all in his mind, and he was just very tired. Maybe his wife was right.

Then, right in the middle of the road, a gorgeous woman with blood red lips, raven hair, and a beautiful red dress. The mere example of outstanding beauty. She smiled seductively, and her eyes met the young man’s. For a moment, he was fascinated by her. But it was when her eyes glowed a deadly red that the enchantment was broken. He screamed in horror, and his wife's nails dug into the car seat.

She stared at the woman in the middle of the road. She was too beautiful to be real. “Run her over! Now!” She yelled at her husband.

The husband stepped on the gas and followed his wife’s orders. Just when he was going to run over the beautiful woman, she disappeared before their very eyes.

Silence fell between them. For a moment, they were confused. Then, the same woman appeared further down the road, but her red dress was ripped and dirty. Her hair was wet and muddy, and her eyes glowed red. Blood poured down her face in place of tears. She grinned; her teeth were sharp and bloody.

The wife held on to her seat while her husband accelerated the car. But the woman in red held her arms up to her shoulder level, and the car collided with an invisible force. The seat belts weren't enough to stop the couple's bodies from flying through the front window and colliding headfirst into the invisible wall.

The car stood in the middle of the road with only its lights to shine its way. Husband and wife lay over the car’s crushed hood, unmoving.

Dead eyes stared into oblivion over a pool of blood, blood that slowly dripped into the cold pavement.

The next day, the authorities found a crashed car with both bodies over the hood. But they hadn’t just found dead bodies. They found cold corpses in bones; carcasses that authorities couldn’t bear to look at, only prayed that the Lord had mercy on them and received them in his kingdom. There had been no explanation of how a crushed car stood in the middle of the road with nothing around it that could have provoked the accident. Only the supernatural answer. The one everyone knew but didn't want to mention.

The day of the funeral for the poor souls, the old man stood over their tombstones after the service. Just two more unfortunate deaths to lament. He only served to warn travelers of the incoming danger, but it did not make him feel any better after his warnings fell on deaf ears.

Many years after the mysterious deaths, many claimed they would hear whispers in the night around the area, and many claimed to see two vengeful souls searching for the girl in red. Many claimed the poor souls would not rest in peace until the deadly ghost was found. All rumors were fueled by fear, the old man knew, and rightfully so. Maybe one day, this whole nightmare will cease to exist.

Until then, he will continue to warn any traveler who happens to pass by.