THE WOMAN
by Christopher Carroll 

Todd climbed into his car after leaving the bar. The sky fell out from underneath, as the wind pressed up against the car. It sounded like a bullet train was passing by him. He attempted to crank up his car, but it wouldn’t start. He opened his car door and his phone rang.

            “Hello,” Todd said, struggling to keep his phone to his ear. A voice responded as his phone slipped out of his hand. He stuck his hand down between the seat and the middle console to retrieve it.  

            “Are you there?” a woman said with a calm but graveled voice.
            “Yeah, I’m here,” Todd said.
            “Good! So, did you have a good night, Todd?”
            “Ye–,” Todd stopped himself. “I’m sorry but how do you know my name?”
            “Lucky guess I suppose,” the woman said, chuckling. “Are you having car problems?”
            “How do you know that? Did you do something to my car?” Todd responded. He looked outside his window trying to see if someone was watching him but couldn’t see anything through the rain.

            “Why do you look so nervous, Todd?”
            “How do you know that I’m nervous?”
            “I can hear it in your voice, darling.”
            “Bullshit, you said that I looked nervous not that I sounded nervous!”
            “Hmmm I suppose your right,” the woman said. “So, did you have a good night?” she asked.
            “I guess so,” Todd replied. “So, who are you?”
            “Let’s just say that I am someone concerned about you.”

            “Why the fuck would you be concerned about me?” yelled Todd. The phone line went silent. “Are you there, bitch?” There was no response. Todd ended the call. He then opened up the door and stepped outside. It felt like he was in a cold shower with his clothes on. He stumbled over to pop his hood, but before he could his phone started to ring again.

            As soon as he answered the phone the woman said, “Why did you hang up on me?”
            “Because you I don’t know you and you creep me out!”
            “I didn’t know that a cunt like you could even get creeped out,” the woman said, laughing.
            “Who the fuck is you calling a cunt?” said Todd. “Also, who the fuck is you?”
            “First off, I am calling you a cunt,” the woman said. “Second, how do you not recognize me voice?” Todd leaned up against his car, and silently just stared at the ground watching the rain hit it. The woman then sighed and said, “I’m Rosita.”

            “I don’t know anyone by the name of Rosita though.”
            “Well I am not exactly anyone.”
            “What do you mean?”
            “I am the AI you had put in your head to stop you from doing anything stupid.”
            “That’s impossible because you could see me?”
            “Well I can see you through your contact lenses.”

            “Oh, yeah, that is right isn’t it?” Todd said as he started to remember. “So then why did you call my phone to talk to me?”

            “I’ve never once called your phone during this conversation. In your drunken state your mind made you think that it was your phone, because that way you wouldn’t freak out over a voice talking to you.”

            “So then why did you start talking to me?”

            “I needed to stop you from driving in the state that you were in. That’s why I also made it seem like your car wouldn’t start,” Rosita said. Todd then got back in the car and cranked it up.

            “How did you make it seem like the car wouldn’t start?”
            “I told your brain that it wouldn’t.”

 “Ah ok,” Todd said. “So, am I good to drive home now?”

“Well I wouldn’t have stopped stalling you if you weren’t,” Rosita said.

Todd then pulled up to the exit to the bar as a semi passed him. Just as he was turning onto the road a semi hit him out of nowhere. Smashing him into the other semi.

About the Author:

Christopher Carroll enjoys watching movies and spending time with his family when he is not writing. Follow him on Twitter @chris_r_carroll.