She had parked her car deep in the mountains, seeking peace and solitude. Wrapped in a blanket, she drifted off to sleep in the backseat, the cold night air pressing against the windows.
But just past midnight, a faint noise stirred her awake — soft crunching footsteps on gravel. Still groggy, she turned her head. A shadow loomed outside. Suddenly, a loud knock on the window shattered the silence.
A man was standing there, face obscured by the dark, staring straight at her. His hand reached for the door handle.
Her heart pounded. She was alone. No signal. Nowhere to run.
And he wasn’t walking away.
English