Alfred Fox Presents "Annabelle"

A short story by Alfred Fox Presents. Exclusive to Hubpages. Alfred Fox is a published author who writes violent and horrifying material. His writing, which is sometimes humorous will still, no doubt, leave you shocked, disturbed and provoked.

Be warned,

Alfred Fox Presents ..........

Driving down the country road, she could see the sun setting in the distance. It was silent and the trees to her sides made it look later than it actually was, casting their shadow over her like one giant black cloud. The radio had failed to pick up a signal for a few hours now but it didn't matter to her, she was enjoying the peace and quiet, the tranquility of the forest, too much to care.

Looking in her rear view mirror, she checked the road behind her, not that there was any need; she hadn't had another vehicle behind her since she left the City of London five hours ago.

As it began to rain, she closed the window that had been left slightly ajar; the country air had been helping her stay awake. Switching on her windscreen wipers, she watched as the rain began to fall heavy, the sound of the rain landing on her car breaking the silence. Answering her mobile phone before it could barely ring twice, she again looked in her rear view mirror, only this time, unintentionally, to admire her sleek brown eyebrows that sat above her sparkling blue eyes. She knew only too well how beautiful she was, even the sound of her voice was enough to capture a person's soul. The phone call hadn't lasted for more than a few seconds before she ended the call abruptly. The only words that were spoken "Please stop Annabelle" to which she had replied "No ... Never"

Annabelle's boyfriend had always treated her good, the only problem was, it turned out that at the same time, he had been treating other ladies good too. Switching off her phone, she continued to drive on through the country lanes that seemed to be getting narrower by the second. She had a solemn expression on her face and a look of concentration that came from more than just looking at the road ahead of her. As if out of nowhere, a shine appeared in her eyes from the thin layer of water that began to seep through her tear ducts. The tears only stopping in their tracks because of the loud crash of thunder that broke her from her trance. Jumping forward in her seat, she looked up through the windscreen, scanning the sky for any sign of lightning strikes; there were none. The rain quickly turning to ice, she had no choice but to pull over at the side of the road, turning her hazard lights on as the hailstones began to pelt her vehicle.

Parked at the side of the road, Annabelle waited for the chaos to subside. Fifteen minutes and a few loud crashes later, the ice had engulfed her windscreen by so much that her windscreen wipers seized to work. A confident young woman, Annabelle refused to let herself panic. Driving from London to Scotland on her own was no mean feat but Annabelle had always been unflappable, she was independent before her time. Another ten minutes and the chaos began to give way to the calmness that had been waiting on the side lines. Continuing on her journey, hoping to reach Scotland before midnight, Annabelle watched as her windscreen wipers returned back to life, resuming their awkward hypnotic movement.

Annabelle loved Scotland, she had visited before many times. It was an escape from her hectic life in London. It was also where she always ran to whenever she had her heart smashed.

Pulling into a gas station, she topped up her tank, grateful that the rain had subsided. Stepping into the station shop, she grabbed a bottle of vitamin water from the fridge and an egg and cress sandwich.

"Nice weather" Annabelle muttered as she stepped towards the sales counter, the sales assistant behind it doing his best not to look bored by fixing the small display of mints next to the till.

"Just a wee bit of rain" he replied as he began to scan her items, but not before scanning her attractive body first with his wondering eyes.

"A wee bit of rain" Annabelle smirked, unaware of the man's lecherous manner "is that what you call it?"

"With the Ten pounds petrol, that will be fifteen pounds twenty three darling" he said as he took her card and put it in the card holder, prompting her to type in her pin number, "the weather isn't so bad..."

"It's atrocious, that thunder was shocking...." she interrupted, finishing her transaction and taking her items from the counter. "....Thank you".

"Thunder? No thunder" she heard him mutter under his breath as she turned and headed for the door, choosing to ignore his comment entirely.

Driving on down the country road, Annabelle was pleased when her radio seemed to be picking up a signal. Catching the end of a "Manic Street Preachers" song, she listened to the news flash that followed.....

"A man in his forties is on the run after shooting dead six people in a care home this morning. The care home in Cornwall are in the process of helping police with their investigation. The man reported by witnesses to be white, in his early forties, dark brown hair and wearing blue jeans with a...."

Switching the station over, Annabelle listened for a second to the same news flash on another channel before selecting classical FM. She had always loved classical music, even from an early age. Listening to the build up of Hans Zimmer's Chevaliers de Sangreal, she watched as the rain began to fall heavy again and for the second time that night she jumped forward in her seat as the thunder crashed ferociously above her. Pulling up at the side of the road in preparation for another pounding, she turned her phone back on and listened to it beep, the phone informing her that she had voicemail. Listening to her messages as the hailstones began to crash around her car again, she smiled when she heard her grandpa's voice.

"Lookin' forward tae seein' ye lassie, gezz a caa when ye ur close by an' ah will warm th' kettle fur us baith, see ye suin mah hen."

As the second message played, Annabelle's smile turned upside down as she listened to the man who was responsible for her sudden journey to the highlands, speak in his "feel sorry for me" tone, that had always annoyed her.

"Anna, I know you have no reason to trust anything I say anymore, but ... I came to see you today at your office. I saw you get in your car ... I can't be sure..." he sounded hesitant, "...but I think I saw somebody tampering with the trunk of your car. I ran towards you both but you were too far away. Annabelle, I think there is somebody in the trunk of your car, I can't be sure but please ... be careful"

The rain falling heavy and with the crashing of thunder all around her, Annabelle felt her blood run cold. Looking in her rear view mirror, she froze in her seat at the sight of the trunk door standing open behind her.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Alfred Fox has published two books, a short, yet disturbing fable called "When The Lights Go Out" about the final days leading up to the 2011 London riots, and a novel called "Rideum Amrous" a horrific crime thriller set in London. His books will guarantee to keep you awake at night and disturbed throughout your day.