The Car Behind Me

Camila wanted to be home before ten. On Sunday night, she was at a friend's birthday party in the next village, and the last bus left at 9:15. But the cake came late. When she ran to the bus stop at 9:30, hoping the bus was late too, the road was empty.

She sent a quick message to her mom: "Missed the bus. Walking home." Then her phone died. Her village was forty minutes away on foot, along a dirt road. The moon was out, so she could see the road and the dark fields.

She was passing the old water tank when she heard an engine behind her. A car was coming slowly, with its lights off. Camila moved to the side to let it pass. But it didn't pass. It stayed behind her, moving as slowly as she was.

Camila walked faster. The car went faster too. She stopped, and the car stopped. Her legs felt weak, and the back of her neck went cold. She could hear the small stones under the tires. The nearest house was still far away.

There was a big stick at the side of the road. Camila picked it up, turned around, and shouted angrily, "What do you want? Go away!" Then the driver's door opened.

"Camila? It's me, Uncle Nacho!" It was her mother's brother. Now she could see his old blue car. One headlight was broken, and the other one was hanging down by a wire.

"Your mom called me, so I drove to the bus stop, but you were gone," he said. "I hit a post on Friday, and the lights don't work. I couldn't see if it was you. And if it wasn't you, I didn't want to scare some poor girl!" Camila dropped the stick and laughed, but her voice was still shaking. "Get in," he said. "You'll be home before ten. And tomorrow, I'm fixing these lights."