Scarlet knew as soon as she heard the car sputtering that she wouldn't be able to start it again. It was a miracle she'd gotten the junk heap going in the first place, and she'd been counting on making it to her grandmother's house before turning it off. The car was shaking and jerking like she was driving it through the forest itself, instead of on the smoothly paved road that ran through it. She sighed and steered the pile of scrap parts to the shoulder. With a final cough, the engine died. Without any real hope she turned the key. Maybe the car would surprise her. There was a slight whirring noise, but other than that the car made no response.
Scarlet sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She'd nearly made it, she must be within five miles of Grandmother's house. It was a shame her grandma enjoyed the solitude of country living. There wasn't another house around for miles. She popped the hood of the car and got out to take a look. 'yep,' she thought. 'that's an engine.' Unfortunately her knowledge of cars ended there. She wouldn't know where to begin even if she had an idea what the problem was. She pulled out her cell phone. She'd never been able to get service at her grandmother's house before, but maybe, just maybe this time she'd get lucky. 'No service' her home screen informed her, and she sighed again. The odds were slim to none that another car would be passing by to offer assistance or a ride. Should she chance the walk? If she stuck to the road, surely she'd be safe, and there was little chance of getting lost. She leaned against the hood of the car, pondering her options. Stay out here until her Grandma needed to head into town, or walk.
With no other real option, Scarlet grabbed her knapsack from the backseat and set off. It was a shame she hadn't thought to bring real shoes, her cute little flip flops were not made for long walks. Oh well, she'd make the best of it. Look at all the lovely nature in the woods, get some fresh air. The sun was just beginning to set, and she figured she'd be at Grandmother's house before full dark. A few errant birdcalls rang through the air, but other than that the forest was silent.
As she walked, she wondered how she would replace her car. Her grandmother would give her a ride to the bus stop in town when it came time for her to return home, but the nearest bus stop to her house was a solid mile. There was no way she could take it every day to work, never mind the return trip. As a bartender, Scarlet always got off very late, or early, depending on how you looked at it, and the buses didn't run at that hour.
The sun was setting faster than she anticipated. Perhaps she would be out in the dark for a while. She didn't relish the thought of walking through the woods at night, even on a paved road. She might end up tripping and falling sideways into a ravine or something, and there were rumored to be wolves in the woods. She doubted they would be so near the road where cars sometimes came, but she certainly didn't want to find out. She quickened her pace. Why had she packed so much? Her knapsack was getting heavy. She contemplated yelling and hoping her grandmother would hear and come to the rescue, but she was probably much too far, and anyway if Grandma didn't have her hearing aids in it would be a fruitless endeavor even from the next room over.
It was nearly dark now. She had severely underestimated either the rate of sunset or the distance from her grandmother's house. She hoped there would be a moon soon, and with any luck, a full one. She could use all the light she could get. At least the flashlight app on her cell phone would work, with or without a signal.
Awwwooooooooo.
Scarlet froze. Was that a wolf howl? Well of course it was, what else would it be, she asked herself. No reason to get all worked up, just because a wolf was somewhere far off in the woods. Very far off, no doubt. Probably miles and miles from where she -
Awwwooooooooooo!
The echoing howl was much closer than the first one. It sounded quite close, in fact. Despite her instincts telling her to remain calm and rational Scarlet broke into a run, her knapsack banging against her back and her flip flops slapping the ground.