**Author's Note: This is probably more of a comedy, since it is my first attempt at horror. Anycrap, I broke it up because it's long, but it is a completed story and part of a series. It's also a little out of context, but it is 'Third Watch' all the way. I just thought I'd do a little something for Halloween.**


Drive Jimmy!...Just Drive!
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"Would you quit that and put in a CD or something!" cried Jimmy, swatting Bobby's hand away from the car radio.

"I wanna listen to KissFM," retorted Bobby, fighting the driver off with one hand while turning the dial with the other.

Jimmy withdrew from the fight, sensing he'd never win against the stubborn paramedic anyway. "I don't think it's working," he observed with a sigh. "There must be bad reception around here."

Bobby put his forehead to the passenger window and peered into the blackness of the night. "There's nothing out there," he reported snidely. "How can anything interfere with the reception? We're in the middle of BungHole, New York, on some country road. The only thing that should interfere with my listening to tunes is a cow out there holding a transponder... And I definitely ain't seeing that happening any time soon!"

Subconsciously, Jimmy slowed the Jeep as he leaned forward to peer out the front window. He too noticed how desolate the area was- farmless, peopless and shrouded in darkness. He sat back in the driver's seat and picked up speed again. "Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere?" he suggested.

The man beside him shrugged and flicked off the radio- the perpetual static finally grating on his nerves. This left them in near silence. The only sound coming from under the hood of Jimmy's Jeep.

"Who gave you the directions?" Bobby asked, his voice echoing off the glass.

"I got them from Bosco," replied Jimmy with a frown, now realizing his mistake.

"You should have gotten them from Carlos, you moron."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Or better yet, from Davis. After all, he is the one who rented the place."

Several weeks prior, Davis had gotten the idea that renting a cottage for a couple of days would do the guys of the 'third watch' all some good. The purpose, to isolate themselves and get in some good fishing and bonding. Well, Davis wanted to bond- he'd been watching too much Oprah lately. The others had just wanted to fish and drink beer.

Davis had arranged the whole week-end trip, and now Jimmy and Bobby- who had been delayed in New York an extra day, were driving up to meet the rest of the group.

Unfortunately somewhere along the way a wrong turn had been made. And now Jimmy and Bobby were driving along a deserted dirt road that seemed to not only lack in civilization, but road signs as well.

"That's strange," commented Jimmy, quickly rolling down his window to inspect the sudden change of events. He stuck his hand outside and watched it dissolve in the light mist. "When did this appear?"

Bobby shuddered when he looked out the front window. Out of nowhere a fog had descended upon them- filtering out what previous landscape they could see. "That was fast," he replied.

Jimmy pulled his hand in and rolled up the window. "We better find a place to pull over and ask for directions," he said.

"I'll call Davis." Bobby pulled out his cell phone. But after a few attempts to establish a line he hung it up and reached for Jimmy's.

"Not working?"

"Nope," replied Davis, re-dialing the number, this time on the firefighter's phone. "And neither is this," he finished, tossing the dead cell onto the dash. He leaned forward, peering up at the sky through the front windshield. "Maybe a storm's coming," he said with a shrug. "That might explain the reception being all fucked up."

Jimmy nodded slowly and put both hands on the wheel. The fog was becoming thicker and he didn't want to take any chances of losing control. "Let's see-"

"Watch out!" screamed Bobby, as he gripped the dashboard of the Jeep, readying himself for impact.

Jimmy slammed on the brakes as the Jeep came to a screeching halt on the dark, deserted side road. With his heart pounding against his chest, he pried his hands off the steering wheel and stared out into the utter murkiness before him. He glanced at Bobby. "Where did they go?" he asked slowly.

Bobby was leaning forward in his seat studying the eery landscape stretched out beyond the windshield- speechless and panting, with no reply.

Jimmy rolled down his window, darting his head around to get a better picture of their surroundings. His heart beating rapidly, he could feel the sweat running down his back. The adrenaline rush was taking it's toll as he leaned out his window to look for the two bodies. "They...were just here..." he stammered in an excited voice. "I saw them at the last second. Where did they go?"

Jimmy flushed as the image of two bodies, lying torn and bruised under the Jeep, crept into his mind. He quickly grabbed the door handle and rushed out of the vehicle. Bobby climbed out the other side and joined him at the front.

Jimmy pointed to the ground, and the two men dropped to their knees and searched under the car for the two bodies. They looked at each other from their prone positions with shock and confusion.

Nothing but empty space occupied the area.

Jimmy hoisted himself upright while Bobby remained on the ground bewildered.

Spinning on the spot, Jimmy tried to find the bodies that had been standing in this exact spot on the road just moments ago. "They were right here!" he exclaimed with concern, pointing at the ground.

Bobby stood up and began his own spinning survey of the area. His effort came up empty. He was still shaking from the after shock of the adrenaline rush, and it was visible in his voice as he tilted the hat off his forehead and looked at Jimmy with uncertainty. "So, it's not just me? You saw them too?" he asked, his eyes wide with apprehension.

"Yeah," replied Jimmy, still trying to find the two bodies somewhere on the road. "There was a woman and a little girl standing right here!" he exclaimed as he pointed to the gravel at his feet again. "They were right here!"

"I saw them too," replied Bobby, rubbing his hands vigorously down his face. A sudden chill ran through his blood and he gripped Jimmy's arm tightly. He looked into his eyes as a sudden awareness sprang into his mind. "Did you feel the impact?" he asked slowly, not sure which answer he wanted to hear.

"No," replied Jimmy, scratching his temple. "I don't think so...I was concentrating on stopping the Jeep I don't think I noticed."

"This...this isn't good," stammered Bobby. "They have to be here somewhere! Let's look around," he suggested, as he slapped Jimmy on the shoulder and jogged around the side of the Jeep.

Jimmy took a deep breath and decided to check the side of the road first- there was a chance the two bodies had been thrown to the side upon impact. It was a bit of a long shot, but there didn't seem to be any evidence of them anywhere else. He flicked on the light of his watch and used it as a flashlight to survey the ground.

There were no streetlights in this area and the fog had grown more dense, making visibility almost nil. His watch light was not producing much illumination, so he decided to retrieve the real flashlight from the Jeep. He turned around to head back when he realized he was all alone. The mixture of fog and nightfall had made it impossible to see further than an arm's length away. "Bobby!" he called into the strange night.

"Yeah!" came back his friend's muffled voice. Jimmy started walking in that direction until he could see the Jeep again. With a sigh of relief, he approached the open door of the vehicle and leaned in to find the flashlight.

"Looking for this?" asked Bobby, sneaking up behind him and flashing the bright light into his eyes.

Jimmy nearly jumped out of his skin. "Don't you ever do that again!" he yelled briskly, as he grabbed the flashlight from Bobby's hand.

"Sorry," laughed the paramedic, as he surrendered the object. "Any luck?" he asked, leaning against the side of the car.

"No. You?"

Bobby shook his head. "This is weird," he started. "I know they were there, but why aren't they here now?"

Jimmy just shrugged. He was just as confused as his friend, and he didn't know exactly what to say. He was sure there had been two bodies standing in the middle of the road, but now there was no evidence they had ever existed. With a new idea, Jimmy made a silent gesture for Bobby to stay put and swung around to the front of the Jeep.

Never one to listen to Jimmy, Bobby followed and found the firefighter examining the ground inches from the front bumper. "What are you thinking?" he asked nervously.

"There's nothing here," Jimmy answered, looking up at Bobby.

"I know *that*."

"No," started Jimmy, as he rose slowly. "I mean there's nothing here." He pointed to the ground waving his hand over the general area of the supposed accident. "There's no dent...no blood...no indication that anyone was even here." Jimmy's voice was shaky as enunciated his startling conclusion.

"What about those?" Bobby asked, pointing to the mess of footprints on the gravel

"Those are ours."

"How can you be so sure? They could be someone else's?"

"Do you see anyone else here?!" Jimmy exclaimed, as he brushed past Bobby on route back to the Jeep's door. He sat down and retrieved his phone from the dashboard. "Hello. Hello?" he repeated into the mouth piece, refusing to hear the constant static gushing from the ear piece.

"What are you doing?" asked Bobby, joining him at the door.

"I'm reporting the accident- " Jimmy started, then realized it's pointlessness. What was he going to say?...911, we just ran over two pedestrians...No, no injuries...and no bodies either! He shook his head and replaced the cell phone on the dashboard.

It just didn't make sense. They were driving along when all of a sudden two bodies, one woman and one child, appeared in the middle of the road immediately in front of the them. Jimmy was sure he had hit them, but couldn't figure out why he or Bobby couldn't find them anywhere. The situation was starting to scare him a little- to say the least.

The road they were on was dark and deserted, and the fog was making it feel all the more spooky. Most of the houses and farms in this area were a good distance from the road, which added isolation to the already frightful predicament. "Well," started Jimmy, feeling helpless. "I guess we should- "

"Hey wait," whispered Bobby, grabbing his arm. "I think I hear something," he continued, as he pushed off from the Jeep and stepped towards the side of the road.

Jimmy leaned forward and listened intensely for any break in the sheer silence. He put his foot on the ground and the gravel shifted under his footfall.

"Shhh!" urged Bobby, waving his hand at him behind his back. Jimmy cast an irritated glance and craned forward to listen again. "Hello!" called Bobby into the bleak night. "Is anyone out there?"

Then Jimmy heard it too.

He could hear heavy breathing coming closer to their position. He stood up slowly and approached his friend who was leaning with his ear pointed in the direction of the sound. The panting became louder and Jimmy couldn't help but place a hand on Bobby's shoulder.

The motion startled Bobby, but he quickly regained composure. The two of them stood there in certain silence squinting into the fog, waiting anxiously to see what would be accompanying the heavy panting.

Jimmy was aware of himself holding his breath, and he was pretty sure Bobby was too. The panting grew louder and more rapid as the two men stood frozen as statues on the road.

Then it appeared.

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(Read on...please.)