A/N: Next chapter is up. Since there is more than one version of the ghost hitchhiker myth, I chose the one from my knick of the woods.

Disclaimer: I think we all know the answer by now.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave. - Edna St. Vincent Millay

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

"That movie was so awesome," Sam exclaimed as they drove home from the movie theater. It was raining but the latest monster movie had had enough blood, gore, and violence to keep them talking about it for the rest of the week.

"Can I pick them or can I pick them?" Bobby asked. He was very proud of his movie choice.

"The fight scenes were pretty good but please – man-eating gerbils?" Reberto said.

"Those gerbils were awesome, man," Bobby replied.

"Yeah, right." They continued to discuss the movie, going every fight scene and arguing over how corny man-eating gerbils really are.

"Hey, check the girl," Bobby suddenly said. Wearing only a white dress, the girl stood shivering in the rain on the side of the road. She appeared to be about their age and was probably as wet as she was beautiful. "Think we should give her a lift?" The road they were driving down was a side road and very few people came that way at night.

"You know what they say about hitchhikers, right?"

"Oh come on. Her car probably broke down." Bobby pulled over to the side of the road and Reberto rolled his window down.

"Do you need a ride, miss?" he asked. The girl thanked them and got in the car.

"Where to?" Bobby asked as he started down the street.

"My mother's house, please. She lives on Gray Avenue in Bayville."

Sam took off his coat and offered it to her. "You need it more than I do," he said shyly. He was not good at talking to girls and the fact that she was sitting next to him only made him more nervous.

"Thank-you," she said politely, putting it on.

While they headed to Gray Avenue, they tried to make polite conversation with the girl but she said nothing except that her name was Lydia and she needed to get home as soon as possible. Since she didn't seem to want to talk and it would be rude to continue talking about the monster movie, the car quickly fell into an awkward silence. They were glad when they reached Lydia's house.

"Thank-you," she said, getting out of the car. She turned around and disappeared quickly and silently into the darkness.

"She hated us," Bobby announced once they had turned the corner of Gray Avenue.

"Wait, she has my coat," Sam suddenly realized.

"We'll get it tomorrow, it's late and they're probably starting to wonder where we are."

The next day they headed over to Lydia's house to pick up Sam's coat. Gray Avenue was different during the day. It appeared to be one of Bayville's older neighborhoods, as the houses, which they had not seen in the dark, were old and vintage looking.

"Is this the one?" Reberto asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Bobby answered. They got out of the car and walked up to the house. Sam rang the doorbell. They waited for a while but no one appeared. They rang the bell again and waited.

"This is why you don't trust hitchhikers." Suddenly the door opened and a little old lady appeared at the door.

"Uh, does Lydia live here?" Bobby asked, wondering if they had come to the wrong house.

The old woman looked at them with a mixture of confusion and sadness. "Lydia?"

"Yes," said Reberto. "We gave her a ride home yesterday."

"That's impossible," she said. "My Lydia has been dead years."

"What do you mean? We saw her." They began to describe her.

"Yes, my daughter Lydia. She died in a car accident about thirty years ago." The old woman seemed to notice the confusion on their faces. "If you don't believe then check the cemetery. You're not the first ones who've tried to bring her home."

"We're sorry, um, thank-you." They got back in the car.

"So what now?" Sam asked.

"We're checking the cemetery," Bobby answered.

"Why?"

"Because it just doesn't seem right."

The cemetery was eerily quiet as they walked through the graves. It didn't take them long to find Lydia, though. Something lay neatly folded atop one of the graves and upon approaching it they recognized it as Sam's coat. Sam picked it up slowly and looked nervously at the headstone.

Lydia Smith

Loving Daughter, Friend, and Sister

1960 - 1976

A/N: You know what to do: review!