Decoy

Decoy is a short horror story about a man who is driving in an isolated area when he stops to pick up a hitchhiker whose car has broken down. It is based on a tale from Japan.

One evening, I was driving along a lonely mountain road. The light was fading fast and it was beginning to rain. I had been driving for hours and my eyes were tired. I was having trouble staying awake.

As I negotiated a sharp bend, I noticed a man hitchhiking by the side of the road. Taking pity on him, I pulled over and picked him up. As he got into the car he thanked me for stopping.

“My car broke down,” he said. “I thought I was going to be stuck out there all night.”

We drove off down the mountain road. It started to get darker and the rain grew heavier.

“You’re not from around here,” said the man.

“No,” I replied. “I’m not.”

“You know this area is a black spot,” said the man. “It’s a dangerous road. Over the years, there have been many fatal accidents.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “It doesn’t look dangerous.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” he replied. “Countless victims have lost their lives here. Not all of them were killed in a car crash. The locals say this stretch of road is haunted…”

Just then, I saw something up ahead. There was a young woman standing in the middle of the road. In the glare of the headlights, I could see she was very beautiful. She was wet from the rain and the flimsy white dress she was wearing was see-through. She looked like she was naked.

As I slowed down, to take a closer look, the man in the passenger seat suddenly became upset.

“No! It’s a trick,” he said. “That woman is a decoy. Look in the rearview mirror!”

I glanced behind me just in time to see an old woman about to open the rear passenger door. Her face was rotting and covered in writhing maggots.

We both screamed as I floored the accelerator and the car lurched forward. we tore out of there like a bat out of hell and never looked back. When we reached the next town, I dropped the man off at a gas station and thanked him for saving my life.

I don’t think I will ever drive down that lonely mountain road again.