Manipulation: Story Fragment

Manipulation

I've been driving across Oregon, when I stop at a rest stop.  Right before I leave again, a pedestrian jumps out in front of my car sticking his thumb out.  I pick him up and hurry on my way.

We’re on the road, and the unnamed hitchhiker is breathing heavily.  I ask him where he’s going but all he’ll tell me is that he’s tired and needs time to rest.  I could stop, or be more forceful, but I have other things on my mind so I let it be.

Later, it occurs to me that he was running from something, possibly, because he’s so winded.  I try to interrogate him, but he gives me only one word answers when he doesn’t remain silent.  Of course I’m suspicious, but there's not much I can do and I was being of service to this guy.  I've been watching the cars behind me on the road, and we’re definitely being followed.  When I notify him of this, he commands me to pull over at the exit.  This exit, not the next one.  I’m not prepared, and almost miss it, but we make it up onto the road. 

He is clearly awake now and watching all around us as he gives me directions for which roads to take.  I’m too focused on driving to ask, but it seems like he knows the area well.  We go into the depths of the town, probably in an attempt to lose whoever it is that’s following us.

Soon he calms down, and I pull over.  In my head, I’m yelling at myself for not being more forceful with this guy, because now I’m gonna be late and also involved in something I had no intention of being involved in.  I’m about to ask him to get out of my car, or at least to tell me what he wants, but then he tells me to get out of my car, and I’m about to argue when he slams the door shut and I realize the car keys are gone.

Up to this point, I've been unable to take any action for myself, and I’m ready to do something about it, but he disappears into the alleyway so I run after him, demanding that he return my keys.  I venture in, and watch him motion to me to come.  He’s standing over something, but I can’t see it very well.  Right as I get there, he pulls up on the wooden platform he’s standing on and climbs down into it.  I’m now faced with a decision, but I won’t abandon my car, so I climb down the ladder after him.

I climb down the ladder, and stand up in a small cellar, with some old camp chairs, a single light bulb, and some crates of something.   There's also an old, but sturdy metal door.  He starts whispering to me.

"Now my actions so far have been odd, uncalled for, and maybe even controlling, but clearly, you're the right person for the job, because it was incredibly easy to manipulate you.”

I begin to protest, but he silences me and continues.

“Be quiet, and I’ll give you back your keys.  I need you for this.”

Result:

He was the hitchhiker first, but now I’m the key component to his plan.  Also, at any point I could have easily backed out, but I didn’t, so now I’m stuck in a cellar in a town I don’t recognize in Oregon, with a person who has my car keys so I can’t leave even if I did escape.  I was just trying to be nice!

I wrote this as part of a school assignment in the end of 2024. it was supposed to demonstrate the Butterfly Effect, as we had just finished reading "A Sound Of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. Reading his short stories was a lot of fun, and I enjoy writing short things like this. Later, I wrote an alternate middle and end for that same Ray Bradbury story.