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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/IamHereNowAtLeast on 2024-11-04 04:35:22+00:00.

Two years ago, my best friend, Maggie, vanished.

One night, she was out with friends celebrating finals being done, laughing, living, just a college kid letting off steam. And the next morning? Gone. She was driving home to visit her parents for the weekend. Her car was found empty on a remote highway just outside of Meridian, Idaho, miles from town.

The police combed the area, but their conclusion was maddening.

“She’d been drinking with friends. We know that much. Something happened on the road. She stopped. Went looking for help and probably ended up succumbing to nature.”

Maggie probably had a drink or two after finishing finals… But no way she was drunk driving, if that’s what they were insinuating. That wasn’t Maggie.

Then one of the idiots even suggested she’d just taken off, like she’d decided on a whim to leave her life behind. But I knew Maggie. I knew she would never just disappear.

I knew something had happened to her. Something dark.

The police haven’t made any progress and consider Maggie’s case cold. I feel terrible for her and her family. Every time I pressed the police, I’d get the same tired answer.

“These things happen sometimes…”

I knew better.

Maggie didn’t just wander off, and neither did the two other college kids who’d vanished over the past five years after nights of partying, found only by their abandoned cars along these lonely mountain roads. Someone was out there, lurking, and if no one else was going to do anything about it, then I would.

Or I guess I’d try my best…

When my grandma passed away earlier this year, she left me an inheritance.

It wasn’t a fortune, but it was enough to change my life. Enough that I could take a break from work, enough that I didn’t have to worry about paying rent for a while. Enough to make a difference. I could’ve put it toward something practical, something responsible, but what good would that do when my best friend was still missing and the police weren’t even trying?

There was no better way to spend it than to find Maggie’s killer.

So, I put the money to use.

I bought five used cars at a local auction, all different models, different colors, all registered with different plates. I outfitted each with a dash cam on the front and back, and made each car as inconspicuous as possible.

My goal was simple: make myself look like a random college kid on the road each night, and hope that I could draw him out. I’d change my appearance too… wigs, hats, glasses.

I needed to blend in. I needed to look like an easy target.

For months, I drove that damned mountain road.

I mapped out a pattern from all the disappearances I could track, finding the routes where people had vanished while driving them alone in the dead of night.

Five nights a week, I was there, just waiting for him to follow me. I imagined what I would do when I caught him, how I’d turn the tables and make him face the consequences once I got him on camera.

But tonight, as I sat on the edge of the lonely highway, at 3 a.m., waiting in the black Toyota Camry I’d picked up, all I felt was exhaustion. The kind of tired that sits behind your eyes and digs in.

Too many nightmares, too many nights lying awake, feeling the weight of everything pressing in. Part of me thought about skipping it tonight, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk missing him. I climbed into the car, threw a thermos of coffee onto the passenger seat, and set off.

The road was empty, silent. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of branches in the breeze. I followed my usual route, the same one Maggie would have taken home that last night. For the first hour, there was nothing. Just empty darkness stretching ahead and behind. But then, just as I was about to turn back, I noticed headlights in the rearview mirror.

My pulse raced.

Cars sometimes popped up on this road, but not often.

And this one felt… wrong.

I tried to ignore the sense of dread building in my chest, telling myself it was just another driver, but my instincts wouldn’t let it go. The car was too close, its headlights glaring in my mirrors, keeping an unnerving distance.

I slowed down, just a little, just to see.

The car behind me slowed too, matching my pace perfectly. A chill crawled up my spine, but I kept my expression calm, my hands steady on the wheel. This was it. This had to be it.

I eased off the gas, letting my speed drop even further, almost to a crawl. If they wanted to pass, they’d have their chance. But they didn’t. They stayed right behind me, hanging back just far enough that I couldn’t make out the make or model of the car.

The seconds dragged on, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

I told myself to reach for my phone, to start recording from my POV as well, but my hands were frozen. I was too scared. I kept my eyes on the road, feeling my pulse thundering in my temples.

And then, just as suddenly as they’d appeared, the headlights veered off onto a side road, disappearing into the trees. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, feeling the tension drain from my body. Relief washed over me, followed by a sickening disappointment.

Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe I was just scaring myself.

I pulled over at a small turnout, resting my forehead against the steering wheel, my eyes stinging with exhaustion. My mind raced with doubts, questions, anger. What if I was wasting my time? What if Maggie was truly lost to something I could never find?

The world was silent, pressing in on me, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and close my eyes, just for a moment. I thought I’d rest for a few minutes, clear my head.

Then the sound of gravel crunching snapped me awake.

I looked up, heart pounding, to see headlights creeping up behind me. My blood ran cold as I recognized the car. It was the same one, back again. They’d been watching, waiting. I felt a surge of fear and anger as the driver’s door opened, and a figure stepped out, a tall, stocky man in a white shirt.

He didn’t hesitate. He was sprinting toward me, his steps heavy and determined.

Panic took over, and I fumbled with the keys, my fingers trembling as I jammed them into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I slammed on the gas, the tires spinning on the gravel before gripping. I shot forward, the headlights disappearing behind me as I sped down the road. In the rearview mirror, I saw him standing there, his face twisted in anger or disappointment. I couldn’t tell which. But I’d seen that look before, on other men, other nights. The look of a predator who had just lost his prey.

My hands were shaking as I drove, adrenaline flooding my veins, my mind a whirlwind of fear and fury. I’d been so certain I was in control, that I could outsmart him. But in that moment, I realized how wrong I’d been. I’d been playing with fire, and it almost consumed me.

I kept driving, my eyes darting to the rearview mirror every few seconds, half-expecting to see those headlights reappear. But the road remained empty, stretching out ahead of me like an endless, dark tunnel. It was only when I reached the lights of Meridian that I finally pulled over, my entire body shaking as I gripped the wheel.

I sat there in silence, staring into the darkness.

I still didn’t have the answers I wanted. But I felt like I was closer to finding the truth about what happened to Maggie. One thing was abundantly clear: He was still out there, waiting for someone else to stumble onto that road, another college kid, just like Maggie.

Honestly, I’m a little overwhelmed tonight.

I’m going to go get the USB memory cards from my dash cameras in the morning. I’m not ready to look at what’s on them yet. I know once I do… there’s no going back.