Lies in the Fog
2
It was something that none of us had talked about for a year now. It had been buried- We had made a pact to never speak of it again. The woman’s picture in the paper flashes through my mind. Newspaper headings taking note of a mysterious accident, in search of suspects. We had laid out our perfect alibis- Josh and I had stayed in and watched movies. My parents were out of town, they wouldn’t have had the chance to know otherwise. Jeremy had been working on his car; Ben had been on one of his photography outings. But that placed him dangerously close to the crime scene.
In truth, we had been out at Mackenzie Lake. The bunch of us had been going camping there since Jeremy got his license four years ago. I don’t think he ever wanted to take us, but his parents persuaded him I think. Within a few years it had just become tradition. That weekend Jeremy had to work in the morning, so we had to head back that night. We had all been drinking, but it was Jeremy that drove us home that night along the dark highway. The heat of summer and the moisture of the lake created a thick fog that held close to the ground, clinging to the pavement.
The highway had a series of bends along the lake that made it sketchy for even the nicest of afternoon weather. Jeremy hadn’t seen the headlights, and by the time any of us had taken note of them, the car was already lodged into the rock and us in the ditch. We were lucky we hadn’t hit the water. I remember hearing a scream, and realizing more or less that it was my own.
Jeremy swore, his language displaying the fragmented thoughts in his mind. It was Ben who first got out of the car to see if the woman was alright. I watched in the darkness as he dragged his feet back to the car, closed the door and looked out the windshield vacantly.
“Ben, what happened.”
“She… She’s dead. The car is a wreck. I don’t even think she’s in one piece.”
“What do you mean ‘she’s dead’”, Jeremy said, staring at Ben. “You have to be kidding me. You have to be fucking kidding me!”
Josh’s quiet voice repeated the same quiet lines over and over. Oh God, what did we do?
I just cried.
It was then and there that Jeremy told us that we would cover it up, that there was no point to calling the authorities if she was already dead; somebody else would come along and find her.
“It’s not our fault,” he told us. “She just swerved off the road. Nobody else saw it. They won’t question us if nobody else saw it. It’s a dangerous area to drive anyways- It could have happened to anyone.”
In truth, we had been out at Mackenzie Lake. The bunch of us had been going camping there since Jeremy got his license four years ago. I don’t think he ever wanted to take us, but his parents persuaded him I think. Within a few years it had just become tradition. That weekend Jeremy had to work in the morning, so we had to head back that night. We had all been drinking, but it was Jeremy that drove us home that night along the dark highway. The heat of summer and the moisture of the lake created a thick fog that held close to the ground, clinging to the pavement.
The highway had a series of bends along the lake that made it sketchy for even the nicest of afternoon weather. Jeremy hadn’t seen the headlights, and by the time any of us had taken note of them, the car was already lodged into the rock and us in the ditch. We were lucky we hadn’t hit the water. I remember hearing a scream, and realizing more or less that it was my own.
Jeremy swore, his language displaying the fragmented thoughts in his mind. It was Ben who first got out of the car to see if the woman was alright. I watched in the darkness as he dragged his feet back to the car, closed the door and looked out the windshield vacantly.
“Ben, what happened.”
“She… She’s dead. The car is a wreck. I don’t even think she’s in one piece.”
“What do you mean ‘she’s dead’”, Jeremy said, staring at Ben. “You have to be kidding me. You have to be fucking kidding me!”
Josh’s quiet voice repeated the same quiet lines over and over. Oh God, what did we do?
I just cried.
It was then and there that Jeremy told us that we would cover it up, that there was no point to calling the authorities if she was already dead; somebody else would come along and find her.
“It’s not our fault,” he told us. “She just swerved off the road. Nobody else saw it. They won’t question us if nobody else saw it. It’s a dangerous area to drive anyways- It could have happened to anyone.”