The Highwayman
By Andy Morris
Becky had never been afraid of the dark, before tonight. It wasn’t just the fact that she was on her own in Ben’s stupid broken-down car, it was also the fog. It had come from nowhere as if it had been lying in wait to ambush her as she drove through the New Forest. The ominous cloud had become so dense so quickly, she’d had to slow the car right down to a crawl just to stay on the narrow country road. Then a short while later the engine had spluttered and then died. That had been twenty minutes ago and she still couldn’t get it started. Becky cursed again, smacking the steering wheel for the tenth time.
Why hadn’t Ben got his car fixed yet? He is so useless! She couldn’t even phone him for help because there was no signal out here tonight. If this had been in the daytime she could have walked until she came to a house or she could have flagged down another passing motorist, but it wasn’t daytime any more. Becky had managed to stretch her spa day way into the evening and it was now nine-thirty at night and the thick rolling haze was making it hard to see anything outside. If she got out of the car she wouldn’t see where the ditches were at the side of the road and she’d probably end up falling flat on her face. Plus, there was no way she’d risk getting these shoes anywhere near all that mud. Instead, she’d left the headlights on while the amber hazard lights blinked their distress in the hope that someone would see her and stop to help. The trouble was she hadn’t seen a single car since she’d left Brockenhurst nearly an hour ago. All she could do was sit here in the dark like a lemon waving her phone around and hope she got a signal soon. She checked her phone again – No Service. That was another ten-quid added to the value of whatever present Ben was going to get her to make up for all this.
He’d better get saving because he had a lot of making up to do after tonight! She declared, reaching across to rummage around in the glove compartment. Maybe he’d left some white chocolate buttons in there for her? He hadn’t!
Right, Becky opened her handbag and took out her cigarettes. Ben, the fitness freak, didn’t like her smoking and he’d hate the idea of her lighting up in his precious car but at that moment she really didn’t care. Opening the window slightly she lit the cigarette and took a long drag. Becky was about to turn the radio on when…
What was that? She spun round in her seat but saw nothing. It was probably just the mist drifting by the window. Probably. The less she could see, the jumpier she was becoming. She took another drag, trying to ignore her growing unease as the heavy silence gave shape to more unseen threats. Outside, the fog continued its relentless advance. It crept off the moorland and slithered between the lonely trees of Wilverley Enclosure smothering everything in its path. If Ben was here, she thought, he’d be trying to scare her by pretending that the ghost of Mark Way was coming for her.
Damn it! Ben was such an idiot. Now she had the idea of ghosts in her head. Back in the summer, Ben had brought her out here to Wilverley Plain for a romantic picnic. It would have been nice except for the flies and dung all over the spot where they were going to sit. She’d told him he’d better pick nicer locations next time, or she wouldn’t be going again, and she wasn’t even joking! Ben had tried to impress her with his local knowledge. He’d told her about a nearby tree called The Wilverley Oak, which, in the eighteenth century, was where they used to hang smugglers and highwaymen. Later the tree had been struck by lightning, causing it to lose all its bark. The broken trunk and branches were said to look like a man, hence it had become known as The Naked Man. All that remained now though was just a small stump with a little plaque. Becky wasn’t impressed so Ben went on to tell her about the last person known to have been hanged there: A local man called Mark Way. He was a murderous highwayman, a smuggler and a master of disguise. It was said that he could impersonate anyone, even mimicking their voice. He’d make coaches stop at the side of the road before slaughtering all the passengers and making off with their valuables. Eventually, he was caught and subsequently hanged from The Wilverley Oak. Ben had concluded his lecture by telling her that Mark Way’s spirit still roams this part of the New Forest seeking out lonely travellers. It is said that when he finds his victim he drags them off the road, ties a noose around their neck and hangs them from a nearby tree.
Stupid Ben! Becky shivered and quickly wound up the window. The suffocating mist was even thicker now. The last trees still visible in Wilverley Enclosure had been quietly swallowed by the unwelcome gloom. There was nothing to see outside, not even the road showed up in the headlights anymore. It felt as if everything had been erased from the world and she was the only person left. Becky zipped her furry white jacket all the way up and glanced down at her phone again.
Yes! It had one bar. Quickly she dialled Ben’s number. He answered, as he’d been trained; on the second ring.
"Ben, where are you?" Becky was surprised by how high her voice sounded.
“I’m still at Sam’s place. Why, what’s wrong Princess?”
“Oh, you don’t get to call me that! Your car has broken down and I’m stuck on the Burley Road next to that Wilverley Plain. I need you to come and get me.”
He hesitated. “Okay. I’ll take Sam’s car and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“No.” Becky shook her head, pointing her finger as if he were stood in front of her. “You will be here in five minutes. I’ve been sat here for ages, Benjamin. Now hurry up.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. I’m coming.” He said obediently.
As Becky ended the call a movement to the right caught her eye. She’d definitely seen it this time. A shadow had just run past the driver’s side window. She risked a glance but whatever it was, it was gone.
Maybe it was a deer? A pony? No, it was too tall for either of those things. So was there something else out there hiding in the fog? She looked at her phone again and was about to phone her Mum when the movement drew her attention once more. It was on the opposite side this time, by the front passenger window. Only this time it didn’t move away. She could see it in her peripheral vision. It was looking in at her; watching her sit here all alone. Becky froze, head lowered, looking down at her phone. She couldn’t do anything else. Her unease from earlier was quickly dissolving into alarm now. She couldn’t look at it. Or him! Because that would make it real and he’d come and get her.
There’s nothing there! She tried to tell herself. But what if there is? In her mind’s eye, she saw a dark figure reaching in through the window to get her. Pin-pricks of dread began to pierce her all over. This was only going to get worse unless she dealt with it head-on. Becky mustered her courage, and without any further thought, she turned her head to look out of the window and… Nothing! She was spared the terror. Mercifully, there was nothing beyond the window. No ghosts, no highwaymen, just the dense grey mass like a giant cotton wool ball squeezing the car ever tighter. Sighing her relief Becky checked her phone again but saw the signal had gone. A thought struck her and she quickly scrambled to lock all the doors. She didn’t feel any safer though and as she put her hand to her chest she felt her heart pounding like mad. It hadn’t beat this furiously since she was doing her last round of beast training with Ben in Poole Park. She wished Ben was with her now, but he wasn’t. She took another drag on her cigarette. Squirming around in her seat she risked another glance out of the windows – front, sides and back. Nothing moved out there. Everything remained hauntingly quiet and unnaturally still in the murky netherworld surrounding the car. At least Ben’s friend only lived down the road in Sway, so he should be here soon, she tried to reassure herself.
He’d better be here soon anyway! It was at that moment that something made Becky look up. As she glanced into the rear-view mirror she saw a face glaring at her from the back seat. It took a moment for her brain to register what she was seeing: A dead man was sat right behind her in the back. His expression was one of malice as his thin blue lips snarled open, revealing a mouth of broken and blackened teeth. Becky barely noticed them as her attention was drawn to his terrible eyes. The bulging milky orbs seemed to glow with an eerie light, illuminating his pale withered features. She wasn’t imagining this! Cold terror exploded in her chest, driving the air from her lungs and for a moment she couldn’t even breathe. Becky gibbered in panic, unable to look away as the figure in black leaned closer. Those pasty strangled eyes now filled the mirror. Becky felt all her muscles go into spasm and was instantly paralysed. She sat in rigid, frozen terror as her skin crawled with the legs of a hundred spiders. She sensed rather than saw a skeletal hand reach around the side of the headrest. She screamed.
"Shh," the figure rasped, in a voice that sounded oddly like Ben’s.
He can impersonate anyone, even mimicking their voice. Somehow Becky found the door handle and her numb fingers fumbled with it. It wouldn’t open. She shrieked, tried again and this time it swung outwards. Only, as she tried to scramble out something held her back.
Oh god, he's got me! She screamed again, frantically fighting and hitting out before realising the seatbelt was still fastened. Desperately, she battled with the restraint until it released her and she tumbled out onto the hard tarmac. Everything was dark and grey outside and she couldn’t see more than a meter in front. She had no idea which way she was going. Panic drove her as she stumbled away from the car. Within seconds she was swallowed by the gathering mist, disorientated and lost. As she staggered away the cruel sound of Ben’s taunting laughter echoed all around her.
Ben finally arrived at Wilverley Plain. The weather had forced him to drive slowly, even though he knew it was unwise to keep his girlfriend waiting. Fortunately, he’d made it without hitting any wildlife or running Sam’s car into a ditch. He spotted his own car and the amber blinking of the hazard lights and wondered why the driver’s door was wide open. Ben pulled up in front of it and climbed out into the thick pea soup.
“Becky?” he called. His voice seemed to echo all around him in the foggy night. “Becky!”
“Ben?” she shouted back from somewhere. It was hard to make out where her voice came from. He called again and wandered away from the cars.
“Ben, hurry up. There’s someone out there” Becky rushed into his arms, squeezing him tightly. “There was someone in the car!”
“What?” Ben said looking around. He’d never seen her this frightened before, not even when he’d persuaded her to see the film ‘IT’. Her concern triggered his paternalistic instincts. Ben always relished the role of protector and he made a show of shielding her with his body as he turned around in a full circle, pushing out his chest and peering into the heavy mist.
“What happened?” he asked gently, still scanning the immediate vicinity for any threats.
“There was someone in the car” Becky pointed a shaky finger back towards the two vehicles.
“Right, we’ll see about that. Come on.” He led the way over to the car bunching his fists and flexing his tattooed arms in case the other guy was still hanging around. Ben wasn’t worried; he could easily take care of himself.
When he noticed Becky wasn’t following him he turned back. She was standing where he’d left her. Only, she was no longer wearing that furry white jacket. In its place was a long black coat; dirty and tattered. Her face was hidden beneath what looked like a battered old tricorne hat, the kind that people used to wear in the olden days. Then the figure, whom he’d thought was Becky, slowly lifted its head, its glowing white eyes burned with silent hatred. In its hand; Ben noticed a long coil of rope tied in a hangman’s knot. Ben hesitated, then gasped loudly as the spectral highwayman charged straight for him.
Why hadn’t Ben got his car fixed yet? He is so useless! She couldn’t even phone him for help because there was no signal out here tonight. If this had been in the daytime she could have walked until she came to a house or she could have flagged down another passing motorist, but it wasn’t daytime any more. Becky had managed to stretch her spa day way into the evening and it was now nine-thirty at night and the thick rolling haze was making it hard to see anything outside. If she got out of the car she wouldn’t see where the ditches were at the side of the road and she’d probably end up falling flat on her face. Plus, there was no way she’d risk getting these shoes anywhere near all that mud. Instead, she’d left the headlights on while the amber hazard lights blinked their distress in the hope that someone would see her and stop to help. The trouble was she hadn’t seen a single car since she’d left Brockenhurst nearly an hour ago. All she could do was sit here in the dark like a lemon waving her phone around and hope she got a signal soon. She checked her phone again – No Service. That was another ten-quid added to the value of whatever present Ben was going to get her to make up for all this.
He’d better get saving because he had a lot of making up to do after tonight! She declared, reaching across to rummage around in the glove compartment. Maybe he’d left some white chocolate buttons in there for her? He hadn’t!
Right, Becky opened her handbag and took out her cigarettes. Ben, the fitness freak, didn’t like her smoking and he’d hate the idea of her lighting up in his precious car but at that moment she really didn’t care. Opening the window slightly she lit the cigarette and took a long drag. Becky was about to turn the radio on when…
What was that? She spun round in her seat but saw nothing. It was probably just the mist drifting by the window. Probably. The less she could see, the jumpier she was becoming. She took another drag, trying to ignore her growing unease as the heavy silence gave shape to more unseen threats. Outside, the fog continued its relentless advance. It crept off the moorland and slithered between the lonely trees of Wilverley Enclosure smothering everything in its path. If Ben was here, she thought, he’d be trying to scare her by pretending that the ghost of Mark Way was coming for her.
Damn it! Ben was such an idiot. Now she had the idea of ghosts in her head. Back in the summer, Ben had brought her out here to Wilverley Plain for a romantic picnic. It would have been nice except for the flies and dung all over the spot where they were going to sit. She’d told him he’d better pick nicer locations next time, or she wouldn’t be going again, and she wasn’t even joking! Ben had tried to impress her with his local knowledge. He’d told her about a nearby tree called The Wilverley Oak, which, in the eighteenth century, was where they used to hang smugglers and highwaymen. Later the tree had been struck by lightning, causing it to lose all its bark. The broken trunk and branches were said to look like a man, hence it had become known as The Naked Man. All that remained now though was just a small stump with a little plaque. Becky wasn’t impressed so Ben went on to tell her about the last person known to have been hanged there: A local man called Mark Way. He was a murderous highwayman, a smuggler and a master of disguise. It was said that he could impersonate anyone, even mimicking their voice. He’d make coaches stop at the side of the road before slaughtering all the passengers and making off with their valuables. Eventually, he was caught and subsequently hanged from The Wilverley Oak. Ben had concluded his lecture by telling her that Mark Way’s spirit still roams this part of the New Forest seeking out lonely travellers. It is said that when he finds his victim he drags them off the road, ties a noose around their neck and hangs them from a nearby tree.
Stupid Ben! Becky shivered and quickly wound up the window. The suffocating mist was even thicker now. The last trees still visible in Wilverley Enclosure had been quietly swallowed by the unwelcome gloom. There was nothing to see outside, not even the road showed up in the headlights anymore. It felt as if everything had been erased from the world and she was the only person left. Becky zipped her furry white jacket all the way up and glanced down at her phone again.
Yes! It had one bar. Quickly she dialled Ben’s number. He answered, as he’d been trained; on the second ring.
"Ben, where are you?" Becky was surprised by how high her voice sounded.
“I’m still at Sam’s place. Why, what’s wrong Princess?”
“Oh, you don’t get to call me that! Your car has broken down and I’m stuck on the Burley Road next to that Wilverley Plain. I need you to come and get me.”
He hesitated. “Okay. I’ll take Sam’s car and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“No.” Becky shook her head, pointing her finger as if he were stood in front of her. “You will be here in five minutes. I’ve been sat here for ages, Benjamin. Now hurry up.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. I’m coming.” He said obediently.
As Becky ended the call a movement to the right caught her eye. She’d definitely seen it this time. A shadow had just run past the driver’s side window. She risked a glance but whatever it was, it was gone.
Maybe it was a deer? A pony? No, it was too tall for either of those things. So was there something else out there hiding in the fog? She looked at her phone again and was about to phone her Mum when the movement drew her attention once more. It was on the opposite side this time, by the front passenger window. Only this time it didn’t move away. She could see it in her peripheral vision. It was looking in at her; watching her sit here all alone. Becky froze, head lowered, looking down at her phone. She couldn’t do anything else. Her unease from earlier was quickly dissolving into alarm now. She couldn’t look at it. Or him! Because that would make it real and he’d come and get her.
There’s nothing there! She tried to tell herself. But what if there is? In her mind’s eye, she saw a dark figure reaching in through the window to get her. Pin-pricks of dread began to pierce her all over. This was only going to get worse unless she dealt with it head-on. Becky mustered her courage, and without any further thought, she turned her head to look out of the window and… Nothing! She was spared the terror. Mercifully, there was nothing beyond the window. No ghosts, no highwaymen, just the dense grey mass like a giant cotton wool ball squeezing the car ever tighter. Sighing her relief Becky checked her phone again but saw the signal had gone. A thought struck her and she quickly scrambled to lock all the doors. She didn’t feel any safer though and as she put her hand to her chest she felt her heart pounding like mad. It hadn’t beat this furiously since she was doing her last round of beast training with Ben in Poole Park. She wished Ben was with her now, but he wasn’t. She took another drag on her cigarette. Squirming around in her seat she risked another glance out of the windows – front, sides and back. Nothing moved out there. Everything remained hauntingly quiet and unnaturally still in the murky netherworld surrounding the car. At least Ben’s friend only lived down the road in Sway, so he should be here soon, she tried to reassure herself.
He’d better be here soon anyway! It was at that moment that something made Becky look up. As she glanced into the rear-view mirror she saw a face glaring at her from the back seat. It took a moment for her brain to register what she was seeing: A dead man was sat right behind her in the back. His expression was one of malice as his thin blue lips snarled open, revealing a mouth of broken and blackened teeth. Becky barely noticed them as her attention was drawn to his terrible eyes. The bulging milky orbs seemed to glow with an eerie light, illuminating his pale withered features. She wasn’t imagining this! Cold terror exploded in her chest, driving the air from her lungs and for a moment she couldn’t even breathe. Becky gibbered in panic, unable to look away as the figure in black leaned closer. Those pasty strangled eyes now filled the mirror. Becky felt all her muscles go into spasm and was instantly paralysed. She sat in rigid, frozen terror as her skin crawled with the legs of a hundred spiders. She sensed rather than saw a skeletal hand reach around the side of the headrest. She screamed.
"Shh," the figure rasped, in a voice that sounded oddly like Ben’s.
He can impersonate anyone, even mimicking their voice. Somehow Becky found the door handle and her numb fingers fumbled with it. It wouldn’t open. She shrieked, tried again and this time it swung outwards. Only, as she tried to scramble out something held her back.
Oh god, he's got me! She screamed again, frantically fighting and hitting out before realising the seatbelt was still fastened. Desperately, she battled with the restraint until it released her and she tumbled out onto the hard tarmac. Everything was dark and grey outside and she couldn’t see more than a meter in front. She had no idea which way she was going. Panic drove her as she stumbled away from the car. Within seconds she was swallowed by the gathering mist, disorientated and lost. As she staggered away the cruel sound of Ben’s taunting laughter echoed all around her.
Ben finally arrived at Wilverley Plain. The weather had forced him to drive slowly, even though he knew it was unwise to keep his girlfriend waiting. Fortunately, he’d made it without hitting any wildlife or running Sam’s car into a ditch. He spotted his own car and the amber blinking of the hazard lights and wondered why the driver’s door was wide open. Ben pulled up in front of it and climbed out into the thick pea soup.
“Becky?” he called. His voice seemed to echo all around him in the foggy night. “Becky!”
“Ben?” she shouted back from somewhere. It was hard to make out where her voice came from. He called again and wandered away from the cars.
“Ben, hurry up. There’s someone out there” Becky rushed into his arms, squeezing him tightly. “There was someone in the car!”
“What?” Ben said looking around. He’d never seen her this frightened before, not even when he’d persuaded her to see the film ‘IT’. Her concern triggered his paternalistic instincts. Ben always relished the role of protector and he made a show of shielding her with his body as he turned around in a full circle, pushing out his chest and peering into the heavy mist.
“What happened?” he asked gently, still scanning the immediate vicinity for any threats.
“There was someone in the car” Becky pointed a shaky finger back towards the two vehicles.
“Right, we’ll see about that. Come on.” He led the way over to the car bunching his fists and flexing his tattooed arms in case the other guy was still hanging around. Ben wasn’t worried; he could easily take care of himself.
When he noticed Becky wasn’t following him he turned back. She was standing where he’d left her. Only, she was no longer wearing that furry white jacket. In its place was a long black coat; dirty and tattered. Her face was hidden beneath what looked like a battered old tricorne hat, the kind that people used to wear in the olden days. Then the figure, whom he’d thought was Becky, slowly lifted its head, its glowing white eyes burned with silent hatred. In its hand; Ben noticed a long coil of rope tied in a hangman’s knot. Ben hesitated, then gasped loudly as the spectral highwayman charged straight for him.