She Just Got Into My Car

One evening, I left my girlfriend's house and drove home. Before I left, she had been sitting in my car with me, and when she got out she forgot to lock the passenger door.

I chose a main road instead of my usual route. There were very few cars, but a woman was pacing beside a bus stop. When she saw my car, she flagged me down. I stopped and reached over to lower the window. Before I could react, she opened the unlocked passenger door and sat down.

She said she was trying to get home, that her phone had died, and that she had missed the last bus. She did not initially seem threatening, so I offered to drive her. After I asked for directions, she directed me into a residential neighborhood and began talking nonstop.

She thanked me repeatedly, complimented my appearance and car, and remarked that it was nice to find someone so trusting. At a stop sign, she gave me a wide, unsettling smile. I noticed that her pupils were dilated and moving rapidly. I began to regret letting her into the car and started looking for a way to get her out without escalating the situation.

She asked to borrow my phone so she could call a friend. I lied and said I did not have one. Almost immediately, a notification sounded. When she pointed out the lie, her expression changed, and she said she did not appreciate being deceived.

She directed me toward a dead end. I pulled over and claimed that my car was overheating. I turned the engine off, opened the trunk, and told her I needed a flashlight to inspect the problem. I asked her to stand near the front of the car and hold the light. Once she was in position, I handed her the flashlight, pretended to open the hood, then returned to the driver's seat.

I restarted the car, reversed far enough to create distance, shifted into drive, and drove away. As I passed under a streetlight, I saw that she was holding a knife. A large man then stepped out of the shadows and stood beside her. They walked away together.

I still do not know whether they intended to rob me, steal the car, or cause something worse. I only know that the woman appeared to be waiting for someone to stop, and that the man was already positioned near the place she had led me. I should never have let a stranger into my car, but the decision to fake a mechanical problem may have prevented the encounter from becoming dangerous.