Disbelief shot through my brain when I saw the year. How in the hell is it 1940? Yeah, I’m not stupid. I saw the strange car models and style. Of course, I’m wearing the clothes but the reality of the situation smacked me hard. It meant more than just getting back to my world.

Didn’t Marty screw up the timeline back in the movie?

Now, I’m not a math guy. Hell, I never passed college algebra. But I enjoy reading enough to browse through articles about science and fiction, stuff about dimensions, time travel, and other cool things. I remembered the mathematicians seemed pretty consistent on the point that traveling back in time would destroy the person along the way. It’s not like there’s a working version of a TARDIS or Doc Brown’s DeLorean hanging around outside. My fleeting thought came to a basic question.

Was my body destroyed going back in time and this is my soul?

No, that didn’t make sense, I decided. After all, my appearance remained the same. Nothing showed me this place was those light novel fantasy stories about reincarnation into another body. On top of that, I doubt a soul gets through a wormhole. I kept telling myself that I needed to focus on this logically.

Yeah, I got an invisible secretary! That’s logical.

Frowning, I went to the window and pushed my hand through the blinds to view the outside. The building across the street showed several open windows as I mulled over my predicament. I noticed people moving about inside some windows, realizing that other lives carried on.

I’m just one character of many. The cold reality of my observation forces me to think of two options which I didn’t want to face.

I’m dead and this is my afterlife!

Since I just can’t buy the idea that I reincarnated into the past, that leaves another option.

I’m trapped in a time and space anomaly!

Somehow, it made more sense until I thought the idea through. How can Miss Wonderful and her goons put me here? Doesn’t that mean that I’m trapped?

“Or am I?

There was something running through my brain, a flicker of inspiration as I considered my keys and wallet. The whole scenario reminded me of the stages of grief. Now, I couldn’t remember them all, but I certainly remembered the final two being depression and acceptance. At this point, I’m going past the depression stage.

Then, I cursed that Miss Wonderful bitch more than a few times while coming to terms with my situation.

Entering the outer office, I still hoped to see the invisible woman. Somehow, I believed that seeing her in the flesh might help me get out of this place. Maybe she was a key.

Again, that sounds like some fantasy, I thought as I dismissed the idea.

I needed to focus.

The chair made no movement in my presence, and I wasn’t sure if she sat there or not. The honking of cars outside the open office window caught my attention. I carefully stepped to the window, looking out at the slightly busy street below. That’s when I realized I needed help to find my car.

“If you’re still here, can you tell me what my car looks like and where it might be parked?”

My voice kind of squeaked out the words. Seriously, I sounded stupid talking to an empty chair. However, the chair moved, and the button flipped on the box at her desk. Her sexy voice came to me from the other room.

I get it, it's an intercom!

“Mr. Dagger, I swear that you’ve got the brain of an amnesiac. I keep telling you it’s a gray Hudson and you always park it out front or on the side street.”

My mind stuttered at what I heard for several reasons. First, I can’t hear the secretary in the room where I’m standing.

She realizes I can’t talk directly to her and that I can’t see her.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Second, this invisible being has intelligence. It’s not a game NPC. However, the way she described Lane Dagger showed that he’s lost his car before.

“What do you mean? When was the last time I asked?”

I hear a sigh coming from the other room.

“You’ve asked me at least five times this year.”

What can that mean? Damn it, I don’t need more mysteries!

With that news, I left the crazy office on my way out of town.

I’m riding off into the sunset.

When I stepped into the narrow hall, I nearly tripped over a steel bucket filled with dirty water. The old man holding the mop handle gave me a dirty look and I’m betting that annoyed look reveals more than me bumping his pail. I apologized as I hurried away.

When I got to the sidewalk, I stopped to take it in. More appropriately dressed, I looked around to see the reactions of the people. Like a scene from old movies, the men and women pass me, some even saying hello. But they’re no longer staring at me like I have a third eye.

While I survey the vehicles driven by are all antiques, it brings back a memory of an old car show when I was a kid. It brought a warm memory of nostalgia to my face. I took a deep breath and smelled the air. The traces of auto exhaust mixed with a nearby burning stove made me cough.

It’s not a dream and damn well not a game.

Stepping away, I examined each gray car along the street. While I’m walking along, a policeman talking into a call box at the corner grabbed my interest. He’s a big guy in a navy-blue uniform, wearing a simple leather holster for his revolver. There’s no radio attached to him or bulletproof vest, along with all the other things I recall the police wearing after I got pulled over for speeding.

Mildly entranced at the scene, I started wondering where the guy’s radio and car were located. However, the uniformed man noticed my gaze and took a long look my way. There was no doubt he recognized me. A sudden panic swept through me. Suppressing my nerves, I continued walking and turned the corner building while glancing back at the policeman. I noticed the cop lost interest in me when I looked back.

When I turned around, I ran right into another sidewalk pedestrian. Luckily, neither of us went down as we both backed away in surprise at the light impact. That’s when I recognized him.

Boris Karloff!

No freaking way!

Seriously, I nearly knocked over the famous movie villain on the sidewalk. The same guy I remembered from watching all those Halloween movie nights over the years. While Karloff glared at me for a moment, he mumbled his apologies in that low, raspy voice and stepped by me. I stood there like a dipshit, trying to overcome a strange and ludicrous urge to ask for an autograph. By the time I picked up my jaw from the sidewalk; the man crossed the street. I noticed he kept looking back at me, growing visibly concerned as I stared after him. I suppose I looked like a rabid fan as I stood there. Then another thought strikes me. I get the insane notion that I’m on a movie set.

Oh, get real! Does this place look like a movie set?

Shaking my head at the stupid idea, I continue to search. Finding a gray car along the street, I saw the badge on the Hudson logo on the trunk. I pulled out my keys and tried the handle on the driver’s side. To my surprise, it opened, and I carefully got in. Now, the first thing I saw was a huge steering wheel and a wood console with only the speedometer on the driver’s side. The fuel and temperature gauge are in the center of the car.

Seriously?

When I turned the key to start the car, the damn thing lurched forward. I look at my feet and see two pedals next to the gas pedal.

Crap, I’ve never driven a car with a manual transmission.

I pressed my feet on pedals and started the car. After experimenting with the pedals, I figured out which is the clutch and the brake were since the gas pedal is obvious. Finally, I struggled to turn the steering wheel to pull out of the parking spot. Maybe I should just walk, I thought after the first try, when I nearly hit the car in front of me.

Several hours later, I discovered that escape from my prison was impossible. Sure, you’d think that just driving out of the town is easy. I drove every road out of Stull Junction. But the placed fucked with me. When I reached the city limits sign, a bright flash occurred and the next thing I know, I’m driving back into Stull Junction on the same damn road. No need to tell you how screwed up that is, right?

On the third attempt to flee this creepy city, the clouds grew dark overhead and a few minutes later; the rain started. With no map, I could only follow the street that led to highways. I stopped a few times at the occasional gas station I found and asked for directions. Unfortunately, the assistance I received only got me to the city limits.

Yep, Stull Junction wouldn’t let me leave. Oh, I know, it sounds nuts. But it happened each time I reached the city limit sign. A bright light blinded me for a split second, only to find that my car mysteriously did a 180 on the street and I’m driving back how I came. After a couple of times, I kind of grew used to it. I believe my experiment proved that point.

“I’m willing to bet this place is somewhere in Hell!” I blurted out.

Still, I wasn’t going down without a fight. I continued to turn down one street, then the next. Finally, as the rain came down even harder, I took a road into the foothills that overlooked the city. I strongly suspected that the town probably didn’t even exist on a map. The damn roads became just another puzzle that drove him on the verge of crazy.

“Come on; this has to go someplace!”

Yes, I realize that I’m shouting inside an empty car that my great grandfather probably would have liked.

Hell, why not!

It’s dark, I’m lost, and it’s raining cats and dogs outside. Well, it’s just a typhoon-like storm, but I figured animals falling out of the sky might come next. The car’s wipers just smear buckets of water across the windshield. Logically, my howls of frustration over the din of rain, the grind of gears, along with the hellish road noise, didn’t make much sense. At this point, I’m just wanting to curl up and call it a day.

It’s a perfect end to my hellish day!