We were within a mile-and-a-half of the service roads when we found it. Micah sprinted for the Jeep, climbed over the passenger seat, and raided the snacks in the back. Finding half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, he ripped open the plastic bag and stuffed the sandwich into his mouth, the filling oozing from between the two slices of bread, down his wrists.
“Something’s not right,” I said.
“What’s not right is that cloud.” He pointed toward the darkening sky, giving the illusion of twilight, though it was just after one in the afternoon. “We’ll be buried under eight feet of snow by nightfall if we don’t leave now.”
“Don’t you think it’s odd that we’ve been wandering around this mountain for hours with no luck. Then suddenly…the car’s just here?” A large boulder rested about ten yards in front of the Jeep. A carpet of moss covered the side of the rock facing south, while the northern face was blanketed in snow. “I know I’ve seen that rock before.”
“Micah rolled his eyes. “When we parked here! Now get in. I’m ’bout to freeze!”
I followed his command and cranked the engine as a rumble of thunder shook the ground, and the sky was instantly pitch black.
word count: 197
—Nortina
Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is a weekly challenge for writers to create a story in under 200 words using the provided photo prompt and introductory sentence as their ‘muse.’ Click the froggy icon to read other stories inspired by the photo and add your own.
Lovely Curses 
There is nothing scarier than be lost in the pitch black. It happened to me and it was immobilizing. At least they’re safe inside their vehicle???? Awesome build up!
http://yolandarenee.blogspot.com/2016/01/doppelganger.html
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Thanks, Yolanda! I can’t imagine how terrifying that was for you. Whenever I’m caught in the pitch black, I’m reminded that I never quite got over my childhood fear of the dark, haha!
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Seems like something scary could happen to them. Especially with sky going so dark at the end. Hoping they’re going to be okay but guessing not. Great write Nortina.
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Nothing good can come out of a suddenly dark sky, right? 😉 Hopefully they’ll persevere!
Thanks for reading!
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I could feel the panic as I read this. Very good story!
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Thanks! 🙂
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You’re welcome!
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Lovely story. Thanks for the P&J sandwich cravings I have now!
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Haha! You’re welcome! 😛
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Uhoh, ominous…
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It doesn’t look good for these two explorers…
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Great story Nortina. It has to be very frightening for the sky to go pitch black. It made for a very foreboding ending.
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Frightening indeed. The suddenness of it would surely reawaken a childhood fear of the dark!
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At the very least! LOL!
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Your stories are becoming more and more sinister Nortina, excellent take on this image, enjoyed your ideas very much.
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I do have a habit of going to those sinister places 😉
Thanks for reading!
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The sky instantly turning pitch black probably isn’t a good sign. Great story!
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Certainly not! Nothing good can come out of a pitch black sky…
Thanks for reading!
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I have gotten lost in a wilderness once… I was not lucky enough to find a car (my car?) … I know how she feels. Thanks for participating in Week #3! Hope to see you next week.
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Thankfully, I’m not an outdoorsy person, so I won’t ever have to worry about getting lost in the wilderness…. *knocks on wood*
Thanks for reading 😀
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I love the mystery of this piece 🙂
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Thanks Angie! 🙂
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