Survive the Night by Riley Sager

EXT. DINER—NIGHT

Charlie corrects herself as soon as she gets outside.

She’s not about to get away. She’s already gone. Out the door and walking to the pay phone. All that’s left to do is call the police, tell them to hurry, and then wait outside the few minutes it takes for them to arrive.

Charlie rounds the corner of the diner and stops in front of the pay phone. Josh sits just on the other side of the window, sipping his coffee, not even looking her way.

Good.

She lifts the receiver from its cradle, bringing the steady hum of a dial tone to her ears. Then she pauses, unsure what to do next. She’s never called 911 on a pay phone before. Does she need to insert coins? Does she press 0 for the operator? Or does she just dial 911 and hope someone will answer?

With the dial tone still buzzing insistently, she opts for the latter.

She presses 9.

She presses 1.

She presses 1 a second time, shooting a nervous glance at the window.

The booth is empty.

Josh is no longer there.

Charlie’s heart stops at the same time the receiver lets out a light click. A 911 dispatcher answering her call. But to Charlie, it’s the sound of fear taking her in its grip.

“Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?” the dispatcher says.

Charlie stays silent. Partly because she’s terrified and partly because she senses someone nearby, hovering by the corner of the diner, startlingly close.

Josh.

Charlie slams the phone back in its cradle as Josh emerges fully around the side of the building.

“Something wrong?” he says.

Charlie wills herself to speak. She has no choice. Trying with all her might to keep her tone even, she says, “I dialed the wrong number.”

“You don’t know your boyfriend’s number?”

“My finger slipped,” she says with a silly-me shrug.

“You’re not going to try again?”

Charlie lifts her backpack. “I’m all out of change.”

“Allow me.” Josh reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of coins, which he holds out to her. Charlie takes them, even though the feel of Josh’s skin on hers prompts an internal cringe she hopes doesn’t make its presence known on the outside.

Stay smart.

Stay brave.

Stay careful.

“Thanks,” she says, the coins hot in her palm. So hot they feel like coal, glowing orange. She resists the urge to drop them to the ground.

“Go on and call him.” Josh jerks his head toward the phone. “Don’t mind me. Just here for some fresh air.”

Charlie has to call Robbie now. There’s no other choice. If she dials 911, Josh will hear every word she says and could easily make sure she’s no longer here when the police arrive. She knows how small she is, how weak. It would take Josh no effort at all to grab her and drag her back into the Grand Am. Or, worse, he could just stab her right here in the parking lot. End it all with a few quick jabs of a knife, yank a tooth out of her mouth, and be gone.

Charlie dials quickly, pressing the numbers through muscle memory. Because of course she knows Robbie’s number by heart. Josh is right about that. She couldn’t misdial if she tried.

Through the receiver, she hears a recorded voice instruct her to insert seventy-five cents into the phone. Charlie does, her fingers trembling so hard it’s a struggle to get one quarter into the pay slot, let alone three. With the coins deposited, each one landing deep inside the phone with a metallic clang, the phone begins to ring.

One ring.

Charlie looks to Josh, who’s backed away a few feet. Standing at the corner of the diner, he has his hands thrust deep in his pockets.

Two rings.

Josh glances her way, smiles, looks to the sky.

Three rings.

Josh begins to whistle. A light, impatient trill. Hearing it reminds her of Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt. He whistled, too. A tune different from Josh’s, but just as unnerving.

Robbie answers on the fourth ring, croaking out a groggy hello.

“Hey, it’s me.” Charlie knows her voice sounds off. Tremulous. A tad too quiet. “Just checking in from the road.”

“How’s the drive? Smooth sailing, sweetheart?”

Charlie shoots a glance at Josh. Even though he doesn’t appear to be listening, she knows he is. The whistling has stopped.

“Actually, things took a detour.”

“Very funny,” Robbie says.

“I’m serious,” Charlie says, sounding the opposite of serious. Because she has to. Because she knows that Josh is paying attention to every word. “We’re no longer on the highway.”

“I don’t understand,” Robbie says. “Where are you? What’s going on?”

“I can’t talk long. Just wanted to say hi.”

“Charlie, I need you to tell me what’s happening.” Robbie sounds panicked now. It streaks through every word. “Just give me a hint.”

“Oh, you know, we were driving along, got hungry, and decided to get off the highway,” Charlie says, faking a smile and hoping that, like Robbie, it comes through in her voice. Not for his sake. And certainly not for hers.

It’s for Josh, who’s back to staring up at the sky, his hands still in his pockets.

“Where?” Robbie says. “Can you tell me?”

“The Poconos. We’re at the cutest diner. It’s called the Skyline Grille.”

She hopes Robbie’s writing this all down. Or at least committing it to memory. And as soon as she hangs up, she hopes he calls the police.

“Can you get away?” he says.

“Not at the moment. Our food’s almost ready.”

“Shit.” Robbie pauses, helpless. “How can I help? Tell me what to do.”

Charlie doesn’t know how to respond. She’s all out of code words. They hadn’t taken it further than this because, honestly, it was all a joke. Just something Robbie came up with to ease the pain of her departure. But now her life might literally depend on what she says next.

“You should watch a movie,” she says. “Shadow of a Doubt.”

She hopes Robbie gets the hint. He’s seen the movie, of course. She made him watch it their first month of dating so he’d understand how she got her name. Now she hopes he understands that the film’s plot is coming true. Life imitating art in the worst kind of way.

“I should be home in about four hours,” she says, this time completely for Josh’s benefit. A not-so-subtle reminder that her boyfriend expects her to be home by a certain hour and will be worried if she isn’t. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

“Charlie, wait—”

She hangs up before Robbie can say anything else, unable to bear hearing him sound so frantic and helpless. She also wanted to avoid a maudlin goodbye. There’ll be no last words from her tonight. Not if she can help it.

“You all done?” Josh says.

Charlie nods.

“Good. It’s cold out here.” Josh flashes her that perfect smile. “Don’t want you to catch your death.”