I’ve been at App State in North Carolina since the Fall of 2023. I transferred in from my local community college in order to save some money. I really did not have much time for a job my first semester. My friends recommended me to try out doordash as a way to make quick and easy money, not much but a quick paycheck. I loved the sound of that. For the last couple months of the semester, I doordashed and and made good money too, especially for a college kid. As the winter set in, the pay got even better. I soon found out why.
I am from the eastern parts of North Carolina near the coast. I have never really been used to the snow before. Coming up to App State was already a huge culture shock; not only did I have to get used to that, but also the extreme winter weather. In my hometown, whenever we get rumors of a half-inch of snow, people go crazy. Up at App, we get news of seven inches, and no one bats an eye. One night in January, we had a huge snowstorm coming in, unfortunately, while I was doordashing.
I was in serious need of money for the semester, having spent a lot of the money from my last paycheck on gas to get back to App from Winter Break. Not thinking, I took this doordash, which was all the way out in Todd. Todd, for those who don’t know, is to the north side of Boone, very beautiful countryside but horrible roads once you get to the deeper backroads. By this point, it had already started snowing. I was halfway to the location of delivery when the snow got worse. I told myself I already had picked up the food and was almost there, might as well go deliver. This is where things get weird.
The road to the place was up a steep slope. Fortunately, the snow hadn’t completely covered the road leading up, so I decided to go for it. I made it up quickly, no problem. I then realized I had lost cell service. I followed my gps to the place, searching for it for ten minutes when I finally found it. By then, it was snowing really hard and the roads were covered. I was in a rough neighborhood. Generally, I have no problem with them, but when it’s late at night and it’s just me, I usually keep my guard up.
The guy I was supposed to deliver to stood out in the yard, standing under the amber street light. I stayed in my truck, handing him the food through the window. We locked eyes. Something was off about this guy, and I wasn’t gonna be the one to find out what. He politely said thanks, and with that I drove off. I refused to turn around in his driveway so I kept on the road. Little did I know this is where the trouble would get worse.
As I drove, the road went downhill, I figured it would take me back to town but the road turned to a gravel road, with ice and snow covering the majority of it. I hit the brakes and tried to reverse. To no avail. I slid. I fortunately was able to stop. I made a 6 point turn on that narrow road (for reference I drive an F250 pickup). As I made the turn, something popped up in my peripherals. I felt a sense of unease. I looked out my window into the snowy woods, nothing. As I began to drive, I could hear a loud yell coming from outside. The sound was horrifying, I could hear it over the wind and snow. I looked out my window once more to see a head peeping from behind a tree, I could barely make it out but it was the man I delivered the food to. He started running towards me. I panicked and slammed my foot on the accelerator with 4wd on. The man was malformed. His body looked nothing like what he did when I gave him his food. His body looked like a distorted creature from the movie The Thing.
I was fortunate to make it out. I got back to my dorm safely. I might have pooed my pants. After this I was thankful to be in my college dorm bed. For what it was worth, it was better than being stuck in the ice on an unknown road for the entire night with whatever that thing was.
