One afternoon last summer, late July I believe, I called up my buddy to see if he wanted to do some night fishing. "Hell yea, where at" he said. I told him we could go down to Bull Run marina and fish around Old Yates Ford bridge, and if we wanted we could wander through the woods along the bank.
We arrived at the parking lot as the sun was setting, and I noticed a "Park closes at night" sign. "Looks like its gonna be a short trip" I said. But we decided to get a few casts in and a few minutes after it was completely dark, I mentioned to my friend that I thought I heard a car pull into the parking lot and we had better leave so I wouldn't get towed. We crossed under the bridge and made it back onto the trail. All we could see was what was lit up from my headlamp. As we got closer to the parking lot and further away from the woods, we both notice a white truck parked right next to my car. I reached into my pocket to get my keys, when I noticed........they're not there.
"Oh crap, I think I locked my keys in the car" As we get closer to both cars in this pitch black parking lot, I ask my friend if he can see anyone in the truck. "I can't tell" he says. By now I have turned off my headlamp, so I wouldn't look so conspicuous. "Must be a park ranger or something, he's probably on the trail looking for us." I flick on the headlamp to see if I could see my keys in the ignition, and sure enough they were there. In a split second I glance up and the light flashes on the truck. I gasp.....somethings not right.
We both freeze when we notice the truck that had been parked there for only a few minutes with the engine still warm, was completely totaled. The roof was dented in, ALL the windows shattered, bumper was dangling by a screw. This car was trashed, and whomever was responsible decided to park RIGHT next to me. "HOLY $&%$, we're going to jail" I said.
For the next 10 minutes I was trying to get a signal on my cell phone, to call my girlfriend, so that she could bring a coat hanger or a piece of wire that I could get into my car with. My buddy says "I got one, Its ringing". Voicemail :'( I leave a long detailed message as to my exact location and directions to get there. I knew it was hopeless. As I continue to try to find that signal again, and maybe locate a piece of thin wire to break into my car with while staying as far as I can from the mangled truck, I see headlights turning into the parking lot.
The weirdest feeling came over me. A mix of fear that I would be getting charged with grand theft auto and a feeling of relief that I would at least be swept away from this area where there is probably a serial killer watching us from the woodline. But it wasn't a police car, it was a camero ss, and it began circling us slowly. I moved towards it and spoke "Exuse me...We're stuck here, Locked out of our car...." In a split second the car punched the gas almost peeling out still circling us. It quickly slowed down and a voice came from the car, "STAY AWAY" it was the voice of a deaf woman.
"No, no, no, I mean you no harm" I said as I back away towards my car. "We're stuck here, and a little freaked out, Do you have a cell phone?" She stops the car and explains that she was there to pick up her boyfriend and asked if we had seen him. She also stated that she did not have phone. She asked if we wanted her to call the police when she got home. "NO THANK YOU" we both said. Then she left us...
My only hope was that there was something in or on that truck that would help us. We both circled it looking inside. Cigar guts, and empty forty bottles gave us all the reason in the world to believe that this was a stolen truck. Then I moved toward the front of the truck...a bent but still in tact antenna. I told my friend that I knew I could get into my car with it, but It was risky to even touch the truck. Without hesitation he walked up and ripped off the antenna with one single motion and handed it to me. Within two minutes I had propped open the car door with my pocket knife and popped open the lock with the bent antenna. I chucked the antenna into the woods as we peeled out into the darkness.
Hows that for crazy..too crazy to make up I tell you.