"One for the Road" is a short story by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, first published in the March/April 1977 issue of ''

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''.

Plot summary

The story is told by a man named Booth. Three years after the events of ''Salem's Lot'',

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

s still prowl the burned-out remains of Jerusalem’s Lot and its environs. Residents of nearby towns, including Booth, know this and live in unspoken fear, wearing religious symbols for protection and never venturing near the area. One night, Booth and his friend, bar owner Herb "Tookey" Tooklander, attempt to rescue the wife and daughter of a motorist named Gerard Lumley, whose vehicle is stranded in a ferocious blizzard. Initially contemptuous of Lumley for driving in such weather, both are horrified upon realizing that his vehicle is stranded in Jerusalem's Lot. They reluctantly drive out in an International Scout with Lumley to try to save his wife and daughter, fearing the worst. The three locate Lumley's Mercedes still running and heated but nonetheless abandoned. The two men, realizing what has likely happened to Lumley's family, try to get him to leave with them, but Lumley refuses and stumbles around in the snow, calling for his wife and daughter. Lumley's wife emerges from the dark and Lumley hurries toward her; he notices her fanged teeth and red eyes too late and is bitten. Booth nearly falls victim to Lumley's daughter, but Tookey throws a

Douay Bible Douay is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Abel Douay (1809–1870), French general * Félix Douay (1816–1879), French general and brother of Abel Douay See also * Douay–Rheims Bible, an English translation of the Bible, c. ...

at her as both men scramble into the Scout, quickly fleeing the area. Booth concludes by saying Tookey died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

a couple of years after the incident. He mentions that he has nightmares about that night and about Lumley’s daughter, and warns the reader that if they are in the area, to never go up the road into Jerusalem's Lot for any reason, especially at night, lest the reader encounters Lumley’s daughter, the little girl who is "still waiting for her goodnight kiss".

Connection to King's other works

This story acts as a sequel to King's 1975 novel '' 'Salem's Lot'', and is also connected to the story of "

Jerusalem's Lot "Jerusalem's Lot" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. The story was also printed in the illustrated 2005 edition of King's 1975 novel Salem's Lot''. Setting and style "Jerusalem's Lo ...

", which is a prequel to both, while also appearing in '' Night Shift''. Both stories were later collected in the 2005 ''Salem's Lot'' Illustrated Edition.

References

External links

* {{'Salem's Lot 'Salem's Lot Short stories by Stephen King 1978 short stories Horror short stories Maine in fiction Vampires in written fiction Works originally published in American magazines Works originally published in lifestyle magazines