Class hasn’t begun yet. You and your friends sitting at the uncomfortable desks you are forced to spend the day in. All of you are loud with your banter. Who isn’t when they’re amongst friends. Though this isn’t your usual routine. You usually sit instantly and begin preparing for class, but the teacher is late. It’s rare for the teacher to be late. Something must be seriously wrong. 

   “I wonder what happened.” You say, worried.

   “Hopefully she is getting fired.” A passing classmate remarks.

   Francine, your friend, walks in and sits swiftly. “ Did you hear the latest warning?”

   “No. Does it have something to do with why the teacher isn’t here?” You ask. 

   “Absolutely, I’m sure of it. Just a day ago, there was a kidnapping only a few streets down. An old black Volga with white curtains stretched across its windows strolled down the street, pulled over, and called out to a girl walking. The girl happily approached. The moment the girl touched the car, the car’s back door opened and she was taken away. Stolen by burly men in suits. Most likely the mafia.”

   “Why would they want her?” You ask her.

   “For their blood. Youthful blood is being sold to Westerners and Arabs. Apparently, some have leukaemia and our blood can help cure them.” Francine continues. “The mafia looks to have made a special deal.”

   “It’s vampires obviously!” Randy shouts. Randy is a boy who is very interested in rumors. The boy is notorious for eavesdropping and gathering information about everyone. He’s an impressive journalist, but this is too crazy to accept seriously. 

   “What’s your reasoning?” You question.

“There’s no way our blood cures anything. It makes no sense. We don’t have superpowers, do we?”

   “No.” You respond.

   “Exactly. If blood is being taken, they must want to drink it.” He says, excitedly

   Anastasia, another friend, huffs at the explanation. “That’s not how I was told.” 

   “What do you mean?!” Randy erupts.

   “I heard they’ll take anyone who’s walking alone. All they need is a good opportunity. They don’t do it for the blood but for people’s organs. The operation was commissioned by the rich who needed to replace the parts of them and the KGB was willing to supply them. The rich can do whatever.”

   “Exactly!” Maria, your third friend, agrees. “I heard something similar. My aunt said wealthy bastards don’t need the organs collected. They just want to see us, the poor, tortured and played with. They’ll drive up in their Volgas, trying to entice people then take them once they’re close enough to the car. Some evil doctors are invited to the parties to conduct experiments in front of everyone.”

   Your teacher sent a loud clap echoing through your classroom. Everyone stares at her. She overheard your conversation. “Children, it’s not surprising that you have heard about the recent incident. I would like to give you the version I believe to be true. The principal does as well. I believe the driver was a missing priest. He has finally set out to do what he promised. Do you remember what he said, Robert?”

   Robert, your classmate rises. “I do.” He turns to look at the rest of the class and continues. “He said, ‘I will no longer only carry the sins of others. I will try to give the people the due forgiveness they deserve. However God allows me.’” Robert quickly sat back down.

   “Correct, Robert.” The teacher moves from behind her desk and stands next to the first of three class windows. “I believe I saw that priest driving. He stood by his word.” She looks out silently for a moment before sighing. “You know, he spoke about correcting the behaviour of the children in his church. He didn’t want the future generation being raised with lowly values. Every child that disrespected the church or parents disappeared. We didn’t know he would take it this far.” The teacher’s voice cracks, but her face stays emotionless. “Maybe you all should read and study the bible if you wish to avoid being captured. I know a few of you who very well might be next.”

    The classroom became tense with the teacher’s warning. Students look around to each other, all wondering if they should trust the teacher.

   “It sounds like you let her be taken.” You blurt.

   “It was God’s will. I would never intervene in His plan.”

   The class gasps. You stand, slamming your hands against your desk. “ How could you say that?”

   Robert jumps to his feet. “It’s because they’re evil!” He yells. “I swear! The priest’s sermons are always odd and grandiose. I believe they are possessed. Only the evil could be so arrogant. Why, of all people, would he choose the priest who abandoned his faith? I talked with my grandma and she said it had to be the devil’s work. No agent of God would ever be asked to commit such lucrative crimes. God will make himself known through clear miracles. Not by taking innocent children. The devil has taken over the priest. We’re sure of it. We also know that when you cross paths with Satan, you’re destined to die soon. You will die exactly a day later, Teacher.”

   “Is there no way to escape?” Francine asks.

   “Yes, there is. From what me and my grandmother found, the devil stops beside you and asks for the time. You must respond ‘It’s God’s time. The devil will drive away and disappear from the street. Don’t only trust your eyes, have faith and trust in God. My grandmother discovered that some people see different versions of the car. The most common being a black car with white accents like white curtains or white rims or all white interior. The second is a black car with horns and licence plate reading 666, usually it is the people with strong faith or values that see this car. The third version is a red car with white accents. It honestly doesn’t matter which you see, just respond ‘It’s God’s time.’”

   “How could you go against—” The teacher begins.

   “This is ridiculous!” You interrupt, annoyed. “Everyone calm down. You all are acting crazy.” You glare at Robert. “Robert, go tell the principal that the teacher has gone insane.”

   “Okay.” He ran to the office immediately.

   “Let’s stop gossiping and move on.” You said, exasperated. “This has gone too far. There are too many stories floating around. I don’t think any of us should believe anything unless we’ve seen it ourselves.”

   “We should do a buddy system. Groups of us should walk together and report if they see anything.” Francine suggests.

   “You must listen to me. I am your elder.” The teacher demands.

   “No chance. You just admitted to having crucial information about a kidnapping and kept it to yourself.”

   The principal barges in. “Do not listen to her. I never agreed with her beliefs. I clearly told her to warn you kids about the danger of approaching strange cars and to go straight home after school because there was a kidnapping. You may leave for your next class.” The principal waves the class away. 

   After that class, you didn’t see the teacher again. Despite the plan you concocted in class, nobody ever reported anything suspicious. The incident was forgotten and you never got closure. Maybe you all knew too much and weren’t worth the risk. You will never know.

The Origin

   This urban legend spread during the 1960s through the 1970s. Throughout Poland, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Greece, and Mongolia, the rumor was spread about a vehicle that strolled down the streets with malicious intent. The vehicle is commonly said to be a GAZ-21 or GAZ-24. Depending on the country, the witnesses have different answers about the motive and identity of the driver.  The various versions of the legend inspired me to write this silly short story to introduce a few of the theories. If your interested in reading more about the legend, please check out the references listed.