Horror Short Story | Helmet

While waiting at an intersection on his way home from work, Shen Jing stopped next to a motorcycle. The rider wore a full-face helmet with a dark, opaque visor, obscuring their face. Shen Jing glanced sideways and noticed the helmet looked very old, like something from over a decade ago. When the light turned green, the other motorcycle pulled away first. Shen Jing followed behind, finding that the rider was going very slowly, maintaining a consistent distance ahead of him. At the next intersection, the other motorcycle stopped. Shen Jing stopped too. The rider turned their head and looked at him through the dark visor. Feeling a chill crawl up his spine, Shen Jing sped away as soon as the light turned green. After riding for two blocks, he checked his rearview mirror and saw the same helmet still behind him, at the same distance and speed. He started to accelerate, darting into narrow alleys and taking several sharp turns. In the rearview mirror, the helmet was gone. He let out a sigh of relief and slowed down. It was then he realized there was another helmet on his head. A full-face one, with a dark visor. He reached up to take it off, but the buckle was jammed shut, impossible to release. Inside the visor, words appeared as if someone had written them with a fingertip on fogged glass: "If you wear my hat, you have to finish riding for me." Shen Jing froze. He remembered the rider from earlier. He looked down at his motorcycle; it wasn't his. A faded photograph was stuck to the dashboard. In the photo, a young man wearing the same style of helmet smiled at the camera. Next to the photo was a date: fifteen years ago. He kept riding, unable to stop. The motorcycle moved forward on its own, taking him down roads he'd never traveled, finally stopping in front of a motorcycle shop. The metal gate was half open, and a single light shone from within. An old man walked out.