13 Best Stephen King Short Stories Of All Time

By Shaun Davis /

4. The Road Virus Heads North

As a long-time fan of the moving picture story, it took an iffy portrait in his own home, of which his family couldn't stand, for King to publish this pacey entry in turn of the millennium collection, Everything's Eventual. The story centres on road-bound writer, Richard Kinnell, who toasts a successful work trip by picking up an alluring painting at a yard sale. Said painting depicts a man behind the wheel of a garish muscle car - eerily sporting a "nasty, knowing grin." - and as Kinnell hits the highway with this piece of art, it starts to change into something far more ominous. In true King style he feeds his scares in stages, as his protagonist grows more and more uneasy as he nears home, with the man of the portrait seemingly chasing him all the way to his front door and killing anyone that he encounters en route to Maine. This sets up one of King€™s most nail-biting finales.