Neon Lights: A Short Story

by Manuel Gonzales, Timothy Andrés Pabon (Narrator)

A cinematic parable about love, desire, and vengeance, Neon Lights is a thrilling short story by award-winning author Manuel Gonzales.

Nicole has wanted to own a haunted car her entire teenaged life, and when she finally finds one - a junker of a Chrysler Neon with its own tragic backstory - her best friend, Johnny, has some serious doubts. Would a demon even want to possess a Chrysler Neon? But when the two of them take it for a test drive, Johnny’s doubts begin to fade: The steering wheel burns hot, the car traps Johnny in the back seat, and is Nicole even driving? Or is the car driving itself? They soon find themselves forced to face the potential evil controlling the car, and possibly even themselves.

Please note: This audio contains strong language and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Short Stories, Fiction, Young Adult

1 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 13, 2021

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I. Can't. Even. Silver lining. Fast free listen on Audible. There. I found something positive.

[nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely a weird short story but I really liked it!

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with it:)

[Bethany C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tbh, this is a weird read. It really is. Somehow though, I was still pretty into it. I love haunted cars, and it had some fun throwbacks to real life alleged "evil" cars. It's fun, and odd, and a little creepy.

One think I didn't love was sometimes when the Audible Narrator was voicing the woman, she sounds like Steve Buscemi pretending to be a woman. It's just odd sounding.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

November 2023
Audiobook edition
46m (1.3x speed)

One of the shorts I plucked from the audible plus library because it's under an hour. I haven't read the blurb for any of them so this is a strange gacha for me. The tram ride list continues.

I don't know why anyone would want a demon possessed car or think they could tame one? There's little snippets about James Dean's spider and Christine thrown in. This one was strange. Nicole was confident like she knew everything and Johnny was along for the ride. The journey is creepy with the car trying to hit anything and everything, along with a ghost boy in various stated of decomposition in the back seat. Add in some emotional manipulation to try and drive a wedge in between the two. I did not need coffee to wake me up this morning.

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story about a possessed car. As short stories go this isn't too bad. Worth checking if you want to fill an hour with a nice short.

[Perrilyn Pringle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts were kind of funny. A true possession story.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Mel Kenney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don't think short stories are my thing 😑 I listened to the 45 minute story on audible, and the narrator was the only thing that kept me semi interested.

[Paige Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fun, but kind of abrupt, even for a short story.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never thought of looking for a demon-possessed car. After this story, I know why. Not great, but not bad.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, simple, if somewhat confusing, horror story. Don't ignore the warnings like I did - there is a singnificant amount of violence/body horror here, so give it a skip if that's something that's going to bother you. My favorite part is that though the main characters are a teen boy and girl, their relationship is not in the slightest romantic, and the story establishes that right away, stating that not every love story has to be romantic. A great thing to hear for an aro reader!

[Hilal Tunçkol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a weird girl who wanted to have and drive a haunted car more than anything else and when she did, she put herself and her boyfriend in danger, because of said haunted car.

The idea was interesting, I suppose, but I found the execution lacking. Maybe the story was too short, or maybe the second half of it was boring; I don't know.

[Erica Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, short story about a possessed car. I picked this up on a whim, wanting something to listen to while making dinner. Due to the short length, I didn't have high expectations, but it was surprisingly good. The details about other possessed cars made it all the more interesting and added a sense of validity to the story.

A quick and solid book.

[Elizabeth Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun short story about a possessed car. It was funny and I enjoyed every minute of it. And as a 45 minute listen, it's great when you don't feel like committing to a full length audiobook

[Simi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short little horror about two friends and a possessed car. What good can come of searching for a car like that and what makes you think you can control it without it trying to control you? I got what I expected with this, with a nice weird conclusion.

[Kellie Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wzs ok.......for a free fast listen.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick read

[MeliMiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm... Yeni para pasar el rato pero no da nada más de lo que podría darte un capítulo de escalofríos.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute!!

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the non fiction reference but this was deeply strange.

[Amanda Fragale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me. Not a story for me.

[Lexi Sangiacomo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good idea, bad writing

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not for me. I read through 85% and just couldn't keep going.

[Dani 🐝 · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was very much not for me

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started as a really good story but as it went on it kind of lost steam still not a bad read worthy of four stars

[Karina · Rating 2 out of 5]

So short yet i was waiting for it to end

[Ericka · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hello. The only good thing is it was a quick audible plus listen! Ghost car. Smdh!

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish it was a little longer because I'm interested in knowing more but great story.