20 In 5 -- Vol. III -- Deer Crossing

by Troy Manning

Lifestyle changes can come in strange ways...

Diddling with her radio dials, Tatum neglected to see the sign that read, “High-Beams Next Fifteen Miles.” By the time she gave the road her full attention, the deer was already in the headlights. Her swerve was insufficient to miss the animal completely, but she did avoid direct impact. 


Tatum was unsure how long she’d been unconscious in her Ford Bronco, as it lay sideways in a ditch near the road. The vehicle’s lights were on and the engine revved loudly. She realized her foot was stuck on the accelerator and had to remove her shoe to depress it. As she did so, she felt a shooting pain in the region of her collarbone. She turned off the ignition and, with more than an ordinate amount of effort, she climbed out from both truck and ditch.


While the road was rather dark, there was still enough light from her headlights to view the carnage. She stood stunned as she stared at the deer’s two halves. Stranger though, than the animal’s having split into two nearly equal parts, was its extreme gauntness. “Skin-and-bones” seemed an accurate description of what lay before her. She knelt before the front-half and realized it wasn’t a real deer. 



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If it wasn't a real deer, what was it? To find out, purchase a copy of "20 in 5" today to finish "Deer Crossing;" available directly from Smashwords in a variety of e-book formats. Or you can purchase it from the Mis Tribus eBook Store. 


Included are the ending to "Deer Crossing" along with 19 other flash fiction stories. Brought to you directly by Mis Tribus.