Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 88

A small company in a similarly small town in East
Texas needed people to perform mundane, yet complicated tasks, for their company on a computer. The experience and knowledge they required were just close
enough to what I had studied at a Jr. College to qualify
me for employment. The pay was three times what I
had been making, and I’d be sitting down, inside an
air conditioned office, performing tasks I found almost
enjoyable.
As soon as the company called me and informed that I
had the job, I gave my two weeks at work and patiently waited for the day that I was free, and it had arrived
at last. I practically flew out of work, jumped into my
car, and sped off like a madman with my radio pumping almost at max volume. My belongings had been
moved to a new apartment during the last two weeks
and all that was required to begin my new life was
myself.
I was on cloud nine, driving down a small country
road, so ecstatic in my liberation that I was becoming
careless. I drifted into the middle of the small two lane
road, singing along with the music and drumming my
hands on the steering wheel. Trees crowded in around
me but I could still see the full moon high in the sky.
I hadn’t passed another car, gas station, or anything
remotely known to man as civilization for what felt
like an hour.
Suddenly something darted out across the road in
front of me. I panicked and swerved to my left into
the oncoming lane, trying to avoid it. My car squealed
into the night as I realized I had turned too far. I tried
to compensate, and again found myself skidding on
the pavement. Just as I was about to attempt a third
correction, my front tires hit the soft mud just off the
road, and there was no hope of salvation. My car spun
in a full circle, with me inside clinging to the steering wheel and clenching my eyes shut. With a loud
noise and a large jolt, I found myself thrown sideways against the arm rest as the seatbelt strained tight
against my chest.
I didn’t open my eyes for at least five minutes, or at
least it felt that long to me. Shuddering and shaking, I

finally looked upon the resulting crash I had just been
a part of. My windshield was cracked but not shattered, and my view was filled with nothing but trees.
I could see that the front of the car had impacted a
particularly large one, with smoke pouring out of the
hood. Despite never being good with mechanics, my
expert opinion was that I was not going anywhere in
that car again. Shakily, I opened the front door and
climbed out, wanting to get some air and attempt to
avoid vomiting on the grass.
For a time I found myself unable to do more than
slump against my car and watch the desolate road for
signs of life. I had never been in any sort of accident
before, and being thoroughly shaken, I was at a loss
for what to do next. Eventually, I began to survey the
damage to my car, wondering if my insurance would
cover it.
The car was totalled, and I knew it. My previous
nausea became replaced with rage at the turn my night
had taken. I placed my hands to my head and sighed as
I looked up to the sky. I became aware that a column
of smoke was rising into the night. It wasn’t large, and
it didn’t seem to be some kind of forest fire. My spirits
raised slightly as the thought of human contact began
to seem more agreeable than my current surroundings.
The thing that dashed across my vision was not lost in
my anger.
Recalling the blurry shape that had rushed across the
road, I begin to remember details that I had been too
scared to register at the time. It was large, too much to
be a mountain lion and not enough to be a bear. I reflected on the fact that I did not know if bears lived in
Texas. I decided that it was better to avoid finding out.
Whatever had ran across the road, be it bear or moose
or Sasquatch, it seemed to be moving in the opposite
direction of the smoke. I decided that this was a good
indicator that I should consider heading towards the
black plume melting into the night sky.
It didn’t take long to discover the remains of an ancient path through the forest that appeared to be the
remnants of a gravel driveway. I could tell that it lead
to the old house and that I would make decent time
using it. I walked on for about thirty minutes, enjoying

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