we were driving home from a show downtown when we heard the sirens. i heard the scream of the firetruck long before i saw the flahers in my rearview mirror. i slowed as much as i could and let it roar past my small corrolla- only to have it slam on the brakes and skid to a sideways halt about 100' away from me.

as i drove slowly around, i saw what all the trouble was about. a crumpled, twisted creature that looked like a 'wear your safetybelt' dummy lying in the road; lying in the center of what seemed to be a magic circle right there on the highway, because no one, nothing was withing a 20' radius of what i now realised to be a man.

ripped jeans, red and black flannel overshirt, no shoes, hat. right leg twisted around and backwards, laying on his stomach, neck twisted back and up, head bloody, more blood pooling by his left foot, which was, for some reason, black.

i have never seen that before.

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