Prepare for your Ride

The sun sank behind the horizon as the rain grew heavier. I could only see the red glow from the taillight of the bike ahead and the meek scope of illumination that my bug-plastered headlight offered. A silhouette appeared from the ditch and crept onto the road. The bike ahead blocked my vision of the creature until it was too late. I could hear the sounds of sliding rubber and could feel it vibrating through my bones as my wheels locked up, and I felt a crushing impact on the front of my bike. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a distorted whimper. I knew instantly what I had hit; I didn’t want it to be true. My heart racing, I looked at the front of my bike immersed in blood and wisps of brown fur jamed into crevices, including my front tire and rim.

I did