Looks Can Be Deceiving

My brother and I hit a deer on our drive to The Cliff Lodge in Snowbird, Utah. The poor creature scampered back into the woods after the impact and my brother being the animal lover he is, went after it to put the creature out of its misery. It's been nearly an hour and he hasn't returned.

When I pop open the car door and step out into the frigid night, a sharp breeze licks every inch of skin exposed on my body, each caress like fire kissing my cheeks and nose. The sun made its descent hours ago, and the moon fills its spot in the sky. Without the sun looming high in the heavens, watching and waiting to dispel any tricks of Jack Frost, the impish winter winds have free reign of the night. And this evening, their howling is ever-loud and their bites sting something fierce.

The road where I stand is one I've driven hundreds of times for our annual ski trip and yet tonight it feels foreign. Maybe it's the snow. The woods surrounding the black asphalt strip on either side look different when shrouded in a blanket of white. Or maybe it's the darkness encircling me, salivating as it eagerly waits to swallow me whole once the yellow beam of the car's headlights succumbs to the shadows. Or maybe it's all in my head.

I cup my reddened hands around my mouth and shout for my brother, "Nuka?!" My voice breaks the tranquility of the evening and echoes through the woods until it dissipates into nothingness like my breath that hangs in the air.

I wait a moment. Then another.

No answer comes.

Typical. Leaving me alone on the side of the road in the middle of the night is not unlike him. But that's a brother for you. Mom and Dad will kill him once they hear about this. Then they'll kill me when they see the deer-sized dent crushed into the hood of my car. It wasn't my fault, I swear. If you ask me, the poor thing had a death wish. I just blinked and there it was, standing stagnant in the middle of the road, staring me down with these huge yellow eyes. There was no time to stop. Or think. But for a fraction of a second, when I locked eyes with the deer, sheer dread washed over me not because I was about to crash into the creature, but because...well, I'm not too sure why.

I slam the car door with more force than I should and trudge through the gray slush on the side of the road until I reach the front of the car. Pulling the fur-lined hood of my woolen coat over my head, I shield myself best I can from the weather and the gruesome bloodbath splattered on the fender of my car. The trickle of crimson dripping off the front end has ceased for the most part, leaving round splotches of blood on the ground like rubies on a bed of fleece.

My upper lips curls and I scrunch my nose as I turn my back to the grusome sight. Truly is a noble thing my brother went off to do. I would hate to leave the pitiful animal out here to suffer until it finally succumbs from its injuries or freezes to death before that. Too bad my idiot brother is too incompetent to do even that.

"Nuka! Come back to the car," I call into the tree line while scanning the shadowy wood for any sign of him. "I'm freezing my butt off out here. Let's go already!"

Once again, I wait for a reply and minutes later receive the same answer as before.

Silence.

Suppose he could have slipped on a patch of ice and hurt himself. Or perhaps the deer, being injured and frightened, could have become aggressive and harmed Nuka in some way. Or maybe the idiot got himself lost. I know what I have to do and I should have done it thirty minutes ago, but I've been praying he'd come walking out of those woods with his hands in his pockets, whistling that same catchy tune he was whistling when he went in. But he hasn't. And it's getting late.

The snow crunches like broken glass beneath the soles of my boots as I begrudgingly stalk into the woods after my brother. Each step I take only becomes more difficult the further I sink into the powdery substance. The thick canopy of the trees block the moon's beams, cutting off its source of light. Now that I've left the car's high beams, the only thing I have to light my way is the crappy flashlight my phone has to offer. Even with the dull illumination it provides, my visibility is still low. The twisted trees sway in the whipping winds, their greedy gnarled fingers snatch for the light in my hand, but I hold steady-or as steady as I can while my entire body shivers with each chill gust of air. I keep my head down and my eyes locked onto the trail of blood in the snow and the size ten boot prints left behind by my brother.