She should have known something was wrong the second she saw the wake that gathered in the field. It was such a large number. The buzzards were surely feeding on a carcass. But Lori was from the city, and when she saw the gathering of birds, she assumed some poor animal had served itself up as the main course.
She knew they were around. She'd seen them flying overhead many times. Cash told her that hoards roosted near the river.
"They like their own company," he told her. "I've seen them decorate the dead limbs of a tree like macabre Christmas ornaments. It's still freaky to see so many of them at once, though. It reminds me of my family reunions."
"You're not right," Lori said, shivering at the image Cash had put in her head.
When they found the body later that afternoon, the animals had feasted so heartily the corpse's face was barely recognizable.
YOU ARE READING
No U Turn
General FictionA short story about a dying small town, a cafe owner, a young couple, and a murder.
