𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬

oh deer

TW - car crash, major injury, MCD (kinda)

☼

The triplets were on their way to McDonalds. It was nearing two am, this being one of their later drives than usual. They were driving on the highway, the snow heavy with the January weather.

The three boys were laughing about something Chris had said, leading Nick into a rant about something he hates. The music was turned down so they could hear each other.

It was peaceful outside; there weren't very many people out because of the late hour they were driving, and the snow flitting around felt very Christmas-y, despite the holiday's passing the month before.

"What did you say that one time about that one thing?" Chris asked, trailing off with snapping fingers, trying to strike up a new conversation.

"Oh, about the Christmas tree?" Nick confirmed, already starting to talk his brothers' ears off with his bad experience of trying to put a Christmas tree up in his room. He sat up and leaned forward, head inbetween the two front seats so he could be more interactive and included in conversation with Chris and Matt.

As Nick went on about this tree and him falling off the chair he stood on to get the top half connected to the tree post, Matt kept his eyes on the road. There wasn't another car in sight, which didn't mean very much, because Matt's vision couldn't go out very far. The snow was falling quickly, hitting the windshield as the car drove into the storm, leaving white speckles. Matt turned up the speed on the windshield wipers.

"And then I stabbed myself in the hand with the pliers," continued Nick, rambling on about his story with the tree.

Matt and Chris listened, adding a few comments and laughs here and there.

It was when Chris turned to face the front of the car, away from Nick, when things started to go wrong.

"Be careful, Matt," he said, no longer joking like he was a second before. "There are a few deer on the side of the road. Just keep an eye out."

"Got it," acknowledged Matt.

"As I was saying," Nick started again, picking up where he left off.

A few minutes later, Chris spotted some more deer.

"Jeez, there are a lot of deer around here tonight," he said, not really to anyone in particular, eyeing the sides of the road.

Nick was still talking, but he abruptly cut himself off, launching himself forward inbetween the seats, pointing and yelling.

"Matt, watch out!"

Two deer, large with big antlers, pranced into the middle of the road a little ways in front of them.

Just then, Matt could see a light in the distance, growing larger as the car pushed forward. As it got closer into view, revealing itself through the snow, Matt saw that it was a big semi-truck.

The two bucks and semi-truck headed their way. Matt couldn't swerve around the deer, as he would either hit a tree to the right or the truck to the left. Trying to not have to swerve at all, Matt honked the horn, trying to scare away the deer that stood frozen just 50 feet away. The truck got closer.

"Matt!" Chris called, seeing more deer on the side, trying to warn his brother, but it was too late.

A large buck, the biggest the boys had ever seen, leapt out onto the road directly in front of them.

From that point onwards, things happened in a blur.

Matt yanked the wheel to the left, slamming the brakes, doing anything to avoid the big animal that had just been hit by the front of their car.