Death #3:
Blame Canada
By Rose
Nick was driving down the roads of Ottawa on that
sunny September day. He was in a pretty good mood; things were just going
really well for him lately. He was in love; Lauren was waiting back at the
hotel for him. He just needed to show up for a radio interview and maybe pick
up a few things on the way back. He was almost counting the minutes and now
understood why the fellas always dragged their girlfriends or wives along for
the tour. All he wanted was to see her.
But for now, he was enjoying the scenery. Nick
always loved Canada. The way it seemed he was always driving through nature. It
wasn’t too uncommon to see a deer, or even a bear, walking through the country
on either side of the road. And sometimes even crossing the road. Nick kept his
focus. At least until his phone rang. He reached for it and answered.
“Nick.”
“AJ.”
“Dude, quick question.”
“Oh no, the last time you had a quick question…”
“It ain’t like that this time!”
“I ain’t gonna help you try to convince Rochelle
about karmasutra!”
“It ain’t about that.”
“Good.” Nick kept an eye on the road as he drove
with his free hand. The rental car he had for that weekend was fantastic. He
was even thinking about getting one himself. It was a 2011 Spyder Convertible.
Sadly, it wasn’t a hybrid, but Nick figured he could probably ignore that
detail. For now anyway. It was a fast, fun, speedy little car. He could easily
picture himself and Lauren “christening” the car later as the seats did go all the way
back…
“Dude are you listening?”
“Yeah, I’m listening.” Nick replied, tuning back
into the conversation. He didn’t say it, but he knew he didn’t have to pay much
attention. If it was anything actually relevant, Howie or Brian would be
calling him about it later. They would have the same discussion and Nick would
be informed all the same.
“Well, I have a question, Rochelle doesn’t believe
me…”
A loud crash caught his attention on the other
side of the road. It was a shame he was talking on the phone while driving.
That little fact was what destroyed his response time. That moment of
distraction had cost him far more than expected. Nick turned his head, and the
last thing he saw in this world was a large moose flying directly at him.
The SUV coming from the opposite direction had
slammed into the moose attempting to cross the road. The moose, which had been
killed instantly, flew across the street upon impact. Nick Carter had been the
one unlucky enough to be driving right in the line of fire. The moose slammed
into the car. Its antlers sliced directly into his body, impaling him as well
as pinning him to the seat. He jerked and convulsed for a few moments, before
the body finally fell still. Blood flowed endlessly as the car spun out of
control. When the local law enforcement came, they were still having trouble
trying to free his mangled body from the moose two hours later.
The biggest irony was that AJ McLean had been
calling his friend to ask what the plural of “Moose” was.
***