300/365 --Playlist Story-- inspired by "Down In the Valley" by The Head and the Heart

The wheels were still spinning on the overturned Firebird when Walker woke up. Blood dripped down to the ceiling of the car from his forehead. He squeezed his eyes open and shut a few times, trying to focus on the purple twilight horizon. He unbuckled himself and slid down. He extracted his legs from the steering column and crawled out the open window. His ribs pained him sharply and he stumbled himself upright. His head pounded and he looked at the deer trapped partly under the car. Its skull was bashed on a rock and its tongue hung out.

"Shit," he said. "Poor fucker."

He turned and looked at the desolate highway. There were no cars but several deer stood on the other side of the road staring at him. He felt a wave of guilt.

Walker kneeled down and extracted his bag from the car. He threw it on the ground and unzipped it. He took out a fresh bottle and opened it. He sniffed at the neck then took a swig. He sat down in the dirt and drank some more, then watched the purple sky darken. He splashed some of the fluid onto his hand and applied it to his forehead. He winced with pain. He looked up and saw that venus was out, then drank some more.

He capped the bottle again and stood up shakily. The world around him blurred. He put the bottle in the bag and zipped it up again. He put it on his back and headed to the road. He looked both ways and thought about continuing on in the way he had been going, then he looked down the road in the opposite direction. He clutched his sore ribs and moaned softly, thinking that maybe it was time for a change, time for a reset.

He stepped out into the road and crossed to the center line. He stood there a moment, looking at the yellow as it began to glow. He thought it looked oddly beautiful, happy even. He continued on to the other lane. The driver of the approaching car slammed on the brakes and the horn simultaneously but his reflexes were dulled with alcohol and he hit Walker at the knees, sending him sprawling. The driver stopped with Walker halfway under the chassis. He stumbled out to take a look and saw that Walker was dead.

"Shit," said the driver. "Poor fucker."