It is a cool, early autumn evening. You walk the side of the road, as you do every night, taking in the air as the sun sinks further and the sky shifts from orange to a deep hue. Perhaps it’s time to turn back now, before it’s too dark to see in front of you.

That’s when you spot it. a silhouette further down the road, dumping the contents of a large trash bag into the brush and shrubs. They shake the bag once, twice, and move slowly as they roll the bag in their hands.

They look at you. They do a double take. their eyes reflect the low light that remains. In the low light you see the red glistening on their hands and arms. The red glistens off the shrubbery. You feel like a deer in headlights. They wave to you.