She huddled in the bushes shivering, her blonde hair painfully being pulled where it was caught in the hedge. How had she gotten here, she wondered. It was supposed to be a weekend escape to the middle of nowhere.

She was lost. Her phone could not find a signal anywhere she stopped. The map she had brought along didn't match any roadway, trail, or even river she passed. There's were no towns, no rest stops, and worst of all, no gas stations anywhere.

It was fully night when she ran out of gas. Frightened and disgusted, she spent the evening in her car, setting out early on foot to try and find help.

As she wandered in the direction she hoped would lead to at least a vestige of civilization, she found herself easily spooked. She nearly jumped out of her skin upon hearing a loud rustling in the woods only to see a large buck deer scampering between the trees ahead of her.

After a few hours, the weather turned cold and the wind picked up. She was still responding to every noise and every movement out of the corner of her eye. It was taking its toll. She was a nervous wreck, lost, freezing, and scared in the middle of nowhere. She sat on the ground under a bush trying to warm up. So here she was, on the verge of tears, feeling hopeless.

He had been waiting in the blind for nearly an hour, motionless. His rifle was propped up on a Y-shaped stick. It was a physically awkward position, but he persevered. He scanned the countryside through his scope. Then he saw her, her blonde hair still tangled in the hedge. He took a deep breath. This was always the hardest part, both physically and emotionally. His extremities had been the way they were since birth, making the pulling of the trigger only possible with the help of a piece of twine he held between his teeth. He lined up the rifle and took a deep breath, paused, then pulled his head back, engaging the trigger with the short length of rope clasped his mouth. The force of the gunshot sent the rifle butt into his face, but not hard enough to do any damage.

The girl never felt a thing. One moment she was shivering, the next she was gone. The bullet entered her chest, then passed through her heart and spine. She fell forward.

He approached the body and nodded approvingly. After a few attempts, he managed to drape the corpse over his back. Satisfied, he turned homeward and began the long trek.

As he approached his home, he could see his daughter running on the porch. He approached the front door and called out to his mate inside as he turned his head to ease his massive antlers past the door frame.

"I got one honey, not much meat, but the head is going to look great above the fireplace."

"That's nice sweetie," a voice responded, "but try not to get any blood on the carpet and get that little doe of ours in here to do her chores."

"Yes dear", he said lovingly, thankful for the life he had.