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CHAPTER 1

  Just Another Manic Monday

  Josey couldn't stop yawning.

  It was still half an hour before dawn as he pulled his truck off Interstate 40 and headed north. Spitting out an old heavily chewed piece of nicotine gum, he yawned again and glanced at his cup of steaming coffee. The gum was better than nothing. But he looked with longing at the glove box (where his pack of Winston’s was stowed) as he drove on in the early predawn darkness. Just got to make it until noon, then I can have a real cigarette followed by some serious sleep, he thought as near exhaustion took its toll.

  The next stop would be only the fourth pick up of the morning and yet he already felt dead tired. He reached for the coffee and felt the cup's comforting warmth in his hand. It had almost reached his lips when a jackrabbit (using that small animal logic that led millions of its predecessors to their untimely end) jumped out of the darkness into the dusty road ahead.

  It stood up on its hind legs and stared in mild curiosity when it was spotlighted by the truck's headlights.

  In mid sip, Josey noticed the movement and turned the steering wheel sharply in an attempt not to hit the small animal. As the massive truck swerved it jerked and shuddered causing almost half of the coffee to spill onto his lap.

  Josey was suddenly wide awake as he screamed, “Son-of-a-bitch!” while the coffee scalded a tender area that no reasonable man would ever want burnt.

  The jackrabbit noted the bright lights and heard the squeal of the giant tires as the big thing racing toward it began to turn. Its whiskers twitched as its brown eyes widened a bit more, but otherwise it remained motionless. The long eared animal's only brief confused thought was, Should I stay or leap?

  It didn't use reason or logic to decide. Instead, it chose to follow a natural instinct.

  Josey sucked through his clenched teeth as hot coffee soaked into his underwear like a sponge. The truck seemed destined to miss the long eared, furry, innocent, bystander and he sighed in relief. But in mid sigh the jackrabbit chose an extremely unfortunate moment to take instinct's advice and leaped.

  The sheer size and weight of the truck made the bump almost imperceptible a moment later, but Josey knew he'd hit it. A wave of nausea and memories overcame him even as he hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the deserted road.