Feathers in the Fast Lane

It began with a careless driver tucked behind the wheel of a beat-up gray cargo van, swerving, cutting off other cars, switching lanes without looking. Next, there was an explosion of brown feathers followed by screeching tires and beaming brake lights—all the while feathers fluttering through the air, floating to the roadway, resting alongside the garbage and debris. The traffic never came to a complete halt, it just slowed, hugged the Jersey barrier for a moment, then continued forward. The lifeless body of the turkey bounced several times on the asphalt before rolling to its final resting place in the center of the fast lane. Maybe the turkey still had a few breaths left. Hopefully it was killed by the force of the gray van's front fender. How terrible it would be if not, lying half-alive while cars trampled your body, broke your bones, crushed your organs.