I didn’t see it coming. None of us did.

It was supposed to be a fun night, just me, Chris, and Tony cruising around like we always did this time of year. We had the windows down, the cool October air biting at our skin, and the moon hanging low, full, and bright over the endless fields of our small town in Virginia. I still remember Chris laughing in the back seat, going on about the lacrosse season and how we’d taken the state championship last year. Tony, riding shotgun, was scrolling through his phone, looking for the next thing to do.