Parthenogenesis

Grabbed this on kindle as soon as I saw it was being released.

Two best friends have decided to move together. A fresh start in a new place, but at least they won’t be completely alone. But, of course they found a deal on the rental truck, and now it’s broken down. To kill time as they await the arrival of the mechanic, they come up with stories about the weird wood carving near them. A wolfbear with antlers, they make up reasons why it was wanted, how it was bid for and the job won, even how there was only a single tree available to make it. They really thought of everything…and wow the mechanic is really taking such a long time.

As night arrives, the two take a peer-attended pee break (for safety), and the atmosphere continues to build as they get more freaked out by the minute. When they make it back to the truck, now their refuge, they find a brand new slushy—the same kind they shared earlier—right in the cupholder. From there, they get more and more freaked out as they begin to learn that maybe not everything they thought they’d made up was make believe.

I enjoyed the relationship and banter between the friends, with whiplash quick dialogue from the author, and as a single location short story this was pretty enjoyable. With it being so short, the ‘build up’ of atmosphere is a little thin, but the ending was certainly creepy.