Then, one cold November night, whilst out on a regular patrol of the town's back roads, it seems his unspoken wishes may have finally been granted, when a mysterious man appears suddenly in the middle of the road. Unable to slow down in time, Alex hits the stranger, before spinning wildly into the path of an oncoming vehicle. It's a terrible accident, but luckily Alex escapes uninjured. The others are not so lucky. The man in the second car slips into a coma, and the man in the road suffers concussion, several cracked ribs, and a broken leg.

The next day, Alex and his deputy are waiting to question the mysterious "road guy" as he's become known. Who is he? Where is he from? What was he doing in the middle of the road? They ask a thousand questions, but the man has no answers. He will not speak, will not acknowledge anybody, and shows no signs of emotion.