Summary

In the story “The Road Virus Heads North,” Richard Kinnell bought a watercolor painting at a yard sale. It showed a man driving a muscle car at sunset with the Tobin Bridge in the background. He was grinning, a smile that revealed fangs instead of teeth. The woman in charge of the yard sale told Kinnell that Bobby Hastings, a boy who once lived in the house, had painted the picture. It was the only one he had not burned before he died by suicide. The title written on the back of the painting was “The Road Virus Head North.”

Kinnell stopped on his way home to visit his Aunt Trudy and show her the painting. She told him that she hated it and suggested he throw it away. Kinnell felt he had been punched in the belly and chest...