Project Gutenberg 2007-06-21 Public domain in the USA. 146 Schmitz, James H. 1911 1981 Schmitz, James Henry An Incident on Route 12 Produced from Worlds of If January 1962. E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Susan Carr, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "An Incident on Route 12" by James H. Schmitz is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative revolves around themes of crime and unexpected consequences, exploring the intersection of human ambition and extraterrestrial involvement. This tale addresses the tension of a criminal on the run, caught in a situation beyond his understanding. The story follows Phil Garfield, a desperate thief fleeing the scene of a robbery, who faces mechanical failure on a remote road. As he devises a plan to lure unsuspecting motorists, his situation escalates when he encounters a bizarre and horrifying twist: his victim is not merely human, but an alien life form. Garfield's panic and violence lead to a series of terrifying confrontations, culminating in his capture by his own failed assumptions about reality. The narrative illustrates the irony of Garfield's greed and fear, as he inadvertently subjects himself to the very fate he sought to avoid. Schmitz effectively combines suspense with elements of horror, leaving readers with a gripping exploration of fear and the unknown. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 82.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Criminals -- Fiction Human-alien encounters -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery 37261 2025-08-09T07:58:43.131960 text/html 35077 2007-06-21T14:10:04 text/html 88198 2025-08-09T07:58:47.770938 application/epub+zip 86973 2025-08-09T07:58:45.735954 application/epub+zip 74239 2025-08-09T07:58:44.669960 application/epub+zip 187404 2025-08-09T07:58:49.234918 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 181010 2025-08-09T07:58:47.146988 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 140457 2022-09-10T09:55:07.624281 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 31260 2025-08-09T07:58:42.825980 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 31048 2007-06-21T14:05:12 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19498 2025-08-09T07:58:49.360916 application/rdf+xml 13669 2025-08-09T07:58:45.186962 image/jpeg 3710 2025-08-09T07:58:44.938950 image/jpeg 13270 2007-06-21T14:11:19 application/octet-stream application/zip 11842 2007-06-21T14:05:12 application/octet-stream application/zip 87272 2025-08-09T07:58:43.136961 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia