Dawn Patrol

140

Boone crashes through the reeds.

Toward the sound of footsteps.

He can't really see them, just vague forms through the reeds. Then he gets a glimpse of Dan, who pulls his gun from the waistband of his jeans and looks around to pinpoint the sound of the footsteps coming at him.

“Run!” Boone yells.

Tammy pushes Luce in front of her, turns, and sees Dan. Then, with a dancer's grace, she whirls, her long leg snaps up, and she places a kick into the back of Dan's head.

It sends him reeling, but he stays on his feet.

“Run, Luce!” Tammy yells. “Run and don't stop running!”

But Luce doesn't run.

She won't leave Tammy, not again.

Dan recovers the grip on his pistol and aims it at Tammy, who puts herself between him and the girl.

Boone's almost there.

Tammy's too close for Boone to risk a shot, especially on the run in the confused tangle of the reeds, so he just dives at Dan, who turns the gun away from Tammy and on Boone and fires just as Tammy kicks his hand.

Boone plows into him waist-high and drives him backward. Dan can't get his hand turned to press the pistol into Boone, so he clubs him with the butt, slamming it into the back of Boone's head and neck, again and again.

Boone feels a searing, burning pain.

The world turns red and he feels like he's somersaulting.

A bad, bloody wipeout.