Chapter 22
8:20 PM Sunday (approximately): I hadn’t seen anyone yet. I turned my gun hand to look at my watch, but I never got a chance to read it.
I was jumped from behind. Startled, I dropped my gun as I fell to the ground. I strained to get it back, but the hand of the man behind me overreached mine. Then, instead of grabbing it, his hand bumped it, and the gun fell off the path. I never heard it hit.
I felt my attacker trying to push himself to his feet, so I shoved backwards. Off balance, he fell, and I turned and fell on top of him. His face was somewhere in the middle of my chest: I could feel his hot breath. I shoved my forearm under his chin and pushed. He began to fumble at his side for his own gun with one hand, while his other hand came over the top of my hand and grabbed at my hair, then nose and lips, pulling back. The pain was excruciating, but my free hand was committed to holding his hand with the gun, so I couldn't do a whole lot about it. He pulled me back into a squatting position, then kneed me in the crotch. I groaned, but he hadn’t gotten full force behind it: I still didn’t let go of his gun hand. I then hiked my leg as high as it would go, closed my eyes in pain and prayer, and drove my knee in with all my weight.
It hit. His hands flew open, his air burst out, and I got his gun. I leaped up.
Both of us have tears in our eyes, but they weren’t for each other. I grit my teeth. The worm still had the badge on his chest.
"Get up." I jerked the gun. He got to his knees, and, I could see it in his eyes, thought about jumping me. I calmly shot him in the shoulder. "Get up." I could hardly get the words from between my teeth.
Gas got up. "Stand there," I ordered, waving the gun toward the edge of the path. His eyes sullen, he obeyed. He looked over the edge. He looked back at me.
"If it helps," Gas said, licking his lips and shuffling his feet, his breath as ragged as mine, "I didn’t kill her.’"
On the word, "her", he did just what I was waiting for. He jumped, but I was ready, and I wasn't wounded, so he missed me. He might have somehow kept from falling over the other side, but dodging him left me off-balance - I guess I must have bumped him. Too bad.
I picked up the flashlight from where I had stashed it. As high powered as it was, I couldn’t see the either bottom of the gulley or the body. I wiped carefully wiped down his gun, then tossed it in after him.
Good enough.
I was jumped from behind. Startled, I dropped my gun as I fell to the ground. I strained to get it back, but the hand of the man behind me overreached mine. Then, instead of grabbing it, his hand bumped it, and the gun fell off the path. I never heard it hit.
I felt my attacker trying to push himself to his feet, so I shoved backwards. Off balance, he fell, and I turned and fell on top of him. His face was somewhere in the middle of my chest: I could feel his hot breath. I shoved my forearm under his chin and pushed. He began to fumble at his side for his own gun with one hand, while his other hand came over the top of my hand and grabbed at my hair, then nose and lips, pulling back. The pain was excruciating, but my free hand was committed to holding his hand with the gun, so I couldn't do a whole lot about it. He pulled me back into a squatting position, then kneed me in the crotch. I groaned, but he hadn’t gotten full force behind it: I still didn’t let go of his gun hand. I then hiked my leg as high as it would go, closed my eyes in pain and prayer, and drove my knee in with all my weight.
It hit. His hands flew open, his air burst out, and I got his gun. I leaped up.
Both of us have tears in our eyes, but they weren’t for each other. I grit my teeth. The worm still had the badge on his chest.
"Get up." I jerked the gun. He got to his knees, and, I could see it in his eyes, thought about jumping me. I calmly shot him in the shoulder. "Get up." I could hardly get the words from between my teeth.
Gas got up. "Stand there," I ordered, waving the gun toward the edge of the path. His eyes sullen, he obeyed. He looked over the edge. He looked back at me.
"If it helps," Gas said, licking his lips and shuffling his feet, his breath as ragged as mine, "I didn’t kill her.’"
On the word, "her", he did just what I was waiting for. He jumped, but I was ready, and I wasn't wounded, so he missed me. He might have somehow kept from falling over the other side, but dodging him left me off-balance - I guess I must have bumped him. Too bad.
I picked up the flashlight from where I had stashed it. As high powered as it was, I couldn’t see the either bottom of the gulley or the body. I wiped carefully wiped down his gun, then tossed it in after him.
Good enough.
© 1980, 2004 by Solar Rhino - All Rights Reserved
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