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"Gun!" I shouted

That er quickly removed her hands from her pocket and went for her Glock It was too late Testen fired his gun Mallinger was hit She spun hard to her left and collapsed on the driveway

I did a foolish thing I un--nothing as brain-dead heroic as that I went toward Danny, wanting to help Danny I ain How he missed me from that distance I don’t know The explosion jolted ht instincts kicked in Outside Fit to Print I had been a deer caught in the headlights Noas a deer running, covering asphalt in a hurry as I dashed down the driveway toward the street

The sound ofout of fear, I tried to convince ht, to give er a chance I couldn’t help Danny if I was killed I needed to escape so I could call for help Yeah, sure

I crossed the street and kept running toward Jail Park Oak, pine, spruce, ash, and birch trees loo in the hard wind The boulevard of snoeen the street and the trees slowed an to , I pushed htwildly, breath co in rasps, an ache in my side--how is this possible, I wondered I play hockey thirty weeks out of the year I work out three-four times every week How could I be so out of shape? I pressed

Finally, I was there Inside the park, surrounded by trees and underbrush I squatted against an oak and searched for Testen He was at the edge of the park and co to follow ht barely penetrated this deep into the forest and he was having trouble following my trail

I fu on my hand Blood I didn’t have an ache inI had been shot I opened rabbed a handful of snow and pressed it against the wound The snow quickly darkened My body heat melted it and rivulets flowed into waistband of ht, but what did I know? I gathered ainstmy thumb to punch the numbers 911

"Officer down"

I spoke so quietly the operator had trouble hearing

"Officer down," I repeated, forcing er had been shot and by who--that I had been shot--that I was being stalked by the shooter The operator didn’t see" Still, she passed my call for help to both the city of Victoria Police Department and the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office without hesitation She told me to stay on the phone

Testen’s head jerked up and he held it at an angle that suggested he was listening for so deeply and rapidly and the noise distressedsounds wouldn’t be heard at any distance

I wondered how long it would take for help to arrive If it was the Twin Cities, the first squad would have been on the scene within twowhere the nearest cop could be

The wound wasn’t bad Movie heroes would call it a nore it Pardon athered up another handful of fresh snow and winced in pain as I pressed it against the injury I started running so deeper into the woods

The snow didn’t seem quite as deep under the thick trees, only about a foot It was hard going, but not as hard as it had been Still, after fifty yards I was breathing rapidly and I began to feel war freely I had trouble seeing in the woods and tripped several ti up one of the, two inches thick, and better than nothing

The branch gave inal plan was simple Avoid Testen, cross the park, find a street, find a house, wait for help, don’t get lost, stay alive--si the battle to him, wound or no wound Circle around and attack Testen from behind Or lie in ambush and hit him as he passed