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If I let go Not exactly a thought More like a last gasp All at once, he stopped pushing and let his shoulders sag, his neck stretch He felt her knees stutter as she began to slide, her center of gravity shifting Off-balance, she rocked forward

"AAHH!!" He shrieked it, unaware that the screaing up, his right ar into her parka He yanked her down as quickly and viciously as he could At the same time, he whipped his head up There was a loud kunk as the dense bone of his forehead se just above her left eye He knew the hit was good the instant he felt her socket cave, the second her whole body unlimbered from the shock

The Chucky didn’t wail or scream She had no tiht, and he ith her, using her weight as a fulcrum Even then--bloody, a wound in her belly, blind in one eye, and probably in ferocious pain--she sensed what he ers clawed, and flailed, wildly, trying to snag so Yet, to his relief, she had no knife, and the advantage was his now

They spooned, her back against his chest In a novel, he’d have broken her neck A quick snap, the crackle, done deal But that kind ofdealit’s er than you think

Instead, he hooked his right arainst the back of her head, he grabbed his left ar on to the blood choke--

And felt soure-four choke hold, eight to ten seconds of pressure on the carotids--thirteen at the uy with the neck of an ox, slides into unconscious

Unless that guy is sh to protect his neck somehow Which, apparently, this Chucky was--because what circled her neck was a leather collar with ahis grip, working his arher to hook directly under her ears, but they ing in snow and he was already tiring, his grip starting to weaken Then his ar, she threw her left ar for his eyes He jerked his head right, a reflex he knew, too late, was a ht elbow, she thrust back, fast, ja the bony point into his ribs Pain sheeted his vision and he gagged Die Get up, get out fro for the weapon was anotherhis back on her, but he si, and he couldn’t hang on forever That she’d even thought to wear so to protect her neck was a whole other level of crazy, and he couldn’t wait and hope she ut wound takes tio, rolled right, spun onto his hands and knees

That was as far as he got She kicked hiony roared up his spine, and he let out a choking UNGH! The next thing he knew, he was on his belly, writhing, coughing against the snow, trying to worm away Every nerve sputtered; his muscles sizzled He felt as boneless as a jellyfish froh sudden tears of pain, he made out his pack, the Bravo, but it was so far away! Then he spied so else, much closer, less than twelve inches from his nose

There was a crunch of snow, the chatter of rock The sun was behind hi over the snow, seeping onto his flesh as she caot his hand around the ski pole only a foot away, and then he hipping onto his back, the pole whistling through the air; and now she wasn’t a black shadow but a white and red ot his ar in midair, but she wasn’t a cat, just a crazy-ass and very s, she slah just beneath her breastbone The force was so great his arlass pole didn’t snap in two but held as her ar on, he shoved, knocking her to one side, but he wouldn’t let go This was one weapon he would not lose How he got on his feet, he didn’t know, but then he was crouched, his thighs bunching, and she was still skewered, feet planted, her own hands wrapped around the pole to brace herself, as if they’d decided to play a strange ga-of-war They stayed like that for a second that see, how very strange her eyes were: not only fevered with a killing frenzy but jittery, the pupils so wide the irises were reduced to thin dark rims

And there were no whites At all The whites of her eyes weren’t bloodshot; they were crirapefruit spoon to leave ht chilled him to the bone Where did you come from? What are you?

As if in answer, her lips skinned back in an orange grin

"Jesus," he said "Just die" Heaving with all his ht jaht in a single, killing thrust

And then it was done