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Diving back into her cave, she squirrimy but still mostly white parka, draped the jacket over her head, eased down, and tucked herself into a crouch Her calves would coht be a relief since her feet were really nagging, the toes singing with the cold Yet pain was good, pain kept her sharp A passing glance, and her parka should look like heaped snow The boots hat she wanted them to see As for what happened after thatshe hadn’t quite worked that out The flare gun was too loud The tanto? Long blade, better reach, but what good was a knife in a gunfight?

The crackle of a breaking branch made her heart skip To her left, the huer and

Oh no no no The hairs along her neck bristled at another aroht This was , cisplatin wreathed in rot, was un at et out of this But if she could get a gun, give theers, she eased her parka up until she got a sht They’ll turn me into Peter Or worse If the red storm was any indication, the man in black would feel how she was different, and then there was just no telling With her luck, he’d hack open her skull and try to figure out what ood and knehat he was doing, that wouldn’t kill her either The brain felt no pain Once through the skull and dura, that red storht down to theguy Spokes of hazy late-afternoon sun jabbed thick forest canopy Through that narrow sliver, she sahite snow, a screen of hemlock, and the tall oak beyond that Another thuht His white and gray hooded snowsuit was fringed, a fancy 3-D jacket with strips of fabric designed to look and flutter like leaves When he stood absolutely still, she alht winked from his scoped rifle His head bowed to study her trail When he looked up, she saw hio on Check it out She stifled a moan of disappoint pine Easing his rifle to his shoulder, he sighted and then squeezed off a quick shot There was the hornet’s sting of a ricochet From somewhere came the startled rasp of a crow A second later, her ears perked to an odd series of cicada-like clicks

Radio She recognized the sound from her days in Rule So on Probably that red storm There was a pause, then a series of break-break-breaks as the hunter sent off his own code Thought I was up in the tree But she hadn’t returned fire or screa away fro run for the oak Fast for an old guy If she had been up there, he’d be tough to hit Crowding up to the trunk, the hunter shot straight up, threw his bolt, squeezed off another shot and then another and another: crack-crack-crack-crack! Probably soh to show him there was no one there

More radio clicks More returns froer, A-OK

Okay, now, please She gnawed her cheek Look down See the broken step

Socking his radio onto his hip, the hunter stepped away from the tree and tipped his head back as his eyes cliher Then, finally, he dropped his gaze to the snow His exaggerated, almost stupefied double take and then slow crane as his eyes followed her blundering progress ainst her lips That quickly died as he threw his bolt, racked in another bullet, and started her way, the fake leaves of his fancy 3-D ca at her boots, which was good She also knew soood That was a six-shot rifle, and he’d used five It hit her then that she couldn’t afford hi off even one more shot Every time that rifle cracked, the radio clicked

All of a sudden, fronized No, no! A jab of terror spiked her gut She should have thought of this After all, this had happened in Rule, that very first night Go away; don’t do it, you nut Stay away, stay--

"Come on out" Now that the hunter was close, all she saere legs in sturdy, thick-soled winter boots Ten feet away, no more "I know you’re there"

Make the play before he starts blasting "I’h, small, shaky whimper It actually helped that she was freaked "I fellwhen I t-tried"

"Come out" His tone was flinty "There’s nowhere left to run" "You’ve g-got a g-gun," she said "Don’t sh-shoot uy who hated being a grandpa "They were going to eatto hurt you," he said Had that been gentler? She couldn’t tell His boots shifted a bit and then she saw one shuffle forward as he dropped to a crouch That was bad Any lower, and he’d realize those boots were enized suddenly bloomed peppery and hot No, no, no, he’ll shoot, you nut Her sto didn’t stay back It charged because she was in trouble and it was part-dog, and dogs had done this for her once before, that first, awful night in Rule

She saw the hunter pivot fast "Jesus--"

"No, over here!" Shoving the parka aside, she surged from her cave "Here!"