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"Don’t be stupid," Sanjit snapped "They just knoe’re close to the lake Trying to distract us so--" The horrible reality of his oords came to him

Too late

He spun and shouted, "Look out!" Three of the coyotes, unobserved as the people all fixated on Pack Leader, attacked the rearmost kids

There were screams of pain and terror Screa torn

Sanjit ran toward the back, but this was the signal for Pack Leader and two others to attack the front

Everyone bolted, kids knocking one another down, stepping on one another, being knocked down in turn to cries and screarowls of the coyotes as they went after slow, defenseless children

Sanjit fired BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

If the coyotes even noticed, they gave no sign

He saw Mason going down beneath two growling beasts The older girls were already far up the road Keira turned, stared, her mouth wide in horror, and ran away

Sanjit jumped in the air and landed with both feet on one of the coyotes The aniain while Sanjit was still absorbing the landing A kid or a coyote, he didn’t see which, knocked hi in his face

BLAM!

The coyote’s right eye exploded outward and the beast collapsed atop Sanjit

Two coyotes were fighting over Mason, like dogs fighting over a toy Dead Dead by now, dead

He ai

BLAM!

One of the coyotes ran off with a child’s leg in its mouth

Kids fro torn at by the coyotes And the crowd, the herd--because that’s what they were now, a terrified herd no different from antelope panicked by a lion attack--ran as fast as they could

There was nothing Sanjit could do

Pack Leader stood with his legs braced wide Sorowled

Sanjit ran