Page 53 of So Dark

Kelly Connor was on the ground, weeping. A bear trap was clamped shut around her leg, and judging from the amount of blood, and the odd twist in her foot, it had broken her leg above the ankle.

She sobbed when she saw the agents. “Help me! He’s going to kill me!”

“No, he won’t,” Faith promised. “My dog has him—” she couldn’t finish the sentence before Turk yelped and flew past her vision to land on the ground behind her. “Shit! Michael, get her out of that trap and tourniquet her leg.”

The man Turk had taken down looked like something out of an adventure novel. His hair and beard were long and matted. He wore clothing that appeared to be handstitched animal skins. He bared teeth that were yellowed and crooked, and he held a knife made of carved bone.

He switched the knife to his uninjured arm and rushed toward Turk. Faith sprinted at him and drove her shoulder into his side, knocking him to the ground.

“Damn it!” Michael called at the same instant as a loud snap sounded in the air.

“Michael?” she called.

“I’m all right! Fucking bear traps! Be careful!”

Faith turned back to the killer to see his knife thrusting toward her. She cried out and twisted to the side. The blade sliced her parka open but didn’t reach her skin. She threw a punch, but her hand connected only with his thick beard.

I guess we’re both wearing body armor, she thought sardonically.

Turk had better luck than she did. He leaped into the air and planted all four paws on Victor, throwing him to the ground and narrowly avoiding a jab from the knife. He landed easily and jumped in front of Faith, snarling at the killer.

The killer jumped to his feet with the grace of a cat. In his condition, it was hard to guess at his age, but he was older than Faith for sure. Perhaps in his fifties.

He circled the agents, moving lightly on his feet, carrying the knife like an extension of his arm. He was a good fighter, though whether that came from training or years of fending for himself in the wilderness, Faith didn’t know.

“What the hell are you doing?” Michael called to her. “You have a gun!”

Faith quickly drew her weapon, but the killer heard Michael too. He snarled and rushed Faith, once more moving with almost inhuman speed. He ducked under her aim and drove his knife toward her ribs on the left side.

Turk jumped up and caught his arm, falling to the ground and twisting. He dragged the killer down with him, but the killer rolled, throwing Turk onto his back. He lifted his knee up high and brought it down hard.

“No!” Faith cried.

She fired, but everything happened so fast that she didn’t aim right. Her bullet sailed harmlessly past him. Fortunately, Turk saw the blow coming and released the killer’s arm, rolling out of the way just before the killer’s knee slammed into the ground.

Faith stepped forward and planted a kick in the man’s ribs. He gasped and rolled onto his back.

“Move and die, asshole!” Faith shouted, aiming her weapon squarely at the man’s head. “You know what a gun is, right?”

“A coward’s tool,” the man spat.

His voice was hoarse and gravelly. There was an accent to it that Faith couldn’t place, but that could just be that he wasn’t used to speaking to people.

"It'll kill you just fine, whatever kind of tool it is," Faith said. "Don't move."

Moving faster than Faith would have expected, the killer kicked out, catching her wrist and knocking the gun from her hand. It landed with a loud snap. Faith glanced behind her and saw that it had landed in another bear trap. The trap had slammed shut and broken the slide off of her gun.

She felt something slice her ribs and cried out.

“Damn it, Faith!” Michael shouted. “Pay attention!”

She turned back to the killer to see Turk’s jaws once more shut around the killer’s knife hand. Faith felt something wet and looked at her right side. The parka was sliced open just under her breast, but she couldn’t see the wound underneath the thick coat, and she couldn’t tell how badly she was hurt. She could still move, so she didn’t think she was hurt that badly.

The killer lifted Turk off of the ground and drew his fist back. Faith lunged forward, grabbed his shoulder and threw him over her hip. Turk released and landed on his feet. The killer landed on his stomach.

Faith dropped on top of him, planting her knee onto his back. He cursed and struggled, but she held him still, reaching for her handcuffs and saying, “I don’t know your name yet, but you’re under arrest.”

She looked over at Michael. He had freed Kelly from the bear trap and was now getting the tourniquet placed above herknee. Michael glared at her and shouted, “Faith! For fuck’s sake! Secure the damned prisoner first,thenworry about everything else.”

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