Page 162 of Let It Snow
Just a tiny fragment.
A minuscule pull, and yet it takes all I have.
That single tug is like ripping the universe itself. Like pressing rewind on reality, for just the briefest instant.
And then—
An ultrashort instant.
Like the flash of blue lightning.
Everything disappears.
…
And suddenly… Rocco’s stench is choking me again.
He’s unzipping his pants.
I turn my head.
I see the camera. I see the exact same moment again. The men beside Lake turning their heads, distracted by something unseen, just like before.
Now I understand.
This was the moment I couldn’t grasp before. The moment Bay entered the room. Which means Lake is already safe. Which means, I’m safe too.
Oh, yeah!
Only this time, I know more.
I know they’re about to fire at the door.
I know Rocco has a gun, and he can draw it fast.
I know exactly what I have to do. So I squeeze my eyes shut, piercing through the drugs in my veins with immense effort.
Fuck, I’m so weak! It’s barely enough to stop the blood flow from reaching the brains of thesoldatisurrounding us, and it’s not even to the full effect. Some just fall to their knees, some drop to the ground as if someone had pulled the plug.
Rocco sways too, wobbling, but he probably realizes what is happening as he spins toward me, ripping his gun from the holster…
And fires at me.
What saves me is basically an instinctive reflex, not a conscious action, that turns the bullet to dust right in front of my eyes, and the metal dust blinds me for a second.
It allows Rocco to make his next move, which is so fast it barely exists. Not even the blink of an eye. I manage only the beginning of an air shield, but the blow slams into the side of my head.
"No!"
The shout tears out of me as the world spins.
The shot triggers it… the chain reaction.
The door fractures with a web of pale-blue cracks, the temperature plummeting, probably close to absolute zero, before it shatters into a million shards.
But this time, no soldiers warn Rocco.
I make another effort to push the air wave into those who are still somewhat conscious, sitting or kneeling, so now they stumble to the ground.
