Fallen

Con grits his teeth against the emotions that want to send tears to his eyes as Jamie speaks. He couldn’t stop now…he had to finish this before it was too late.

Hearing Sam’s yell behind him, he whirls around just in time to see Sam fall. Shock crosses his face. Before he can even react, he watches as Joe drops dead before him, taking a bullet from Nate. He hadn’t even had time to react… Stunned, he watches Nate, knowing the horrid truth, that a comrade had just fallen.

Carson sees Nate go for the stairs, and suddenly realizes that he and Vince are alone. Vince goes for his gun, getting himself up off the floor, though wincing against the bullet wound to his leg.

Hearing the next gunshot downstairs, Carson knows that Joe has been taken down. In an instant, he sees two choices. Vince is moving closer to the stair well, his gun aimed high for the first person he sees.

Without even thinking, Carson swiftly draws his knife from the sheath on his side, aims and throws.

Vince drops his gun and stumbles backward into the wall, his eyes wide with shock as the knife takes his life.

Carson stares at his deed, never having felt the sting before, but never having felt the pride either. Hearing the others coming up the stairs, he’s quick to hit the door running.

Jason hears several shots ring out and tenses, ready for anything. Within moments, he sees a figure running from the house and across the clearing. Feeling no choice, he captures the man in his sights and squeezes the trigger. Carson goes down.

Con turns from the miserable scene and makes his way up the stairs, holding Jamie close. Reaching the room, he sees Vince dead with a knife in his chest, and realizes that the other man is gone. Before he can think, he hears a rifle shot and knows what has happened. Ignoring the circumstances around him and blocking out the pain, Con takes route out the door.

Jason catches movement at the house again and sees Con emerge with Jamie in his arms. He immediately gets back on his walkie-talkie. “Hal, get the car here pronto.”

Con is just to the end of the dirt walkway when the car comes into view. As quickly and carefully as he can, he opens the backdoor and sets Jamie inside, then slides in himself, her head resting in his arms. “Get to the hospital now,” he orders sternly.

As Hal steps on the gas, Con runs his hand through Jamie’s blood-matted hair. “Come on, Jamie…talk to me. You’re gonna be okay…we’re almost there. Hang in there…please…”


Jason takes route into the clearing, waving at Wyatt and Nate that it’s safe, and heads toward the fallen target. They would need to make the scene look like an accident or other, so as not to point authorities to TJY.