Monster Read Free Page B

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    “ Set the shotgun down on the ground, ” he ordered. “Slowly.”
    Mary continue d to scan the area, not moving.
    “Do it,” the officer said firmly.
    Mary took a deep breath. She had guts, even if she did have a screw loose. “I can't see you ,” she said. “I don't know if you can see me.”
    “ I can see you very well ,” the officer said matter-of- factly.
    Man's head tilted slightly to the right. Angela had finally located wher e he must be standing – behind a cl ump of bushes near the edge of the meadow.
    “ There is a reason I must kill this guy ,” Mary said.
    “F ine ,” the officer said patiently. “ You can tell me about it on ce you've put down the shotgun. ”
    “An d if I don't? ” Mary asked. She was definitely honing in on the bushes. Angela was wo rri ed she'd try to get a shot off into them . She was tempted to speak, to warn the cop, but surely he had to be aware of the danger.
    “ I'll shoot you in the head ,” the cop replied. “ I'm an ex cellent shot and won't miss. Put the shotgun down now. ”
    “I don't believe you ,” Mary said.
    “I will give you five seconds, ” the man said calmly. “ O ne. Two. Three. Four.”
    “Wait,” Mary said. “I’ll put it down.”
    “ Good, ” he said. “ No sudden movements. ”
    Mary slowl y crouched down, extending the shotgun out from her body. Angela w as a mass of nerves. She just kept waiting for Mary to try to shoot the cop. But then all at once Mary let go of the shotgun, and it landed on the soft leaves.
    “ Now stand up ,” the officer said. “ Put your hands on top of your head and keep them there.”
    Mary did as she was told.
    The cop stepped into view, revolver in his right hand. He had been behind the bushes.
    “ Thank God, ” Jim whispered. He moved up beside Angela.
    “No one move!” the cop shouted.
    He was too late. Mary had dived behind a tree. Yet she hadn't gone for the shotgun. She didn't need it, beca use she had come to the party well equipped. Her right h and whipped behind her, and in the blink of an eye she was holding a pistol. Angela hadn't seen the second gun at the party. Mary must have had it t ucked in her belt under her shirt .
    The cop immediately hit the ground even though Mary didn't turn in h is direction. She wanted Jim dead – o nly Jim . She wanted it eve n though it might cost her a bullet in the brain. A spark of orange fi re spat in Jim 's direction. Every muscle in Angela's body spasmed as Jim cried and fell to the ground.
    Then there came a second shot – a second cry. M ary’s right hand whipped halfway around her body . Incredib ly, the cop had shot the pistol out of Mary's hand. He had hit her in the hand, from the sound of it. Mary was in pain. And she wasn't alone. Jim was howling on the ground at Angela' s feet, clutchin g his left leg near the knee. At least he was still alive. Out the comer of her eye Angela saw the cop climb slow l y to his feet.
    Mary still refused to give up. Regaining her balance, she dived for her fallen pistol. She squirmed through the leaves like a rabid animal. Her determination was almost supernatural. The cop rushed to her instead of shooting again, which no court of law would have blamed h im for doing.
    “I have to,” Mary cried, and she found the gun in the dark. She picked it up with her right hand, which was definitely not working properly, and then transferred it into her left hand. Even though the cop was closer and an easier target, she climbed to her knees and pointed the gun at Jim .
    But that was as far as she got. The officer moved like a cat. He belted Mary on the top of the head with his revolver – hard. Angela heard a cracking sound. Mary dropped her gun and stared up at the officer for a moment, puzzled. But she was probably already out because a moment later she toppled to the ground. The cop looked over at Angela and Jim .
    “ Are you all right? ” he asked Jim .
    “ My leg isn't, ” Jim complained.
    The man