Only the Hunted Run Read Free

one gunman reported—”
    â€œâ€”slow down, down, give it to me again, I got a file, I got a file, where, now now now. Seven bodies? Dead, wounded? You’re
inside
the building?”
    â€œâ€”with a semi, I, I got, I wasn’t taking pulses. One guy, his head blown open, he’s gone, that’s in the Rotunda, this lady in the Crypt, she’s gone, the cops and this other guy in the Rotunda, all head shots.”
    â€œWhere are you?” Sully could hear R.J.’s hands flying over the keyboard, banging out the dictation.
    â€œA meeting room in the hallway to the Speaker’s office, just off the Rotunda. You know where—”
    â€œYou’re inside the building?”
    â€œDid you hear me? Write this down: In the fucking middle of it.”
    â€œWhat can you see right now? What are you looking at?”
    â€œThe underside of a desk.”
    â€œGoddammit—”
    â€œCalm down. I know, I know. I can—”
    â€œThe shots, man, the shots. Did you see anybody with a gun?”
    â€œYou got to slow down. I ain’t seen nobody with a gun. It started down low, though, I can tell you that, the shooting, I mean. The Crypt, from that entrance. The east side. The shooter came in from the east side. Moved up to the Rotunda, seems to be behind me in the Speaker’s office, but I can’t confirm the last. May be just the one shooter.”
    â€œBasis for the observation?”
    â€œThis kid, this intern? He got tagged on the shoulder, there in the Rotunda? He said one. The shots I’ve heard, from a distance? They’ve all seemed to be in one place. I think it’s here. You know, the Speaker’s office. But I can’t hear shit from in here, this room. Calling in to dictate.”
    â€œGo, go, go.”
    â€œOkay, let’s go with, ah, Jesus, okay.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “At least one gunman fired dozens of rounds in the U.S. Capitol building this afternoon, killing at least four—ah, it’s gonna be more, but let’s stick with four for the minute—and seriously wounding several others in an attack unlike any other in the nation’s history. . . . With me?”
    â€œKeep going.”
    â€œAt least four bodies lay in the Crypt and the Rotunda in pools of blood. Shots rang out. The screaming of women and bellowing of men was, what, what, it was
pronounced
, the raised voices echoing downhallways of marble and tile. A fire alarm was activated, adding to the confusion, though no flames or smoke were immediately present. Two security officers were hit by gunfire at the east entrance to the Crypt and they fell, perhaps fatally wounded. Two more officers were hit, fatally, in the Rotunda, one floor above. Also in the Rotunda, at least two other victims had been shot to death. A witness in the Rotunda, a young man hit in the shoulder with at least one bullet, said he saw only one gunman, and that the man had gone toward the Speaker’s office. Time that at, what is it, 5:37 p.m.”
    Running his palm over his forehead, through his shock of black hair, “Okay, okay, how we doing? What else, what else you guys getting—”
    â€œComplete and total fuckery. First AP bulletin was, was eleven minutes ago. ‘Shots fired at the eastern entrance to U.S. Capitol building.’ A follow six minutes later, reporting Capitol police officers down at that entrance. Something about a confrontation at the metal detector, guy pulls out a gun and goes all Columbine.”
    â€œAh, shit.”
    â€œTelevision has some cameras outside, but they’re not close. Everybody was down at the federal courthouse. I’m looking at long-range lens stuff on the screen. People running. Did I say fuckery yet?”
    â€œIs there a wide shot of the building?”
    â€œWhat? Yes, yes. CNN.”
    â€œIs there smoke?”
    â€œNot that I can see.”
    â€œGood. Then somebody