He had nearly gained the shoulder of the road when he saw the man step out of the woods on the other side. Seth saw him raise a rifle to his shoulder. Reflexively, Seth fell to his face and reached for his Magnum. An instant later he saw a slug gouge pebbles and stone fragments from the road just in front of his face. Oblivious to the gunman behind him, Seth leaped to his feet and brought the Magnum to bear.

The man with the rifle saw him and tried to get off a shot. But a rifle, though more accurate from longer distances than a pistol, is an awkward weapon. Seth sighted on the man’s chest and squeezed the trigger. An instant later he watched with satisfaction as the slug hammered into the man’s midsection, lifting him off his feet and twisting him around in the air. The last image Seth kept in his mind before he dropped on all fours was the sight of the red gaping hole in the man’s back, trailing pieces of his entrails.

Seth tucked the Magnum back in his coat pocket and rolled toward a culvert. It was his only way to escape. To cross the road would give his killers a clear, sure shot at him.

Behind him, Seth heard the crashing sounds of men running through the woods. He took a quick, doubtful look at the culvert His shoulders were broad and the culvert was narrow. If he got stuck or took too long in transiting it, he would be a sucker’s target.

But it was his only chance.

Seth took a quick roll in the muck at the mouth of the culvert with an eye to being as slippery as possible, then plunged in. Inside, the pipe seemed to act as an amplifier, his quick desperate breaths came to his ears like frantic screams. It also snared and amplified the sounds of the man behind him. Seth inched his way through the culvert, pushing with his toes, wiggling his shoulders. The sounds of the men drew closer and closer. He heard their voices now.

“I can’t see him anymore!” he heard one call to the other.

“Well, he hasn’t crossed the road,” came a second, more distant voice. “I have that bloody well covered.”

“He must have hidden in the brush along the road,” suggested a third voice.

Seth had made good time, but as he reached what must have been the middle of the roadway the culvert seemed to narrow. He was stuck! Behind him, he heard footsteps crackling through the brush. He shifted his shoulders and still couldn’t move. The weight of the roadway above must have crushed the culvert slightly as it settled.

“There’s a pipe here that goes under the road.” Seth heard the voice clearly. He felt his hands begin to shake and his breath flutter. He swallowed hard and tried to choke back the panic.

“Bring your light,” he heard the voice call.

Desperately Seth twisted and turned in the pipe. He felt the edges of the metal tearing at his hands, ripping at his clothes.