Then a furious fire from my right, through the fog, bullets snapping into the roots, into the trunk, as I slid to the ground, unhurt. Another year of wood rot and one of those bullets would have reached me.

My other clip was in my knapsack. And my knapsack was back where I’d been.

I pulled out the Fusk revolver. Hesitated. Too late. It felt too late to fire back. Didn’t think they’d be in the same place.

I was staring in the middle distance when a shape loomed up from the side, not ten feet away. Staring in the other direction. But I couldn’t help a gasp. The figure turned, shot, hit my arm. I screamed, dropped the gun as I fell.

He shot again, but I was already rolling as I fell, throwing the cane at him, so he flinched and had to duck. By then, I had closed the distance. I smashed into his midriff, swatted his gun from his hand, still burning up from the bullet lodged in me.

I don’t think he expected me to do that. I don’t think he expected I would come toward him.

Langer.

It was brief and brutal. Langer had no experience with close-in combat. I used my weight to crush him beneath me. He bucked, tried to get away, punched me in the face. I punched him back. We said nothing, made no threats or pleas. What would we have said? There was only the moonlight, the shadows, the vapor rising off our bodies, our thick, rapid breathing. Langer tried to punch me in the kidney. Didn’t care. He brought his legs in and kicked me in the belly. I guess he thought soft meant soft.

But as he did, as Langer thought I would crumple and he would pick up his gun and end me, I hugged his shoulders, brought his torso close. Changed levels as he reacted. Twisted his legs to one side as my weight landed there, off his torso. Langer fell back, with a surprised, squeaky sound, something having popped in him or me. I wanted him to be gone from this Earth. I wanted him to be out of my fucking way. More than anything I’d wanted in a long time.

We thrashed from forest onto gravel, frenzied. Langer tried to dislodge me from around his waist, beat at my back, and it was just like a gentle tap, tap, tap to me. Tried to gouge out my eyes, but I moved my head and bit deep into his thumb. Brought his other hand to his side to pull out a knife and with his bitten hand punched me on the top of the head.