With their hands zip tied in front of them, people mostly use their feet as weapons. Tennis shoes aren’t too bad. Dress shoes, with their hard shells, are much more painful. The lady with the crazy tall heels raises one foot, and Parker braces himself to be skewered by her stiletto, but it barely brushes his waist. While he’s still trying to figure out if Heels missed him on purpose, the guy with the gauges kicks his thigh so hard, Parker topples. Gauges’s second kick just misses him.

Trying to make himself as small as possible, he curls into a ball, his forehead tight against his knees, his fingers cupping the back of his neck. This still leaves a lot of surface area.

His plan to stay silent is quickly abandoned. Grunts are forced from his mouth with every blow. His mouth fills with hot, salty blood. A solid kick connects with the back of his head. He imagines he can feel his brain bouncing off his skull.

Finally, Heels yells, “No. Stop! We have to stop! He’s not the enemy. And we’re not killers. We’re not like them.”

Parker uncurls his head.

And then Businessman kicks him in the chin.

5:23 p.m.

UNIT 45: We have to assume that 68 and the others are no longer able to assist. I’ll take command until SWAT is on-site. Until then I want two cars at every exit to check for injured, and to check for people who might be armed.

DISPATCH: Copy that. I’ve got press and family members staging at Calvary Baptist, which is about two miles from the mall. We have requested mutual aid from all local law enforcement. Tigard, Beaverton, Gresham, and Oregon City are sending additional officers. I’ve got about fifteen Salem officers coming up, and another twenty officers coming down from Vancouver.

UNIT 45: All cars coming in, have them set up a perimeter around the entire mall.

DISPATCH: Copy.

UNIT 10: Do I have permission to take people in cars? I’ve got a bunch of people shot and no ambulances.

UNIT 45: Do it. Just tell all the hospitals we got people coming in.

DISPATCH: Copy.

UNIT 22: We’ve got two victims in the back of a squad on the west side of the mall. We’ll take them in.

UNIT 84: I have three parties shot over on the east side. One guy’s been shot in the neck. Taking them in.

UNIT 45: Officers on foot, be careful, as we’ve got squads leaving with victims. Dispatch, what’s the status on SWAT and the Crisis Negotiation Team?

DISPATCH: They should be on-site in the next few minutes.

UNIT 45: Is the FBI in the loop yet? We may need to get them to activate the Hostage Rescue Team out of Quantico.

DISPATCH: Someone’s in touch with the FBI on the fire channel.

UNIT 45: Tell everyone to come into the south parking lot. We’ll give them cover.