The hissing sound came just as the Jeep shuddered, then slowly began to sink on the back. A pop, a series of dings, and the front of the jeep too began to lower as well. Even in the dark, William knew his tires were rapidly deflating.

He scrambled to inspect when he saw Lois fall to her knees and then thud to the ground.

“Hey,” he said, sliding over to her. “Hey, lady. Are you OK?”

The answer was revealed in the headlights of the Porsche that shone on the blood gurgling from the wound in her neck. Her eyes were unblinking.

“My God,” he whispered. He knew he should apply pressure to her wound to stop the flow, but it was horribly clear that she wasn’t breathing.

He looked up to the deflated tire beside her. There were three bullet holes in the corner panel not far from where the girl had jumped in.

“No,” he said. “Kid! Are you alright—?”

She immediately climbed out, apparently unharmed, staring at the dead body of the agent.

“Mr. Chance.”

At the edge of the cotton, a man now stood, a pistol still pointed in their direction. From the rows came more people, all with weapons raised.

“Mr. Chance. I need you to remain calm. This is a dangerous situation and we need to get you out of here,” the man said.

“What the hell is going on?” the Porsche driver called out from where he was crouched by his car. “Seriously, what the—”

“Mr. Chance, for your own safety, you need to come with us. Now,” the man continued.

“Did you shoot that woman? She’s a federal agent!” William bellowed. “What the hell are you doing?”

The cotton behind them began to shiver and then sway. In an ever-increasing wind, lights from the center of the field flickered on, and the unmistakable sound of helicopter blades whirred in the near distance.

“Now, Mr. Chance,” the man said. “We are here to protect you.”

“You need to put that gun down,” William said.

Instead, the man took a step forward, brandishing his barrel towards him. “Let’s go. We need you to come with us now—”

His words ended in a choke.

With a surprised look on his face, he clutched his throat. As he began to violently shake, he dropped his pistol, collapsing to the ground. As if on cue, the others shapes began to gasp as well, reaching up for their throats, falling one by one.

“Holy shit,” the driver of the Porsche said, sliding around his car to climb in. “Holy shit!”

Two of the last men standing began to shoot as they fell. William raised his arm towards the girl to cover her, but shuddered to a halt when he saw her face.