He took in a gulp of air, let it out as a brief cry of relief.“Now get down on your knees, big boy. I’m getting a neck strain staring up at you.”Ajax complied. Josh scrambled around behind him, next to Streng. It was difficult to make out in the dark, but Josh saw the sheriff raise a hand up, then bring it down hard against the side of Ajax’s head. Ajax flopped over. “Shoot them,” Josh said, a sob still caught in his throat. “Shoot them both.”“I lost the gun. All I’ve got is a rock and a tree branch, and I just dropped the rock.”Josh considered their options. Their best chance would be to kill them while they were incapacitated. They could grope around in the dark for the gun. Or maybe find his knife. Josh didn’t know if he could stomach the actual killing, but he could leave that up to the sheriff. “We need to run,” Streng said.“But—”“I know what you’re thinking. But what if one of them wakes up before we find a weapon? Then we’re both dead. These guys are too skilled, too strong.”
