18

The west side of the rockfall is far less steep and you have no difficulty descending to the road. Repeatedly you glance over your shoulder as you escape along the broken highway, cursing your pursuer and the lack of cover. You attempt to maintain a fast pace but the heat, the dust, and the fear, which is gnawing at your insides, all conspire to sap your strength. Four hundred yards from the mound, the best you can achieve is a lumbering shuffle.

You are turning to glance over your shoulder once more when a shot rings out and an agonizing pain pierces your left temple. The pain fills your head and courses down your spine, bringing you crashing to the ground. Then it disappears, to be replaced by a numbness that clouds your vision and drains the last of your strength from your unfeeling limbs. An overwhelming desire to sleep assails your senses, and, although you fight to stay awake, it is a fight you have no hope of winning.

Tragically, your life and your mission end here in Arizona.