Multiple shots rang out, clean and controlled, spaced just far enough apart to be purposeful rather than panicked, each crack tearing through the trees with brutal clarity.
Coyotes dropped around her.
Her knees finally gave way. The strength drained out of her all at once and she collapsed into the freezing water, gasping as the shock stole what little air she had left, her heart pounding so hard it drowned out everything else.
Then hands were on her.
Strong arms hooked beneath hers and hauled her upright, pulling her free of the creek in one decisive motion. She staggered as her boots found snow again, soaked clothes dragging heavy against her legs, every step clumsy and delayed as the cold sank deeper, past skin and muscle, straight into bone.
Malcolm's voice cut through the noise, close now, sharp and grounded.
"You okay?"
