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away part of his craggy face as he plummeted backward. His body slammed against the wall of the cave, erupting geysers of thick black crimson. The series of violent explosions had punctuated the stillness, only to plunge us into an unreal, almost ghostly silence. |
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Angie watched in dispassionate silence. Bert did likewise. It was left up to me to experience the full range of terrifying emotions that accompany the witnessing of the violent and needless death of another human being. Tears welled up in my eyes, and my stomach revolted; I couldn't breathe. For a moment or two I thought I was going to suffocate. Then, gradually, all my chaotic emotions evolved into onea realization that my own intellectual curiosity would be satiated only to suffer the same fate as Madden. I stared down at the twisted kaleidoscope of tissue and blood and hoped I had the strength to handle it like he didno whimpers, no protest, no apology. |
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Finally, Johnson spoke. "Are you ready, Mr. Wages?" |
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I took one final look at the earthly remains of .lake Madden, still unable to cope with the helpless feeling of outrage. Through the pocket of my windbreaker I fingered the Mauser. One thought kept racing through my fevered mind: "Cool it." Madden was dead as the result of an |
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