The two boys nearby suddenly screamed at the sight of Brent lying on the ground with blood everywhere. This made everyone turn to stare at them, which brought on more screams and more alarm. Jake felt eyes all over him. Did they think he’d done this to Brent? Would these people recognize him? He had to get out of there. Jake took off running. Then he heard the same sound as before—thump!—and felt a ricochet off a stone wall right beside him. Someone was shooting at him. He took another peek back but couldn’t see anyone with a gun. Where the hell was the shooter? Had the bullet that hit Brent in the neck been meant for him? Had he been saved only by some random kid?
Jumping over a half-stone wall, Jake hit the ground on the other side and then cut through an artificial grass space loaded with kids’ colorful playscapes. Jake wanted to get away from all the children as fast as possible. He didn’t want any kids getting caught in the sudden cross fire. Darting across a small bridge, he heard another thump! and saw a spark of metal ignite from the bridge right in front of him. On instinct, Jake dived headfirst at the end of the bridge onto another sidewalk, rolled once, and then staggered to his feet again. He was finally away from the kids in the park and racing as fast as he could toward a heavily wooded ravine next to a railroad track. The tree coverage should help shield him. But he had no clue where to go to get away.
Running into the trees, Jake found himself engulfed by tall grass. This was not part of the well-landscaped park. The ravine was basically left untouched and in its natural state. He zigged and zagged around trees, keeping his head as low as possible, trying not to lose his balance. It became more difficult as the ground beneath him began to slope down toward the bottom of the ravine. The unkempt grass made it hard to see where he was stepping, and this caused him to catch a toe on a big rock and spill headfirst. He tumbled forward and then slid on his stomach in a muddy area for more than fifteen feet.
But he didn’t stay down long—he quickly picked himself back up.
Jake looked behind him. Was he still being chased? He stayed very still, searching everywhere. And then a guy suddenly appeared. It was clear the guy didn’t know exactly where Jake had gone. Jake squinted and took his first good look at the man. He was wearing a gray running suit and a black ski cap. Looked to be in his midthirties. He was certain he’d never seen the guy before. Could he be an off-duty police officer or FBI agent? But the fact that the guy had never even given him a chance to surrender—no Stop! Hands up!—and that he was using some kind of silencer on his gun to muffle the shots told him this was something altogether different. This guy wasn’t trying to bring Jake into custody. The man was intent on killing him. Why? What was happening?
The guy in the running suit continued a slow path through the woods, searching over to Jake’s left. Jake took a step back, wondering if he might be able to hide behind a cluster of trees. Maybe he could duck away, let the guy pass, and then Jake could rush back to the park. But the heavy grass area beneath him again proved disastrous. Jake stepped on a twig that cracked. He froze, looked up at the guy, who was about thirty yards over to his left. The guy in the ski cap spotted him, instantly raised his gun. Jake cursed, darted to his right. He heard two thumps! that splintered the tree right above him.
Ducking as low as possible, Jake raced down to the bottom of the ravine, intentionally cutting back and forth around as many trees as possible, trying desperately to guard himself from incoming bullets. He reached the bottom, skipped through a shallow creek, and then hit the hill on the other side. He dismissed any further ideas of finding a hiding spot. He needed to keep running. Jake could now hear sirens in the background. Someone had likely called the police about the man shot in the park. Jake hoped Brent would survive, but it didn’t look good from his quick glance. The attorney had been bleeding badly from the neck and seemed to be gasping for his life. How had this gunman known Jake was meeting with Brent? Was he following the governor’s chief of staff?
The climb up from the ravine was more challenging than the race down. Jake’s legs were on fire with each step. Thankfully, there was even more tree coverage on his ascent. This time he chose not to look back, knowing that even a second lost in his escape could cost him his life. He just kept darting in and out of trees, cutting left, then right, trying to keep himself from ever being a sitting duck. Above him, he suddenly heard an approaching cargo train. The train’s bell was ringing, followed by the long wail of the loud horn. Jake had heard these same sounds for years while out on the practice fields over at Austin High, which was not far away. Jake wondered if he might be able to use the train to somehow escape the man with the gun below him.