Mildred kept the blaster at her side, thumb making contact with the spurred hammer. She was aware of sweat trickling down the small of her back, between her breasts, over her stomach. The salty liquid beaded her forehead, her cheeks.
The huge mutie carnivore was so aware of any movement from its intended prey that Mildred didn’t dare to move her gun farther, sensing that the panther would react immediately by charging across the rest room at her.
The wind outside stirred some of the dried rubbish, trapped in the splintered ruins of the angled roof, loosing an aspen leaf and sending it spinning down into the warm space, whirling around and around.
Mildred watched it out of the corner of her eyes, also watching the eyes of the panther, seeing that the beast was fascinated by the light brown, spinning leaf.
Somehow, she knew that the falling dead leaf was going to spark the charge, so she readied herself for the fastest draw of her life.
But the panther was quicker, moving from its crouch, powering toward her with a deafening roar of hatred and rage. Mildred screamed and finished drawing the revolver, thumbing and firing in a single fluid action.
The short-fall thumb-cocking hammer fell on the chambered .38 round, and the boom of the powerful handgun filled the rest room.
Mildred was aware of the shudder of the explosion running clear up to her elbow, then the leaping panther hit her, chest high, and knocked her flat on her back.
J.B. WAS QUICKEST, the Uzi gripped in his right hand as he sprinted the few steps toward the rest room, crashing into the door and sending it spinning off broken hinges. Ryan was at his heels, both of them freezing at what they saw inside.
Mildred lay still, sprawled on her back, knees drawn up, one hand gripping the gleaming revolver, pressing the muzzle against the side of the skull of an enormous black panther. It was huddled on top of her, snarling, jaws open, bright crimson blood dribbling over its curved teeth. There was more blood splashed on its chest, toward the right shoulder.
“No,” the woman panted, her eyes wide, staring at the two men, her voice forced through gritted teeth. “Mine.”
Ryan was ready to ignore Mildred and chance a shot at the panther, but events moved past him.
The animal was recovering from the first snapped shot. A rumbling deep in its chest threatened another attack. Mildred, shaken by the attack and the fall, squeezed the trigger of the ZKR 551 a second time, the noise of the .38 round muffled by the barrel being jammed against the creature’s head.
The bullet smashed through the dense wall of the skull, puddling the brains, exiting on the far side, a chunk of bone and scalp exploding across the room, splattering against the far wall.
The panther screamed, thrashing away from Mildred, legs kicking, clawing at itself. She rolled free, scrambling to the opposite wall of the rest room, holding the revolver ahead of her, gripping the butt in both hands to keep it steady.
“It’s done for, Mildred,” J.B. said quietly.
Krysty, Doc, Dean and Jak had come inside, past the smashed door, watching the slaughter of the big animal.
“Let me give you a hand, Mildred,” Krysty offered.
“Thanks,” the woman replied, holstering the warm blaster at a second attempt. She reached to take the proffered hand, pulling herself upright, whistling between her teeth at the nearness of the escape. “Real close call there.”
“How did it get in?” Dean asked. He turned his gaze upward to the hole in the roof. “Oh, yeah. That way.”
“Might be a good idea to move on.” Ryan holstered his own blaster. “Sound of those two shots might travel a long way through a silent forest.”
“WE LOOKING FORWARD to hole up for a day or so?” Ryan asked. “Or keep moving?”
“A rolling stone gathers no bullets, so it is said. Perhaps we might find a decent roof to protect us for the night.” Doc stooped and rubbed at his knee. “Upon my soul, but I think that I have wrenched my leg.”
Ryan looked around the circle of faces, seeing exhaustion and nervous strain on all of them, but no sign that any of them was frightened. “Can you walk all right, Doc?”