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Sometime before Salmon’s car went into the dip, Ralph had his own problem to face.
The little girl who stood in the cottage entrance.
In one fluid motion, he c****d back his arm and landed a straight punch into her jaw. The force of the blow sent her sprawling backwards into the dirt. Ralph stepped over her, stopped and looked straight into the face of a man. A stranger. Ralph had no idea who this interloper was, nor did he care. Another body to add to the tally. He went into a low crouch and swung the entrenching tool in a wide arc, the edge slicing into the man’s leg, just below the kneecap, felling him. He screamed and writhed, but Ralph cared little for that either.
Over to his left, sprawled over the damp earth, the girl moaned. Ignoring her, Ralph straddled the man, pinning hi
