The pain was unbelievable, nothing like the movies where the hero would shrug off the wound as a minor inconvenience and leap into action. It was all Doc could do to remain conscious as he worked his belt from the loops of his pants and tied a tourniquet around his thigh.

The gall of the madman to shoot him in the leg and leave him for the aliens was unbelievable as well. It was not like he had shot the deputy. Doc paused long enough to cast a venomous glance at the driver, who was trying to drag himself to the shelter of the trees opposite the sheriff.

Gritting his teeth as he tightened the tourniquet and looped the free length of his belt into a pocket. The driver had the right idea but the wrong order to the process; he would probably bleed to death before he made the shadows of the trees.

A man had to be methodical in his approach to life or become doomed to failure. While his present circumstances seemed horrific, Doc knew with a little effort and a lot of endurance he could escape the trap the sheriff had set for the aliens. It was demeaning to be used as bait, but it meant the sheriff had to stay far enough away that he could not see the activity of his victims on the road.

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It was an opportunity he did not intend to miss, and with a little luck he would live to pass his regards to the sheriff later.

Flipping to his stomach, Doc cursed aloud, then regained his composure. With effort, he gained his hands and good knee and crawled to the woods, where he could look for a stick he could use as a staff to aid in walking.

Methodical thinking would triumph in the end, he told himself as he made slow progress across the road.

His sight narrowed until Doc was looking only at the small strip of road under his lowered head. His breath came in steady gasps and his ears rang to the surge of effort.

He bumped into something and jolted back, his wounded leg bouncing on the ground and pain racing like a liquid fire from the knee to his entire body.

Shuddering and gasping for breath, he blinked the tears from his eyes, suspecting the sheriff had arrived to coral his bait and lead them back to the road.

Doc looked up and saw the face of an alien construct gazing impassively down at his predicament. He turned his head to see more of the aliens surrounded him in a tight circle, each careless of his pain as they tried to understand what he was doing.

Doc swore aloud.