Capítulo 2: Chapter 2
It shattered under impact, collapsing down as it had been designed to do. By the time someone got to the car to tow it, the thing would be a total loss. At least the owner would be alive to fight with his insurance company.
Ross reached into the car and unlocked it. The dog growled at him when he reached inside, but made no more hostile moves when he reached over to turn the car off. “It’s okay, buddy,” Ross told the dog. “I’m trying to get you out of here.”
The dog probably didn’t have the strength to fight Ross at this point. He wagged his tail on the passenger seat twice and drooled a bit. Ross couldn’t quite tell the breed. He’d guess it was a mutt, with a good amount of German shepherd in him. The dog nosed at its human, trying to get him to wake up.
“He’s not going anywhere on his own, boy.” Ross’ teeth chattered as he slipped his glove back on. “Are you going to bite me if I try to move your friend here?”
The dog growled.
“Well, sorry. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. I want you to come too, okay?” Ross felt like an ass, talking to a dog. He knew he should grab the dog’s leash, but right now he had to prioritize the human. If he’d already lost consciousness, time was of the essence and it might already be too late.
He put his arms underneath the victim’s shoulders and dragged him out of the car, into the snow. The man was only a little shorter than Ross himself, and he seemed to be made of solid muscle, so all Ross coulddo was drag him. He’d deal with any other injuries later. Ross dragged him to the back of his SUV, opened the lift gate, and hoisted the stranger into it. This seemed to be the best way to keep him lying down, although Ross had to fold him into the coma position to fit him inside.
The dog hadn’t followed, although he’d moved into the first guy’s seat to get more of the fresh air. That was fine. “What’s up, Fido?” Ross let the dog sniff him, and grinned when the dog gave two more wags of his little tail. “Want to go see Daddy?”
The dog barked, twice, and looked into the back of the car. Apparently, whoever the victim was, traveled with a bunch of equipment.
Ross sighed. He hadn’t signed on to play porter for some guy. At the same time, the dog clearly wasn’t going to come willingly unless Ross grabbed the guy’s stuff. He grabbed it, and then he frowned.
The man had a military-style duffel, which seemed light to Ross. He had a bag that, upon further examination, contained a laptop, other electronic equipment Ross couldn’t identify, and an expensive looking camera. Now that, Ross could see not wanting to leave hanging around for the elements to take. There was another little duffel with supplies for the dog, to include a large jar of kibble.
“Don’t want to forget that,” Ross said to the dog, who barked.
Ross found a leash to put onto the dog. He managed to lug the other things over to his car. Then he turned the Golf’s electronics off and returned to his vehicle to check on his victims.
The dog piddled on the Golf and rushed to join Ross. He helped his furry companion into the back of the car beside his master before checking his breathing. The man, whose stubbled face looked oddly familiar, had the cherry-red complexion of someone with carbon monoxide poisoning. He was already looking better now that Ross had moved him into fresh air, and the dog had perked up too. Hopefully they hadn’t been out for too long, and they’d recover.
He closed the lift gate, circled back to the driver’s seat, and climbed in. “Christ it’s cold out there,” he complained, and then grabbed his radio. “Base, this is Huber. I have the human and canine victim in my vehicle. Is there a detour to accommodate the tree you mentioned, over?”
Dispatch came back in a second. “Officer Huber, this is dispatch. You and your victims are directed to seek shelter immediately and shelter in place.”
Ross looked around. “Dispatch, there’s nothing here. It’s a wildlife refuge. I don’t know what the vic was doing out here, but there are no buildings within miles.” He flipped the radio off, out of view of the camera so no one would know. “Over.”
Dispatch came back after a second. “Officer Huber, we have your location on GPS. There is an abandoned home approximately half a mile down Route Twenty-Seven, on your right. Seek shelter there and we will send crews for you as soon as it becomes safe. Do you have your emergency kit with you? Over.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ross bit back a curse. Of course he had his kit with him. He checked it out every shift, just in case.
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