Survive The Fall | Book 4 | Total Collapse

gave his coat a good shake, then looked up at Russell.
“Are you done now?” Russell asked, staring at the unruly German shepherd.
Max trotted past Russell, heading in the direction of the truck. Russell followed at his side, stepping around the fallen trees and bushes.
Gunfire crackled. Russell yanked his .38 Special from the waistband of his jeans and paused. Max stopped at Russell’s side, his gaze focused in the direction of the truck.
A sickening feeling rose in the pit of Russell’s stomach as he glanced at the road. He looked at the Silverado, spotting three men standing near the back of the cab and the front of the bed where Cathy sat.
The brown Trailblazer was parked behind the truck. Smoke escaped from under the hood and the front of the grill.
Max growled but stayed at Russell’s side, head trained toward the road.
Russell patted the side of the German shepherd’s muscular body, then said, “Come on. We’ve got trouble.”

CHAPTER TWO
 
 
RUSSELL
Max stalked through the trees and brush toward the road. A growl escaped. His fangs glistened with spit. The fur running along his spine stood on end.
Russell kept close, hunched at the canine’s side–watching the truck and the three men. He took a knee, hiding in the dense woods. His arm wrapped around Max’s neck and kept him close. The tremor of a bark vibrated deep in the German shepherd’s chest.
“It’s all right,” Russell whispered to the anxious canine.
Two of the men vanished beyond the cab. The other peered into the bed of the truck, then moved around the tailgate toward the driver’s side. He carried a pistol in his hand that hung next to his leg. The red ballcap he wore was pulled tight on his head, concealing a portion of his face. He glanced at the woods for a brief moment and made for the cab.
Max inched forward, growling louder.
Russell tightened his hold around Max’s neck, trying to keep him silent. “Not yet. Just hold on.”
Red Ballcap opened the back driver’s side door, revealing Cathy being pulled out of the cab by the sleeve of her coat on the far side. She wrenched her arm away, but was yanked out of the truck just the same.
Max barked and lunged forward.
Russell lost his grip around Max’s neck, but grabbed his collar before he could slip away.
Red Ballcap paused, then turned toward the woods. He swept the tree line with his gun. One of the other men pulled Cathy out of the way, then pointed through the cab at the woods.
Max lunged forward, testing Russell’s hold around his collar. Growls radiated from his body.
Russell searched for a better spot for them to hide and wait for Red Ballcap. A cluster of bushes near a tree close by caught his eye. He pulled on Max’s collar, stayed low, and wrestled the tense canine to the thick brush.
Twigs snapped under Russell’s boots.
Max thrashed, fighting to break free.
Red Ballcap moved through the weeds with his pistol sweeping the woods. Russell caught a glimpse of the lean man heading toward the tree line.
Max groaned and growled. The footfalls of Red Ballcap set him further on edge. He inched forward and clawed at the ground, trying to slip free.
Russell rubbed his side to calm him down and peered through the opening within the bushes that surrounded the base of the tree. He tucked the .38 Special in the waistband of his jeans and grabbed a dense branch from the ground near his boot. He needed something silent to handle the thug that wouldn’t alert the other two men.
Max sat on his haunches. He shifted his weight between his legs, anxious and ready to attack the approaching threat.
“Here doggy, doggy.” Red Ballcap whistled for Max. “Is anyone else out here with you?”
Russell kept his fingers wrapped around Max’s collar and watched the lean bearded man skim over the woods. He continued whistling and calling for Max, patting his leg to draw the anxious canine out.
“If anyone is out here, come out now, and you won’t get hurt,” Red ballcap said, running his hand over his face.
The sun shined through the canopy overhead, offering small pockets of light that hit the ground. The woodland animals scurried through the leaves. Birds chirped from high above in trees.
Max growled, then barked.
Red Ballcap froze, turned toward the bushes, and zeroed in on them.
“Is anyone else out there with that dog?” a raspy voice asked, screaming from the Silverado. “I could have sworn there were three people in this truck earlier.”
“I think I found the dog. Hold on,” Red Ballcap answered, drawing closer.
Russell dragged Max around to the far side of the tree. They stayed low and silent, minimizing any unwanted noise. Max’s ears twitched with each footfall of the armed man approaching. Russell pressed his back to the thick trunk of the tree and slid around to get a better look.
Red Ballcap craned his neck and peered over the bushes to the open space on the other side. He lifted his piece and glanced the ground.
Max jerked free from Russell’s hand and vanished around the other side of the tree. He raced through the fallen leaves and twigs.
Russell bit his tongue, huffed, then faced forward, perturbed with the overzealous canine. Damn it, Max.
The footfalls of the German shepherd grabbed Red Ballcap’s attention. A gasp fled his mouth. His boots rustled the leaves. He pulled the pistol away from the open space and trained it at the far side.
Russell adjusted his hold on the branch, fingers wrapping tighter around the wood. He watched Red Ballcap’s every move, then glanced in the direction of the vehicles, checking for any prying eyes. Low lying branches and other shrubbery blocked a portion of his view. He ducked and peered under the