Jamie hunkered down beside the shell of a blown-up car, trying to catch his breath. The rain continued to beat down, plastering his hair to his head. His clothes were long ago drenched, and the cold was beginning to seep in.

It was an effort to keep his teeth from chattering, but the pain in his leg did help somewhat in that respect. Mentally, though, he cursed the Nightmare King. He had already gotten separated from the others because of his injury and wasn't sure he was going to be able to catch up.

He scanned the area, clutching his rifle and ready to bring it to bear. He knew he couldn't stay here for long - the car was poor shelter. But there was a large stretch of open ground between it and the next area of cover, and he knew if he wasn't able to cover it quickly he'd be in real trouble.

It would be better, he figured, if he'd took a precious few moments longer to gather his energy first. Then he'd try and make the push across.