Stuart laid flat on his stomach. He'd done his best to stay as far away from Michael as possible while keeping an eye on him at the same time. This wasn't his fight. He was waiting for Gary to show. He'd taken the alert button and clutched it in his right fist.
He watched Michael, fifty meters to his left, sitting with his back to a split tree. On the other side of the tree, a police officer was trudging his way through the woods, gun drawn. He wasn't on a direct path to Michael, but it was close enough that Michael would see him immediately as he passed in between them.
Why was there an officer?
A positive, the officer was making a ton of noise. The negative, Stuart was afraid Michael might accidentally shoot him thinking it was Claude. An extreme negative, Stuart would be in the general vicinity of the stray bullet if Michael took the shot. He contemplating signaling to Michael but decided against it. He didn't want any attention drawn to himself.
He watched as the officer neared. Michael lifted the gun to his shoulder, shifting into a kneeling position, resting his trigger arm on his upright knee, ready to pull the weapon to his shoulder and fire.
The police officer was just steps away from crossing into Michael's path. Michael moved the rifle to his shoulder. Stuart clenched his jaw in anticipation. Whatever happened, happened.
He watched as the barrel of the rifle jolted towards the officer. Michael's face was flushed, his hands shaking. Stuart rolled behind a log that he hoped was thick enough to stop a missed shot. He closed his eyes and waited for his ears to pop when Michael pulled the trigger.