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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Long</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Storied</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>Montoya</strong> 25steam rising <strong>of</strong>f <strong>of</strong> his skin, a caricature <strong>of</strong> the Villista that had just been killed in front <strong>of</strong> them. <strong>Jose</strong>didn't have time for that. He took <strong>of</strong>f running towards the corner where he had gotten the glimpse <strong>of</strong>the red dress. Grayley <strong>and</strong> his giggles came running after him.By the time <strong>Jose</strong> had raced to the corner <strong>of</strong> the barracks he had forgotten that a battle was takingplace all around him; his only interest was now in catching up to La Catrina, if that were possible.Without stopping to look, he ran around the end <strong>of</strong> the barracks. Grayley was right behind him. As<strong>Jose</strong> rounded the corner <strong>of</strong> the building, he saw a group <strong>of</strong> three soldiers come around the far end <strong>of</strong> thelong, low structure. He also saw another Villista in between himself <strong>and</strong> the distant soldiers, at thesame moment that the Villista saw him. For the second time in less than ten minutes, <strong>Jose</strong> went from asprint to a s<strong>and</strong>y, sliding halt. Grayley slid to a stop as well, somehow managing not to run <strong>Jose</strong> down.His giggling, which he had not been able to stop, was threatening to become an all-out belly laugh.<strong>The</strong> Villista had been creeping along the side <strong>of</strong> the barracks, heading in the direction fromwhich <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Grayley were coming. Unaware <strong>of</strong> the group <strong>of</strong> soldiers at his back, the Villista fluidlyraised his rifle at <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Grayley <strong>and</strong> squeezed the trigger. <strong>The</strong> bullet came so close to <strong>Jose</strong>'s headthat he felt its displaced air caress his cheek as it passed, the gentle finger <strong>of</strong> an invisible lover. <strong>The</strong>Villista started to work the bolt on his rifle, chambering another round. <strong>The</strong> lead soldier in the distantgroup raised a pistol <strong>and</strong> fired, <strong>and</strong> the Villista fell to the ground clutching his arms around his stomach.He doubled over tightly into a ball on the ground. He looked to <strong>Jose</strong> like he was trying to curl up more<strong>and</strong> more tightly on the ground, as if he thought that if he could only form himself into a perfect ballthen the bleeding might stop, <strong>and</strong> he could roll away back to Mexico.<strong>The</strong> soldiers from the far end <strong>of</strong> the building came running up. <strong>The</strong> man with the pistol stoppedat the Villista to make sure that he would no longer be a threat. <strong>The</strong> other two ran straight past <strong>Jose</strong>,who realized with a start that Grayley was no longer giggling. <strong>Jose</strong> turned around. <strong>The</strong> two men werelooking down at the ground, where Grayley lay with a perfect smile on his face <strong>and</strong> a perfect hole in