Ethan was halfway to the patrol car, holding the papers, when the officer shouted.
"Back away! Stop right there!" the officer yelled, her voice snapping with genuine hostility. She immediately drew her service pistol, skipping the taser entirely, and aimed directly at Ethan. She seemed overly prepared to shoot, her stance too rigid for a routine traffic stop.
"Get down on the ground now! I will kill you if you don't obey!" the officer screamed, her voice echoing the demand and the explicit threat.
Ethan's suspicion vanished, replaced by a cold certainty: this was not a normal cop. This was an ambush. He raised his hands high above his head but continued to walk slowly toward her.
"The papers are right here, Officer. There is no need for that," Ethan said calmly, ignoring the danger.
The officer did not hesitate. "Stop!" she screamed one last time, then fired a warning shot into the air. BLAM!
