Mary caught up to the fleeing criminal in the alleyway and reached out to grab his clothes. He was a good six inches taller than her, and fairly strong. Despite this, Mary was confident in her skills; this wasn't her first rodeo. However, as she grabbed ahold of the criminal's jacket, he happened to throw his body to one side, spinning a bit, and causing Mary to stumble. That misstep was enough for the criminal to turn the tables on her. Before she could react or pull out a taser or gun, the man grabbed her by the arm and landed a right hook to her jaw that could've put out the lights of an elephant. Nevertheless, somehow Mary was conscious enough to hear the crack of her skull as it hit the pavement.
The next second, it was like she was having an out of body experience.
Am I going to die? Maybe I'm already dead, she thought to herself as she looked down at her body, although it seemed to still be breathing in spite of the puddle of blood forming around her head. Is it an illusion? Or a dream?
Before she could think any further, her K-9 Charlie, a large German shepherd, came tearing down the alley after the criminal.
Someone must have let him out of the patrol car...
He was followed by rapid footsteps, and Mary turned to see one of her fellow officers, Dan, kneel quickly and feel for a pulse on her neck.
"We have an officer down! Send EMT! Suspect fleeing on foot!" Dan yelled into the radio as he got to his feet, pulling out his gun.
At that moment, Mary felt an odd sensation, like she was floating away from her body. Actually, she realized, she was floating towards...