It's time and cover enough to shove his foot into the crossbow stirrup and haul back on the lever to crank back the string. Whether it's time enough to set the bolt and fire clear—

He tries it anyway. Straightens and clamps down on the trigger in the same motion, and is rewarded by a heavy thump and the ungainly crunch of a person staggering back, a further series of containers rattling hard and threatening to jump free. A scrabbling of boots over shards of things suggests further stubborn momentum, though in that split second it's impossible to guess in which direction: to meet them or to retreat out the back door.