Page 114 of Race to Save Her

“It’s on a timer.”

“Do it.” Katie pointed the gun closer to his head.

He went to the controls on the wall. He pushed two buttons, and Katie heard an electronic noise. Thinking it was the pod, she glanced at it, only to realize he’d opened another door in the wall and was running through it.

Katie gave chase, but wasn’t fast enough. He was gone.

She went to the door she had come through and another one where the killer had fled. Both were locked securely. She was trapped.

She saw tools—a bone saw and many types of hardware on one of the tables—including another of the specialized metal pieces that had secured Shelby’s body to the tree. The thought of what this man had done was beyond comprehension.

Katie pounded her fists on the door out of sheer anger and frustration.

She rushed to the tank. It was still locked. “No!”

Desperately she looked around and saw a utility closet. She flung open the door—there were mops, a broom, sheets, a blanket, and cleaning supplies. She grabbed a mop and broke off the handle, then began battering the padlock with it for several minutes.

Finally it broke. She threw the lock on the floor and opened the lid of the pod.

Peering inside, she said, “Patricia?” Her voice echoed in the chamber, giving it a haunted sound.

There was no reply. Her worst fears were realized. The pod was empty. She was too late.

“Patricia?”

Nothing.

No…

Katie leaned inside and the breath rushed out of her. She could see an outline of someone huddled in the corner. She plunged her hand in. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” She didn’t know if it was Patricia or not, but it didn’t matter. She was saving the person who had been kidnapped and held against her will by a sadistic killer.

The shadow inside the pod moved slowly and awkwardly. The water swished until Katie felt a hand on hers, a hand that felt like a wrinkled piece of leather.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“Are you the police?” said the feeble, shaking voice.

“Yes, I’m here to save you.”

“Ohhh,” she said and moved quickly, the water splashing behind her.

Katie saw the face of a woman she recognized, but her skin was sheet-white and her face looked decades older. She was completely naked and looked almost shrunken.

“Patricia?” she said, keeping her composure at Patricia’s appearance.

The woman nodded.

“Stay here,” Katie said. “I’ll be right back. I need to find you something to put on.” She returned to the utility closet and found a sheet that would work. She helped Patricia get wrapped up so she could still move and tucked in the corners.

“Can you walk?” said Katie.

Patricia nodded.

“We’re trapped in here, but I’m going to find a way out. There is help on its way. You understand?” she said softly.

The woman nodded. Her light, glassy eyes watched Katie.

“Stay here.” Katie toured the large space but found nothing of interest. There weren’t any windows she could break, and those doors wouldn’t budge.