Page 115 of When He Plays

Now she inched toward the brightly lit cage. Charlotte stayed in the shadows, using the darkness to her advantage as she crept closer and closer to her goal. “Harper?” A whisper.

The woman jerked.

“Harper?”

Slowly, so slowly, the woman’s head lifted. Turned toward the sound of Charlotte’s voice.

The lights over the cage clearly showed the bruises on Harper’s face. A long, still bleeding slice ran down her right arm. It appeared that half of her long hair had been sawed off, trailing now just to her shoulders on her left side. Tear tracks lined Harper’s cheeks. Blood trailed from her busted lip.

Charlotte swallowed. “I’m getting you out.”

Harper shook her head.

“Yes. I’m getting you out.” She could see the entrance to the cage. A door in the side of the cage. But there was a padlock on it. Her eyes narrowed. She could pick that padlock, but she didn’t have the right tools on her, so getting it open would take a little bit of time.

Or…

I can just climb up the side of the cage. Drop inside. Then we’ll both climb out.

“D-don’t…” Harper rasped.

“It’s okay,” Charlotte soothed as she closed in. “I’m going to get you out.”

Harper’s head shook, back and forth. Harder. “Don’t!” Louder, almost angry.

She needed Harper to keep quiet. Maybe the killer hadn’t realized that Charlotte had already arrived and gained entrance to the place. “Shhh. It’s going to be okay. I will get you out.” A promise.

“Don’t! Don’t save me! Don’t!”

Sorry. Saving her was a nonnegotiable point. Charlotte reached for the cage.

“Don’t!” Harper screamed.

Too late.

Because powerful, burning surges of electricity were suddenly flying through Charlotte. Her whole body shuddered and twitched, and she fought to release her grip on the cage, but her fingers had frozen, all twisted and stuck around the cage, and the electricity was burning her up as she kept hearing Harper’s terrified scream echo in her ears.

“Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!”

Charlotte fell back. She slammed toward the floor, and the last sound she heard was the distinct crack of her head hitting the cement.

Someone was crying.

Charlotte’s eyes opened, but the light was overwhelming. Far too bright as it seemed to shine directly down on her, so she immediately shut her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” A woman’s voice. Low. Thick with tears. “I’m so sorry. I said don’t. Don’t. He…he told me something bad would happen to anyone who tried to get in the cage with me, but he didn’t say what that something bad was. I just…I knew you had to stay back. I didn’t know it would electrocute you!”

Yes, well…

That had certainly been unexpected.

Charlotte cracked open her eyes again. She tried to assess the situation. And herself.

I’m in the cage.

Flat on my back.

Staring up at the lights.