Chapter 5 - The Desperate Deal
I stared at Marcus swinging helplessly over the bubbling vat of toxic solvent.
The thick ropes binding his legs began to rapidly fray against the sharp metal hook of the crane.
Kate leaned over the catwalk railing, enjoying the twisted game she had created.
I knew I could not reach the catwalk to stop her in time.
I dropped my tire iron and sprinted across the concrete floor toward the crane's manual control panel.
My boots slipped on a puddle of oil, but I forced myself back up and kept running.
I reached the large yellow control box just as the first thick strand of rope snapped loudly.
I smashed my fist against the emergency stop button, halting the crane's movement instantly.
I grabbed the heavy joystick and swung the mechanical arm away from the deadly chemical vat.
Marcus dropped safely onto a stack of wooden pallets, coughing violently but entirely alive.
I let out a massive breath of relief, but my victory was incredibly short lived.
A deafening gunshot echoed through the warehouse, shattering the silence.
A blinding pain erupted in my left shoulder, spinning me around violently.
I collapsed onto the hard concrete, clutching my bleeding shoulder as warm blood soaked my shirt.
Kate slowly walked down the metal stairs, blowing the smoke from the barrel of a suppressed pistol.
She stood directly over me, aiming the weapon right between my eyes.
"You always were too heroic for your own good, Daniel," she sneered.
I spat a mouthful of blood onto her expensive designer shoes.
I asked her one last time where she had taken my daughter.
May you like
Kate knelt down and whispered directly into my ear.
"She is in the trunk of Sarah's car, parked right on the abandoned train tracks."
