Character Sketch

Chapter 14 - Nightmare

Chapter 14


Nightmare





“Tracy are you still there?” Katie asked through the door her head rested against the metal frame.


“I’m still here. They are looking for someone with a key.”


There were so many voices on the other side of the door it was a comfort to know the girl who had found her still waited. She could only imagine how many people were working to rescue her but as the minutes ticked by she knew her time was growing short. The thick metal meant to contain fire would be nearly impossible to break through.


“We got a hold of the maintenance manager for this building, they had to get him out of bed but he should be here in less than twenty minutes.” A male voice told her. It must be one of the firemen who had come in response to the alarm. “Are you hurt at all?”


“Just some cuts and bruises.”


“We’ve got paramedics out here that will take care of you as soon as we get the door open.”


“Thanks.” Kaitlin, so totally focused on the voices, had not paid attention to any noise in the catacombs.


A scraping sound brought her back to full attention; metal against cinderblock. Now she could hear the footsteps; slow and steady.


“You’re much more resourceful than I gave you credit for.” Mitch’s voice came out of the dark.


Kaitlin pushed up with her free hand and stood with her back to the door. Her head felt light and her throat was already dry. She clenched and unclenched her hands. Kaitlin needed to stall him as long as possible; her salvation lay on the other side of the door behind her. If Mitch got her away from the door Kaitlin knew she would be lost. The only weapon at her disposal was the big metal headboard. She pulled it in front of her.


He stepped into the light and she gasped at the knife in his hand. He scraped the blade along the cinderblock wall.





Jake watched as Sergeant Yeargin organized rides for everyone over to the science building. It was taking too long. At a dead run across campus he could be there in less than three minutes.


“I’ll meet you over there.” He said as he bolted down the front steps of the student union building and across the lawn. The fire truck and paramedic unit had their lights flashing as he neared his target. The paramedics were scrambling to get equipment off their truck. Jake was surprised to see them carrying the Jaws of Life.


He followed the men into the entrance and down the stairs. They rounded a corner and Jake could see down the hall. Three firemen paced the hall; one was on the radio, while another banged on a door. A young girl stood at his side.


“Kaitlin can you hear us?” the fireman yelled.


Jake heard thudding.


“That’s the same rhythm she was tapping out before,” the girl said.


“Anybody recognize it?” the first fireman asked.


“It’s SOS,” one of the paramedics said.


“What’s happening?” Jake asked maneuvering his way past the other firemen.


“Stay back kid.”


“I’m her boyfriend.” Jake held his ground.


“She stopped talking to us.”


“See if I can get to her.” Jake stepped toward the door.


“Katie, it’s Jake,” he yelled through the door


“Mitch,” he heard in response.


“He’s going to kill her, if we don’t get this door open.” Jake turned to face the paramedics.


“We’ll have it open in five minutes.”





Sergeant Yeargin pulled his squad car in front of the science building along with the three other units, each carried part of the girl’s family or civilians. He had kept himself apprised over the radio of the progress they were making. It occurred to him as soon as they knew she was not alone behind the door they needed to find an alternate route into the catacombs. He was glad he had had the forethought to grab the maps as they left the student union building.


As the people piled out the vehicles he started to give orders.


“I know you all want to rush down there to see how Kaitlin is doing but there are men down there working to get her out and we would only be in the way. I’m going to ask you all to have enough faith in us to stay here until this thing is resolved.”


“I need my officers to come with me.” Yeargin spread the maps he had out on the trunk of his vehicle. “We need to find another way into those catacombs now.”


An exhaust vent was fifty yards down the side walk on the map. Yeargin sent two men to investigate. There was also access from the neighboring facility. Two more officers were sent to see if they could get in. Both reported back success. The exhaust vent had a metal ladder descending into the catacombs. The building was open and the security guard was taking the other two officers down to the door that would access the under ground labyrinth. Sergeant Yeargin kept up a steady stream of instructions to get both teams from their position to the girl’s location.


Sergeant Yeargin looked at the people obediently standing and waiting for some word. The strain was evident on their pale drawn faces. They spoke in muted tones and often Mrs. Moore’s daughter or son would wrap their arms around their mother and hold or be held.





“You’re much more resourceful than I gave you credit for.” He said. The look of terror in Kaitlin’s eyes sent a quick jolt of elation through him and the corner of his mouth came up slightly as his eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, the scraping of the knife tip against the cinderblock sent a pleasant vibration up his arm.


Their eyes were locked as she rose and swung the metal head board in front of her. She kicked the door behind her in a staccato rhythm and in his head a clock started ticking, time was running out.


“Mitch,” she called out his name.


Her face softened, the look of fear diminished from her eyes.


“I give credit to my dad for my resourcefulness, he shaped who I am.”


Mitch stopped; her statement floated through the air coalesced into a bright, shining arrow and pierced him through the heart. He felt his chest fill with darkness and spread upward to his head. He raised his hands to his temples as he heard the rush of voices battering for attention.


‘You have the look of your mother but you are your father’s son all right,’ his aunt’s voice echoed through his head.


“He was always so patient with me, teaching me and letting me do things that would have been easier and faster to do himself,” the girl on the stairs rambled on.


‘Useless, worthless, have to beat up on women to make yourself feel like a man.’


“That’s how I knew about the bed, when we moved everybody helped.”


‘You couldn’t even help your mother against a pile of crap like my brother.’


He must make the voices stop; he must make her stop. He lunged up the stairs shouldering the headboard. The girl fell back hitting her head against the door, Mitch landed on top of the head board with the girl pinned beneath. An unearthly scream shot pain through his head. He looked down at the unconscious girl his knife raised to stop the noise, stop the voices, give him some relief. The screaming, Mitch looked up and saw twisting metal and an ever widening hole at the edge of the heavy metal door. A man’s angry face peered at him through the opening.


The voice in his head changed, it became soft, pleading.


‘He’s coming. Hide.’ His mother’s voice whispered.


The knife hung poised over the prone body beneath him. A pool of blood spread from under her head. The blood! A wave of nausea washed through him. The memory of his mother’s death crumpled him to the little boy too afraid to protect her. He threw aside the knife, pushed himself up to stand teetering on the stairs.


“Tiny as a mouse, mommy so only you can find me.”


He turned leaped to the bottom of the steps and ran.