Moon- T. Bradford (engl. Version) [1]

Chapter twenty

They had seen the security camera shots in the bar where Katie and Ethan were and were able to identify the license plate of Ethan's car.

Natalie reproached herself all the time for persuading her sister to get involved in this meeting and now she had been kidnapped. In the meantime, Tim had also called Angela and asked her to come over. Wesley would also come along.

"It's all my fault," Natalie cried when Tim sat down next to her and put his arm around the blond-haired one. "Hey. It's not your fault. You couldn't have guessed that something like this would happen. You just wanted your sister to be happy after the thing I messed up so terribly," he said and turned his gaze to the floor. "What was wrong with you?" She wanted to know now. "I... I.. I was afraid not to be a good father... my father was never there for me... for fear of making the same mistakes I moved away from him and so also from Katie... I wanted Elliot to have a good father." he now poured out his thoughts to her. "If you felt that way, you could have just talked to Katie.. she would never be angry with you.. you would have found a solution together... as well as always...." Natalie sighed, shaking her head. "I know." he breathed disappointed with himself. "But it doesn't matter now, the main thing is that we somehow get her back." the blonde changed the subject when Angela and Wesley already appeared in front of them.

******

Katie had now managed to remove one arm from the tape. And with this hand now loosened the remaining tape from her ankles and her other hand.

"Okay..... Now we can start!!" Ethan shouted joyfully as he entered the room. But what he didn't have come to see what Katie put him in. He fell on the floor in pain and Katie took the chance to run away, briefly she slipped on the carpet, but she quickly picked herself up again and ran out of the house.

This was a desert there. Everything full of sand.

Before she could run further, she fell over a trip wire. Ethan sprayed her pepper spray into her face so that she could not orient herself properly and hit next to him. This gave him the chance to put her on the floor. A kick in the ribs and one in the face and she already saw stars and he pulled her back into the house on her foot. To tie her hands with cable ties only to then navigate her through the Half Desert with a knife on her back.

"If I take the thing from you, I'll sink it into your skull." she threatened him angrily "A real fighter. You still think there is a way out. You didn't consciously experience your birth, but at your death you will feel every second," he said and pushed it further and further. "Little malice at greeting card level. Psychopaths don't exactly know themselves as great thinkers either." she kept scolding. "I know what you're trying right now, but you won't mess up this moment," he said now when they stopped at a big hole. Next to it was a barrel.

"Continue!" He demanded but she tried to resist, but he pushed her further and further. "That's new. So far, your victims have always suffocated above the ground before you buried them over Rosalind's body," she said, carefully approaching the barrel. "In view of the setbacks, I want to be quite sure. Go in there," he demanded and stopped a few meters away. "I'm not going in there!" Katie refused, shaking her head. "Do you know? Everyone says that and then they do it. Do you know why? Hope. There is still life in this barrel. Out here, it's just death. And we both know that the tattoo proves that today is the day of your death and you don't have a chance. So get in the barrel," he says and put the knife away just to get a gun out and point it at Katie.

She had a plan. Shortly before she got into the barrel, she pretended to stumble and tore her chain off her neck. It was a chain with her first letter and that of her son. Her sisters also had such a chain with their own initial letter. She put herself in the barrel and sat down. Ethan took another picture of her.

"Any last words? To your family maybe?" He asked and looked down at her. "You'll be dead long before I am." she just said before he put the lid on the barrel, which was equipped with a camera, so that he could see everything. And the next moment she didn't know where the top and bottom were, she was lying in the hole that Ethan had covered.

For some time she tried to free herself in vain before she gave up. She managed to loosen the cable ties but not open the barrel.

Desperate, she leaned her head against the metal and began to cry and sing before she ran out of air and everything turned black before her eyes again.

******

They had found out where Katie was and were already driving there, everyone except Natalie. She stayed on guard and waited until they came back. Ethan had brought Nick to the house where he had also brought Katie and lied to him from front to back.

Nyla had shot Ethan, but he was the only chance to save Katie. But he died, they couldn't save him. It was now a single chance to find her. They split up.

Suddenly Tim saw something glittering silver on the ground. "I HAVE HER!!! I HAVE HER!!" He called and drew everyone's attention to himself before he began to put sand aside. Everyone else helped so that they had reached the barrel.

Together they pulled Katie out of the barrel. She stopped breathing, so Tim started cpr. "Katie, come on. Please don't do that to me." he breathed and didn't even notice that a few tears were running down his cheeks.

Finally she took a deep breath and everyone could exhale with relief. She lived.

Carefully, Tim beat his arms around her when she began to cry bitterly. "It's okay.. everything is fine.. I have you.. I'm sorry... I'm sorry." he tried to calm her down.

***

A helicopter had taken her to the hospital. Tim hadn't left Katie out of her sight once and held her hand all the time, so Angela had taken over to call Natalie.

"Hey." Tim breathed when he saw her wake up. "Have you been here all night?" She asked and turned her head in his direction. She was still mad at him, but there was another day to talk about it, but Tim saw it differently. Repeatedly he apologized to Katie, but the two were interrupted by Grace who wanted to see how the patient was doing.

"Natalie was also here for a short time, but she went home to get something. But she's coming back." Grace said and Katie moaned annoyed. "Does that mean I have to stay in the hospital for a while?" she asked. "Probably until tomorrow. We just want you to be dehydrated and that unexpected happens. You know, you were very lucky," Grace said, but Katie turned away. "How did you find me?" She wanted to know from Tim, but was interrupted by Angela. "That was my ingenious police skill," she laughed and made Katie smile too, that was all Angela Lopez. "I brought you something, she said and brought out a giant cuddly teddy behind her back. "He's going to be Elliot's in no time, the way I see it," she laughed and saw Tim who just smiled and was glad she was fine.

"Are you hungry?" Tim asked when there was a moment silent. "Yes. And a murder hunger. I would now feel like..." she said after all was interrupted. "Tacos?" He asked and held up a bag of her favorite shop.

Shortly afterwards, Natalie also came, who had Elliot on her arm. "Hey my little one," Katie was happy and took him in her arms.

She was back home where she belonged to her family.