Page 118 of Rogue's Path

Go. You don’t have time to waste on your petty little drama.

Just as I get close enough to check her pulse, the woman’s chest goes up and down. It was probably doing that the whole time. I was just too stressed to see it.

The next step is to unlock the door. I’ll need some paperclips or…two tiny screwdrivers will work. They were right next to my weapon of choice. Though the crowbar in the cornermight be more efficient, it looks like it would be too heavy for me to swing.

Insert the first mini screwdriver, push down gently. Then shove the next in and tap. The door unlocks, or the lock breaks; either works.

“We’re going to get out of here,” I say to reassure myself more than the sleeping woman.

The door opens less than two inches, then stops.

I peek through the gap and come up eye level with a padlock.

There’s no way I’m going to be able to pick that. My hands can’t contort enough. It’s going to need brute force.

Am I going to be able to swing that crowbar hard enough?

How didn’t I notice the hinges are on the inside?

My stalker was a fool. You don’t lock a door with the hinges on the inside if you want to trap a person.

All it takes is a couple of whacks with the crowbar on my handy-dandy screwdriver, and the door is listing on the padlock like a drunken sailor out for a night on the town.

There are just a few feet from the door to the steps that lead outside. With my weapon in hand, I slowly climb them. Is the door hanging over what is probably a tornado shelter locked?

Am I going to need to find a way to break it?

There isn’t a point to insert the crowbar. And the hinges of these things are always on the outside. I checked for a book once. If it’s locked—

The door pushes open easily.

I’m free.

Run.

Get out of here.

Run.

Get help.

But I can’t leave her.

My stalker might kill her and leave. I’ve got to get her out of here. How? I’m not strong enough to get her up those steps by myself.

If I could find a board to tie her to and something to act as a fulcrum. I might be able to get her up and out.

Do that. Then, figure out the next step.

The sound of an engine makes me freeze.

Hide.

I close the door to the shelter and run towards a tree. You can do this. You’ve fought a grown man before. You can do it again.

The engine stops just as I slide behind a big bush. The tree was too far away.

Breathe quietly.