Page 123 of The Whispering Girls

Clark didn’t move.

“I’m not going to say it again.”

Clark deliberately put his hands behind his back.

Katie had already taken handcuffs out of her pack and was ready.She was cautious, but had to lower her weapon and return it briefly to her holster, which she didn’t want to do. But there was no other choice, she didn’t have backup and she wanted him restrained immediately. As she raised her hand with one side of the cuff, she was able to snap it on. But when she was about to secure the other hand, Clark made his move.

With a one-two approach, he used a martial arts or cage fighting technique to turn on Katie. He caught her arm and was able to easily toss her on her back as she let go of the handcuffs.

Katie was stunned, the wind temporarily knocked out of her. She couldn’t quite get air to return to her lungs, wheezing in the process.

Her gun flew into a snow pile.

Clark snapped the handcuffs on her while she was still trying to recover from the assault. He obviously knew how to open the one cuff or had a key. Her breathing began to return, but her body was still exhausted and running only on adrenalin.

Clark made sure she was secured and couldn’t move, even though her hands were handcuffed in front. He then flipped her over to restrain her even further. “So you’re going to live out your last remaining breaths down one of those wells just like your buddy.” He sniffed and then chuckled. It was clear he was absolutely enjoying this moment, gaining more power.

Katie was face down in the snow; she felt every inch of the cold pressed ice hard against her face and neck. Her cuffed hands were underneath her belly. She frantically worked them until she was able to push them to the side, allowing her to roll over and to use the heel of her hands to slam his face.

He pulled her up and shook her like a ragdoll.

Katie broke free and dove into the snow where she thought her gun had gone.

Clark then pushed his rifle into her face. “Stop right there.”

Katie stopped moving.

“Get up,”he said.

She struggled to get to her feet. Stunned and alone, she wanted to take him down in the worst way—no remorse. At first, she’d wanted to take him in but now she wanted him dead. He would never hurt anyone ever again.

“Move,” he said, pointing the rifle in the direction he wanted her to go.

Katie didn’t have any other choice. She walked west. The cold was beginning to take its toll on her, the blowing wind making her eyes water as her face stung relentlessly; she hurt and found it difficult to move forward.

She could see where she was going through her blurred watery vision. There looked to be something in the ground and she could only guess that it was another well or deep hole of some sort. Slowing down, she used the time to figure out what she was going to do.

“Keep going or I’ll blow your head off,” said Clark.

Katie knew he would. “You don’t have to do this,” she said. “They’re going to find out about you and no one is going to think you’re brave or special—only weak.”

“I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work.”

“I bet some of those bullies you knew are now successful and respected.”

“Stop!”

Got him…

When you get someone emotional, they become off balance and more likely to make mistakes.

“You don’t know anything. You know I did a background on you the first day I saw you,” he said.

“Yeah, so?”

“From what I gather you think pretty highly of yourself. Maybe I should make an example out of you? What do you think about that?” Clark spun her around to face him.

Just as he did, Katie swung her arms and clasped hands,making contact with his face again. There was a cracking noise as she broke his noise.