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Rushing to the trunk, he dragged this latest asset out. The shallow wound in her head had stopped bleeding, and she was already blinking, coming around fast. That was excellent, because he didn't want to wait long. Suddenly it felt as if he'd already waited far too long for this important moment.
Roughly, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her with ease. Her fear of him was palpable, but she lay still. Trussed and obedient, she didn't struggle.No doubt, she sensed his strength, and the threat of violence that underscored it.
Before he put her in solitary for a cooling-off period of a couple of hours, he simply could not resist giving the others a taste of what was to come. It would be a learning experience for his assets, and one that would make them scared. It would pave the way for what was to come.
He strode to the bunker door, glad that his powerful strength gave him the ability to carry a limp—or compliant—body easily in his arms.
He wrenched the door open, ready for them. If they showed the least signs of rebellion, he was going to quell it, instantly.
But they looked frightened already. He could see that the asset escaping had not been an example for them to not do the same. In fact, it looked to have made them more terrified. They knew there would be retribution, that was very clear.
He could see it in their eyes.
"You see this woman?" he snarled at them. "You're seeing her for the first time now. She's disposable. She's not a chosen asset like you. But even so, I picked her for a reason. An important one. Can you guess what it is?"
He stared around. They didn't reply, of course. Their eyes were fixed on him in terror. Wordlessly, they stared as he continued.
"The next time you see her, later on, it will be different. You won't believe what I am going to do. The show I have planned!You are going to enjoy the special display that I've got coming for her—and for you!" He stared around, enjoying the effects of his words. Already, he could see the naked terror in their eyes. They knew that something bad, something very bad, was going to play out.
"I have such a show for you! And after seeing it, none of you are going to try any trouble ever again. Because if you do, then one of you will be next! I'm looking forward to it, my treasures. I hope you are too!"
The survivalist turned, slamming the door, making sure the heavy bolt clicked home.
And then, he strode over to the solitary cell and tossed his new asset roughly onto the narrow bed.
"I'll be back for you later," he said. He felt sure that she’d be safe in there and would not be able to escape, thanks to the additional improvements and security he’d added and the bolt on the outside of the door.
Perhaps he'd do the deed just as evening closed in. That would give him more time to think about it and to anticipate it. And it would give the others more time to be hungry and afraid.
He retreated to his hideaway, set the alarm, and lay down, with a satisfied smile, to get some shuteye before the big event.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
May felt a sense of urgency as she headed back to the police department. It was already midafternoon. These fall days were deceptively short, and in just a couple more hours it would be dark. And she felt sure that the longer they delayed, the more danger these women would be in. She had a very bad feeling about how the escapee would end up triggering the mental state of a clearly delusional man.
As she got back to the police department and parked in the lot behind the building, she saw Sheriff Jack on the phone, his face serious.
He glanced at May’s car as if he’d been waiting for her, and she felt a chill of pure fear. Had something happened?
Deciding to get an update from him before returning to the woods, May climbed out of the car and followed Owen inside.
While she was waiting for Jack to end the call, she saw there were fresh updates neatly written on the big whiteboard. There, all the names that Chloe had told them had been noted down, and they'd been carefully cross-referenced to cases.
“Look at this, Owen,” she said, feeling a chill that all three of the names were linked to suspected murder. Just like in the ones she'd seen, there had been a bloody scene left when the women had disappeared.
“Where are they all from?” Owen asked, stepping forward, peering at the board, sounding concerned.
“They all seem to be from homesteads or farms in the wider area. Look, there’s one who’s from outside of Tamarack County,” May said. “I’m looking for another common thread here. There’s something I want to check.”
There were some jotted notes about their occupations, and she saw confirmation of the common thread she'd guessed.
The first woman was a weaver and seamstress who made garments from scratch, spinning her own fabric. The second was a chef for a living. And the last woman taken was in her final year of medical school, studying to be a doctor.
“I think this man was looking for more than just victims,” she said to Owen. “I think he was trying to gather people with the skills he thought he needed to survive some sort of doomsday event.”
“That would make sense,” Owen muttered, reading the notes carefully.
Hearing that Jack was wrapping up the call, May turned to him. If there was bad news, she needed to know it.
