Feeling like an expert now, she climbed several more branches until she was higher than she was comfortable with. Directly in front of her face was a bundle of leaves which almost camouflaged her totally from the ground. It was the best cover she could have hoped for.
Her muscles tensed around the branch as she lay her body down and gripped it with all four limbs. She could feel it sway up and down with her weight. Her mind conjured up images of the branch snapping and falling to her death, but not before taking a beating from every thick branch on the way down. But the branch would hold, she was certain of it. At least, she wanted to be certain about it.
She heard voices below her but couldn't quite see anyone in the darkness. They seemed to be staying in the area under her tree and she grew nervous. Had they seen her climb the tree? Were they figuring a way up? Then an even more sinister thought came to mind. What if they lit the tree on fire below her? There would be no escape and she would burn alive. She shuddered at the terrible thought.
Her fears dissipated when the voices below began to disappear into the distance. She wanted to hop down then and there but decided she should hide longer. After all, they hadn't seen her. It must have been a good spot. Sasha, however, was unaware someone had seen her climb the tree. Someone far worse than any of the townspeople. They simply watched the tree from the darkness and waited for her to come down.
The truck stood against the backdrop of the night like a beacon of hope. Harrison knew what he had to do now. Sasha did not buy him time in order to save herself. She wanted Tara taken to safety and that's exactly what he was going to do.
He helped Tara into the backseat and tightened her seatbelt around her. With the way he intended to drive, she was going to need it. This town needed to be in his rearview mirror immediately. Of course, he couldn't help but feel a sting of guilt for leaving Sasha to whatever fate she might endure. Once Tara was safe, he would be back for her. But something told him it would be too late.
Harrison's foot touched the floor as he rammed his foot against the pedal. The tires squealed like a banshee as they headed straight for the town border. Luckily, the road was straight and empty. It allowed him to fly as fast as he could. Within no time, they would be in the next town.
A patch of standing water in the middle of the road caused the truck to jerk to the left and nearly fishtail. He was able to correct it before spinning out and decided to lower his speed a bit. If he killed them both in a fiery wreck, it would mean Sasha traded her life for nothing. If he couldn’t save her, he would at least save her daughter. Though, he kept telling himself everything would be fine. He would be back in time to find Sasha and bring her to her daughter. His heart raced and it felt like every nerve in his body fired simultaneously.
Before he could do more to dwell on his thoughts, his cell phone began to ring. Forgetting where it was, he patted his pants pockets until he found it. Nearly dropping the buzzing device on the floor below, he pressed answer.
"Yeah?" He said with an inflection of impatience in his voice.
"Sheriff Harrison? It's Brian, from the lab. I've got your results from the prints you sent us. Thought you'd want that."
"Yes, please. What've you got?"
"It's kind of strange and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I thought maybe it was a mistake but I was told to get you the info right away. You must have a few friends working for the FBI."
"This is time sensitive."
"Right, sorry. We have a print match for a Mr. Corey B. Hall."
"Who the hell is Corey Hall? I've never heard of the guy."
"He actually comes up as a missing person."
"Are you suggesting some random missing person showed up in my town and started killing people?"
"Looks that way, Sheriff."
That couldn't be possible. Harrison chose not to believe it. After all, why would he believe it? The killer had targeted Sasha. Why would a complete stranger to the town target another complete stranger? None of it made any sense.
"No, that can't be right."
"I'm reading you the results clear as day. According to this, Corey Hall is walking the streets of your town. Maybe you can track down his relatives and see what you can learn."
"Do you have a name of a closest relative?"
"In fact, I do. Hang on, I put them around here somewhere."
Harrison heard the technician shuffle through papers and grunt as he knocked something off of his desk. Finally, he found what he was looking for and congratulated himself with an audible clap and a snicker to himself.
"Alright, looks like he has a wife and daughter. Sasha and Tara Hall."
Harrison had to stop himself from slamming on the brake. It took every fiber of his being not to overreact and startle Tara in the backseat. His heart thudded wildly in his chest and he was certain his blood pressure had risen dramatically.
"Are you certain about this?"
"God damned positive," the technician said. Harrison thanked him for his time and hung up. It took nearly another mile for everything to settle in and Harrison realized he needed to go back. Sasha's husband was responsible. If Harrison could expose him, he'd save Sasha and stop the
