CHAPTER One

Sara Walker walked through the cold winter rain. Tears turned to ice as it slowly drizzled down her cheeks. A man in the distance watched her and studied her every move. Sara took shelter in a coffee shop on King Street and ordered her regular hot chocolate with whipped cream. The man slowly walked in behind Sara and ordered a coffee. People were all gathering together to keep warm. There was only one heater working in the shop, and there was barely enough heat going through to keep all of the customers warm. Sara grabbed the stone lake newspaper and quickly gazed through the want ads.She was looking for part-time work as a receptionist. She was fresh out of college and eager to work. "Hot chocolate’s ready, ma’am," the cashier said as he poked Sara in the arm. Sara opened her black felt purse and fumbled around for a five-dollar bill. She knew she had a few dollars in her purse. She always carried a few dollars with her, just in case. "Do you take debit cards?" Sara replied, feeling her cheeks begin to redden. "No, ma’am, cash only," the cashier grunted, a little irritated. Sara fumbled through her purse again and felt inside her coat pockets in case she had stuffed some money inside. Sara was ready to cry from embarrassment when the man who had followed her into the coffee shop offered to pay for both hot beverages. "Thank you so much," Sara said, putting her cold hand on his hand. "No problem. My name’s Eric James," the man said, coughing. Sara grabbed her hot chocolate and began looking for a table "Would you like to join me?" Sara asked. Eric looked at Sara with bewildered eyes as if she had said something to offend him. Eric then took his coffee and slammed it on the table next to him. Sara froze with fear as she watched him leave the coffee shop, mumbling under his breath. "Are you OK, ma’am?" the owner asked Sara. "I’m fine," Sara replied, taking a few deep breaths. After Sara collected herself, she decided to leave. She just wanted to get home and forget about what happened. As Sara walked out of the coffee shop she was grabbed from behind. Sara tried to pull herself away, but the man kept pulling her back towards him. He whispered in her ear, and then forcefully dragged her, struggling, into the alley beside the coffee shop. "Don’t hurt me, please!" Sara cried out. The man then reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth with chloroform soaked into it. He took the cloth and held it towards Sara's nose and mouth, and then dragged her limp body into his car parked just a couple of feet away. Sara woke up with a bad headache. She was very weak and had trouble staying on her feet. Sara tried to walk into some light so she could see where she was. She managed to walk halfway, then crawl under a light bulb that gave light to the other side of the room. Sara opened her eyes wide as she saw an elderly woman and man stuffed and pinned to wooden rocking chairs. Just then, the wooden door to the room opened with a creaking sound....