RED SKATE CHAPTER ELEVEN

I woke up, but I couldn't tell where I was. Everything was black, and at first, I had a jolting horrible thought that I was blind. But then a blinding white light suddenly flashed into existence. After the glare had died, I saw that I was in a basement of some sort. I could tell it was a basement, because it was quite dank, lus I could see a wine cellar. I looked around and saw Alex Barker standing over a desk, sharpening something. I tried to get up, I was thinking of knocking him unconscious and making a run for it. I couldn't move! Then I realized. I was tied up. I tried to shout out, hopefully to get someone's attention, but I was gagged. I raged through it, to get Barker's attention.
He turned around, and I saw what he was sharpening. It was an ice skate, he was making the blade sharper than it already was.
"Ah, so you're awake," he said. "You see, that neck is kind of pretty, it seems such a shame to ruin it with an ice skate.
I looked horrified up at him.
"Mm, mmmmm!" I raged.
"Yes, you found out the secret from my past. I was hoping to live out the rest of my days, with that memory pushed back in the back of my mind, in the dark. Here, I can see you're trying to speak, let me undo that gag for you."
He reached over and ripped off the duct tape that was preventing me from speaking.
"You fucker!!" I screamed, as soon as it was off. "You wanker! You killed my best friend, Cathy! And you also murdered Julia!"
"Ah, but you're half right," said Barker. "I did kill Cathy, but I didn't kill Julia."
"Liar! Why'd you do it?"
"Cathy was a target from years ago, when I was a member of that cult. When we were discovered, and everyone else thrown in prison, I went on the run. Cathy was a target before I went on the run, but I couldn't kill her so soon after the discovery. The police could've tracked me down easier. Then I moved into this neighbourhood, and Julia Entwhistle was murdered. I learnt from the news that Cathy Jones was one of the detectives investigating the murder. I had to see whether she was the same Cathy Jones. And she was!"
"And so you killed her," I finished off, bitterly. "Just because of some stupid stunts you and your sick friends used to pull when you were younger. Cathy wasn't a virgin when you killed her."
"Yeah, I knew she probably wouldn't be. But I got such a thrill from killing an old target. Plus, it was revenge. The stupid bitch wouldn't sleep with me. She said I was too ugly"
"YOU ARE! AND YOU'RE SICK!!!" I screamed out. "YOU'RE DERANGED!!! AND YOU DESERVE TO BE LOCKED UP!!!"
"Shut up!" Barker screamed back. He shoved the duct tape back onto my mouth. "You leave me no choice, Sally. I'm going to have to kill you too. I can't have you running off to the police and locking me up. It'll ruin my life! Now, if I do happen to let you go, do you promise not to tell?"
The duct tape came back off.
"It'll ruin your life?" I put a strong emphasis on 'your'. "What about all the virgins you killed!"
"Oh," said Barker, as though they weren't important. "They were mere pawns in the game we used to play."
I spat in his face.
"Dear me," he wiped away the spit. "I'll definitely have to kill you. You're such a little wildcat, you might get your revenge on me if I let you let you go."
Suddenly, I felt a new strength. Before, my legs, being tied together, couldn't move. But now they moved of their own accord, and clonked Barker over the head, knocking him to the floor.
I made sure he wasn't going to get back up, by waiting for five minutes, then, using my fingers, I untied my hands. I untied my legs, and ran off to the door to the basement.
I pushed the door, but it wouldn't open. Then I tried pulling it, but still it wouldn't open. I realized it was locked. With all my strength, I kicked at it. The door fell down, easily. I ran through it and up the stairs, then I ran through the house, and out onto the street.
I negotiated where the police station was and ran in that direction.
By the time I got there, I was out of breath, that I had to sit down and have a drink of water. Someone, I don't know, had to take me to my private office, where I was left alone.
Charlie came through the door, ten minutes later.
"Charlie!" I yelled out. "Charlie, I know who killed Cathy and Julia!"
"Who? Tell me, Sally."
"That guy we interviewed. Alex Barker." And I told him what I had discovered about Alex Barker, and about what had gone on in the basement.
"WHAT? He killed Cathy? And possibly Julia? And then he tied you up in the basement? We'll have to go back there and arrest him!"
"We can't. I tried to arrest him. That was when he knocked me out and tied me up."
Charlie put his arms round me.
"I know you must have been scared - terrified - down there. But we must arrest him. This is the guy who killed your best friend."
"Yes, but remember what I told you about the Brotherhood of the Virgo. They were all caught and put into jail, but Barker was the only one who wasn't. He ran off, and became a futigive."
"Yes, but if he's still unconcious, we'll be able to arrest him when he wakes up."

However, when we got to Barker's house, and went down to the basement, he wasn't there.
"He's already woken up," I said. "And now he's probably done another bunker!"
"We'll just have to find him," said Charlie, clearly trying to reassure me.
"How?"
"Send out a report on the news, get everyone looking for him."
He looked right into my eyes. "Sally? Are you sure you will be okay?"
"Yeah," I answered. "Yeah, I'll be ok, I promise."
"Good, because I'm entrusting the job to you."
"What job?"
Getting the report out. Getting everyone to keep an eye out for Barker."
"Oh, sure, right. I'll do it as soon as I can."
"Good. Apparently, the police have been looking for that son of a bitch for years."
"I thought they gave up after one year?"
"Well, they gave up actually looking for him, but they've still been hoping to catch him."
"Oh, well, I hope we'll find him. I hope he'll get locked away with the key thrown away. I hope that happens to him, after what he did to Cathy!"

Find out what happens next in Chapter Twelve...