Katie held back tears to appear strong for Sarah, but she could not help imagining what might have happened if she did not have the wrench, or worse, if the masked man had a gun. Tightening her grip at nine and two on the steering wheel, Katie glanced over to her shell-shocked daughter. "Honey, we are safe now. He can't hurt us anymore."

Sarah, swiping away tears and rubbing the snot from her nose with the collar of her Jo-Jo t-shirt, caught her breath and asked, "Are you sure mommy?"

Katie, unable to hold the tears back any longer, promised, "Yes. We are safe. We got away. The hard part is over. We are going to call 911 and meet your dad at the hospital."

Sarah nodded, unable to find the words she wanted to speak. Katie shifted to the side to dig out her cell phone from her pant's pocket. Glancing at the time on the car's radio, 9:05 a.m., she knew Trevor might still be in surgery, so she dialed 911.

Brrr!

Brrr!

Katie waited desperately while maintaining road awareness.

Brrr!

Brrr!

Beep, beep, beep. "I'm sorry your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again."

A dry lump appeared in Katie's throat as her stomach plummeted. Katie thought to herself, "Surely the stranger didn't know my cell phone and wouldn't be able to prohibit my outgoing calls... Right?"

Testing her theory, Katie dialed her husband's phone number.

Brrr!

Brrr!

Brrr!

With each ring Katie's panic increased.

Brrr!

Brrr!

"Hello, Katie. It's Trevor's assistant; can I take a message?" A soft-spoken female answered the call.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Katie answered, "Hi! Yes, please tell my husband that we are on the way. We will meet him by his car in the parking garage. Please tell him it is urgent."

The female agreed before hanging up the phone, "Yes. Of course."

"We are going to see Daddy?" Sarah's voice sounded hopeful.

Closing the distance between them and the hospital Katie affirmed, "Yes, honey. We are going to see Daddy."

Pulling into the parking garage, just as Katie has done many times before, she remembered where to find Trevor's reserved spot, the basement floor. After locating the silver Tesla, Katie pulled over the yellow lines. "This wasn't a time for parking etiquette," Katie defensively mumbled.

Weary of exiting the car, the Katie demanded Sarah remain inside, "Take my cell phone and the car keys. Keep the doors locked, just in case. Stay here until I meet your dad."

Frowning, Sarah questioned, "I thought we were safe now."

Giving a reassuring smile, Katie affirmed, "Yes. Honey. We are safe. I just want to be extra careful, and parking lots are dangerous."

Sarah replied, "Fine."

Exiting the car, Katie began walking through rows of various vehicles towards the employee elevator.

Ding! Ding!

The employee elevator doors slid open as Trevor exited the platform. Eagerly, Katie hollered to her husband, "Hey! I'll get Sarah. We need to find the police." Katie headed backwards to signal Sarah out of the car.

Trevor's face filled with concern, "What? What happened? Are y'all okay?" His walk became a light jog as he closed the gap between him and his beloved wife.

Katie knocked on the rear passenger window to alert Sarah. In response, Sarah exited the car and joined her mother in the parking lot. They, hand-in-hand, turned to meet Trevor halfway to the elevator. Suddenly, a solid black silhouette with a white mask and blood-stained lips appeared from behind a Ford pick-up. Katie stopped dead in her tracks, yanking Sarah back with her.

"Trevor behind you!" Katie screeched at the top of her lungs.

Before Trevor could process what Katie warned him, the masked figure caught up with him. Approaching him from behind, the black figure wrapped an arm across Trevor's chest while he slowly pressed the blood-stained blade against his throat.

Mortified, Katie shoved her daughters head into the front of her shirt, attempting to shield her from the events unfolding before their eyes. The masked man's appearance knocked the breath out of her lugs as her legs quivered. Speechless, Katie searched for the words to say as she began gasping for air.

"Please!" Katie, unable to finish her plea, trembles as tears stream down her face.

Unaware of the events from this morning, Trevor bargains, "Just take my wallet. You can have it and my car. It's a Tesla. That's a lot of money for a man like you. Just take it and go."

Feeling omnificent, the masked silhouette exploded with cold sinister laughter. Tired of playing games, he takes swift action. As Katie screamed, "No" with her entire body, the black masked figure slid the knife across the base of Trevor's neck, slicing open his carotid artery. Trevor collapses to the floor while gagging on his own blood.