Saving Katie Baker Read Online Free PDF

began to cry at the darkness and noises that began to escalate louder and louder around them.
    “Trust me. It’s getting bad out there. This is the safest place for us. Get in.”
    Katie decided, after she remembered how controlled and strong his arms had been as they pinned her against her own vehicle mere moments before, that Blake was determined to have his way regardless of her consent. It wasn’t worth fighting over so she carefully stepped into the ceramic tub and lay down. He instructed Katie to lie close to her daughter and then he climbed in next to her. The three of them huddled together with arms around one another and the little girl in the middle. Katie was uncomfortable, stiff and anxious, as they lay there frozen awkwardly together.
    Glass slammed down onto tile not far from where they lay, Katie could hear it crashing apart just inches away from them. She remembered the gorgeous mirror she had spotted when they first walked into the room and could picture it in pieces across the tile floor. The sounds were horrific, one thud and then another and another. There was more glass being shattered, shelves crashing open and onto the floor.
    It sounded to Katie as if the house was falling apart around them, piece by piece, shaken by the big hands of the angry gods arguing above them. She tried to close her eyes and wish it all away, but as the debris continued to fall in around them, she knew it wasn’t a possibility. At least this would add new nightmares to her sleep and maybe lessen the others. The thought actually brought Katie a brief moment of comfort.
    Micah continued to cry out but Katie had no words to calm her. She wanted to reassure her daughter everything would be fine, but once again no voice would come, only internal whispers. What does one say in a moment like this? Do I lie to my daughter? Do I say we’re going to be okay when really I’ve no surety? Are we really going to be OK?
    “Want Mr. Blake to tell you a story?” The tub partner quickly interjected, interrupting Katie’s thoughts. “Some people say I’m great at telling fairy tales.” Instantly, Micah quieted down to listen. Even though he had to compete with the noise of the world around him, he didn’t let that hinder him. “Once upon a time,” he began.
    Katie couldn’t remember what story he told, all she could think about was the storm raging around them. The noises. The fact that here she was, lying in a tub with a complete stranger while the world partied and laughed at her outside. When would tragedy stop torturing her, and ironies leave her be?
    She hadn’t realized Blake finished his story and was trying to speak to her until she felt his body roll over and on top of her, his hand on her chin, trying to lift up her face. A panicked look was painted on his own.
    “Katie! Answer me. Do you hear me? Are you OK?”
    “Get off of me. What in the world are you trying to pull here? I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”
    “Sorry. You didn’t answer me. Are you sure you’re all right?”
    “If you call being squished in a bathtub with a complete stranger all right while the world falls apart around me, then sure, yeah, I’m totally fine.”
    It was then that something came sliding across the floor, interrupting Katie’s lamenting, and crashed into the side of the tub. Katie screamed. Whatever it was, it had caused a vibration to run through the tub that lingered, which reminded Katie of drums being played at a concert too loudly. She felt the vibration all through her and was ready for this to be over. Questions began to run through her head about whether or not they would survive this. What if the house came folding in and crashing down upon them?

    It took them a while to realize that stillness had finally come. No more thunderous banging around the house. It was quiet, finally. But the quiet wasn’t the kind that one looked forward to, it was an eerie silence that loomed and lingered in the air—one that really