The Ranch Ch. 01

Lamenting her failure to grab her phone when she'd fled the room, she had no idea where she could make a call from, and when help would come to her if she did. Katie didn't even know where the 'check in' area was, and she wasn't going to explore a large property she knew nothing about, when there were two predators on site who knew the place like the back of their hand. Remembering her predicament prior to arriving at the ranch, she realised calling the police wasn't an option. She'd have to conceal herself somewhere overnight, until the staff were back on site.

Bursting out of the lift, her bare feet rapidly padded along the smooth floor as she ran across it, peering through glass doors for an adequate hiding place. There was no point screaming for help, she knew everyone was gone besides the two owners, and her call would just alert them to her whereabouts. As she searched for a safe spot, she thought about her strange hosts.

'Maybe they're serial killers,' she considered, looking through one door which led into the gym. There was was always something predatory in Mark's eyes when he looked at her, but in her suite his gaze was absolutely terrifying, as though he was bordering on some kind of sexual frenzy. Recalling their latest encounter, Katie shuddered. Thinking about the circumstances which led her to the ranch made her grit her teeth. When she'd first arrived at the ranch, she was of the belief that things were as bad as they could get, but she was wrong. Silently she cursed her unreliable car, cursed Mark and Cory for perverts, and cursed Marco, the only person that evening who seemed genuinely concerned for her welfare, for leaving her alone with them.

She gasped as she heard the lift hum into action, the digital indicator showing the elevator travel upwards and settle at her suite level. Whimpering in fear and uncertainty, Katie dashed along the room, until she came to the door right at the end, farthest from the lift. It was an indoor swimming pool. Would they look for her there? The lift was moving down and there wasn't enough time. On impulse Katie ran her card over the handle and exhaled in relief as the door bleeped green.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whispered anxiously, lightly hopping from one foot to the other as the door clicked closed behind her and she gazed around the pool area. It was a 25m pool, and the turquoise-blue water reflected the pattern of the tiled-ceiling on its still surface. There was a Men's and Women's change-room, and a large sign right at the other end of the pool that read 'Sauna'.

If she hid in the sauna, she'd be trapped like a rat. There was obviously nowhere to hide in the pool unless she could hold her breath indefinitely and magically keep the water surface from rippling. The Women's was a typical retreating point for scared females. No time to ponder, Katie darted into the Men's.