Calleigh started to shiver as the water moved around her. She had managed to stand up, despite being dizzy, and was looking for a way out.
"Do what I'm about to tell you and I'll stop the water. Take off your clothes." A high pitched laugh followed and Calleigh screamed out.
"NO WAY!"
"If you don't then the water won't stop."
Calleigh hesitated a few seconds more and then began to slowly strip off her clothing. It wasn't hard, since she was only wearing a dress and one shoe, but she was hoping that the kidnapper would change his mind and tell her to stop. But luck wasn't on her side today. She finished undressing and stood still, shivering from the cold water and air. Her kidnapper hadn't spoken but the water had stopped flowing into her prison and she figured that she had done enough to please him.
Eric jumped out of his car and ran over to his boss. He could see that Horatio was scared but chose not to bring it up, instead asking if he had found anything else.
"No. But I want to search those trees. I don't know what's on the other side though, so it may be dangerous," answered Horatio quietly.
"I'm coming then. Let's go H."
Horatio started to protest, but then gave up, knowing that Eric wasn't about to change his mind. Together, they headed for the trees with a few officers in tow, looking for anything that could help them find their missing CSI.
After almost half an hour of battling tree branches and darkness, Eric and Horatio came out on the opposite side of the trees. There was a pier leading out into the dark water, and Horatio could just make out a boat at the end.
A scream made Eric and Horatio look up. They knew that sound. They knew who had made it too. Quickly making a decision, the two CSIs and their fellow officers ran towards the boat, being careful to not trip and cause extra noise. Calleigh needed them.
Pretty soon, Calleigh could hear pounding footsteps getting closer. Praying they were friendly, she screamed as loud as she could to get their attention. She also, unfortunately, got the attention of her kidnapper, who had come running to the door of the room. Before she knew it, the water was flowing in again.
Calleigh moved towards the window that was close to her. She looked out to find that she was still on land, and she quickly pulled her clothes on. After struggling for a few minutes, Calleigh heard her kidnapper again. She looked around to see if he had come in, but the only noticeable difference was the water level. It was now up to her chest. Calleigh grabbed the window and pushed on it, but it was locked. There was no way that she would be able to open it, and she was already out of energy.
Eric raced ahead of Horatio and reached the boat first. He pounded on the door until it opened and then hurried in, his gun held out in front of him. He didn't care if he had to shoot his way through the boat. All he wanted was to see Calleigh, safe and unharmed. After searching every room on the bottom floor of the boat, Eric headed upstairs, well aware of Horatio behind him. There were three rooms ahead. Two of the doors were open, leaving no question as to where Calleigh was. He kicked open the door and gasped at what awaited him.
Calleigh was now struggling to stay above water. She was exhausted and sore, which made it hard for her to swim to the surface. She was scared. The footsteps that she had heard earlier were gone, making her think that she was alone again. Her heart was banging against her chest and her lungs were burning. She was having trouble staying awake too. It wasn't until she heard a loud bang and felt the water rushing away from her that she managed to open her eyes for a few seconds. Through blurry vision, Calleigh saw her hero and then passed out, completely welcoming the darkness and quiet that surrounded her.
"Got you!" came Horatio's voice from a room somewhere behind him.
Eric's shock turned to fear when he saw that Calleigh wasn't moving, and, ignoring the officers behind him, he ran into the room, taking off his jacket as he went. As he dropped to his knees beside Calleigh, Eric saw that she had closed her eyes. Shaking from fear, Eric wrapped his jacket around Calleigh and picked her up to carry her out to safety.