CHAPTER THIRTEEN
David Starr walked along the eastern perimeter of the Silver Lake Reservoir with his flashlight beam sweeping across the water's surface.
The night shift was usually quiet, which suited him fine after twenty-three years working maintenance for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
His job involved checking the pump stations, monitoring water levels, and making sure nothing was blocking the intake valves.
Most nights he completed his rounds without seeing another person.
He was walking toward the pump station near the eastern shore when he heard it…a sound like something heavy hitting the water. David stopped and turned toward the noise, raising his flashlight. He scanned the water with the beam for about seven seconds before he spotted what had made the noise.
What he saw made no sense.
A body had apparently fallen from the sky. David saw the body silhouetted against the reservoir water about fifty yards from where he stood. The splash was enormous, sending up a column of white water that caught the light from nearby buildings.
“Jesus…” he hissed. He ran toward the impact point, his boots pounding against the concrete path that ringed the reservoir.
His flashlight bobbed wildly as he ran, and his breathing came hard and fast. He had worked at this reservoir for over two decades and had never seen anything remotely like this.
When he reached the spot closest to where the person had hit the water, David stopped and swept his flashlight across the surface. For a terrifying moment he saw nothing but ripples spreading outward from the impact point. Then the beam caught something pale floating near the eastern edge.
A woman. She was face-up in the water, her arms spread wide and her body motionless.
David could see dark straps across her torso that looked like some kind of harness.
And was that a parachute lying in the water like a discarded skin a few feet away from her?
No…not a parachute. Something else…something his brain couldn’t quite identify in this surreal moment.
David did not hesitate. He dropped his flashlight on the concrete path and kicked off his work boots.
He jumped into the reservoir feet-first, and the cold water shocked his system despite the mild night air.
The water was deeper here than it looked, maybe twelve feet, and he had to kick hard to stay afloat.
David swam toward the woman with strong strokes, covering the distance in less than thirty seconds.
When he reached her, he grabbed the harness and turned her so he could see her face properly.
She was young, maybe in her thirties, with brown hair that floated around her head like seaweed.
Her eyes were closed and her lips looked blue in the dim light.
But her chest was moving. She was breathing….thank God.
David hooked his arm under her shoulders and started pulling her toward the shore, keeping her face above water.
The harness made it difficult to get a good grip, and the straps dug into his arm as he swam.
His legs kicked steadily, propelling them both through the dark water.
The concrete edge of the reservoir wasn’t far away—maybe twenty yards, but it felt like miles.
David's clothes were soaked and heavy, dragging at his movements.
The woman's weight pulled against him with each stroke.
He focused on keeping both their heads above water and moving forward.
When he finally reached the edge, David grabbed the metal ladder that led up to the path.
He positioned the woman so her harness caught on one of the lower rungs, keeping her head out of the water while he climbed up.
His arms shook from exertion as he pulled himself onto the concrete.
When he was up, he knelt and reached down to grab the woman under her arms. He pulled her up the ladder, trying to be gentle but knowing speed mattered more than comfort.
Her body was limp and unresponsive, and water streamed from her clothes as he lifted her onto the path.
He laid her on her back and checked for breathing again.
Her chest still rose and fell, but the movements were shallow and irregular.
But her eyes were still closed and he thought she might be knocked out.
David pulled his phone from his pocket, grateful that the waterproof case had done its job.
Water dripped from his hands as he dialed 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance at the Silver Lake Reservoir, eastern shore near the pump station," David said. His voice came out rough and breathless. "A woman just fell from the sky into the water. I pulled her out and she is alive but unconscious. She is badly injured."
"Did you say she fell from the sky?" The dispatcher's tone shifted from routine to urgent.
"Yes. I saw her fall and hit the water. She is wearing some kind of harness." David looked at the woman more carefully now, trying to assess her injuries. Her lips were split and bleeding, and dark bruises were already forming on her arms and torso.
"Paramedics are on the way. Can you tell me if she is breathing?"
"Yes, but not well. Her breathing is shallow."
The dispatcher asked him several more questions about the woman's condition, and David answered as best he could. While he talked, he looked up at the night sky above the reservoir. He couldn’t see anything up there now, no sign of whatever had carried the woman into the air before she fell.
David kept the phone to his ear and knelt beside the woman, watching her chest rise and fall. She was alive, but barely. Whatever had happened to her tonight, she was lucky to have survived it.