Katie investigates the drain pipe, looking for a sharp edge

The drain pipe looked promising, Katie thought. She wasn't sure from this distance, but she thought she saw what appeared to be a sharp edge right at the bottom. Maybe it would be enough to get her free.

Her spirits rising slightly at her new hope, Katie slowly crawled over to the drain pipe. She was resigned to the fact that this was going to take a long time; the pipe was on the other side of the balcony, about ten feet away, by her best estimate, and she could only crawl five or six inches at a time. And she was tired now, and had to stop more frequently to rest as a result.

It must have taken her a good half-hour to cross the ten feet to the drainpipe. Katie kept her eyes focused on her prize, and reminded herself that she had to reach it, she had to keep going. That drainpipe, she had convinced herself, was her best hope. She was a little worried that it didn't seem like that much of a hope, but she tried to ignore her fears.

After her excruciatingly long crawl to the drainpipe, Katie then had to crawl into a position that put it behind her. Then she had to crawl backwards until she could feel it against her back.

Katie closed her eyes and focused on using her hands to locate the metal of the drainpipe. She found it after only a few seconds, which was about the only thing that had been easy during this whole ordeal. Then she ran her fingertips as best she could over the pipe, paying particular attention to the edges, desperately seeking any sharpness, any chance at salvation.

Katie tried to shut everything else out of her mind except for the sensory information from her fingers, and continued searching for her slight, but only, hope.