Chapter Three, The Getaway

            I run as fast as I can in the opposite direction of my house toward town. I need to get as far away from my uncle as I can. I have no idea where I’m going just yet, but I have to find a place to regroup my thoughts on what to do after I knew I was out of immediate danger. I keep running till I get to a part of the woods near a park I used to go to when I was a kid.

I get into the tree line then collapse to the ground on my hands and knees. I'm gasping for air; my body hurts, and I feel helpless. I sit back on my butt, resting my back against a tree as I slow my breathing down. I was fooling myself if I thought I could do this on my own. I had no money, no place to go, and no one I could go to that my uncle wouldn’t come looking for me. 

I start to cry all over again as I think about what just happened. My uncle turned on me like I was a stranger. I have to get out of this town if I want to survive this nightmare. I need answers, and I knew it was a lost cause to try to find any right now. It would only lead me back to him, and I couldn't let that happen. I sit and cry for what seems like a few minutes when I hear a car pull up. I lean past a tree to see a silver car parked near the park entrance. I watch two men get out of a car wearing long black coats like the two men I saw the night before in the alley.

This had to be a coincidence. I have never seen them before, and my uncle was not with them. What would these men want with me? I freeze in fear that they could find me if I make the slightest sound. I’m even holding my breath as I watch them start to look around. I know I have to move before they make their way to this side of the woods. I watch them walk in the direction of the main part of the park. This was my chance, probably my only chance to escape. 

I get to my feet and run as fast as I can deeper into the woods. I knew these woods well, which gave me a little bit of an advantage. The only place I can think of to go is my best friend, Hannah. She lives not far from here. If I went to her for help, I could bring the danger following me. I didn't have any other choice than to turn to her for help. With my mind made up, I head in her direction. I make it through the woods with no problems. I don’t think they are following me.

As soon as I get to the edge of the woods, I take off, running as fast as I can in hopes that no one will notice me. I keep to the shadows of the buildings, taking the back ways as much as possible. I'm only a block away from her house, so I slow down to make sure no one is following me. I scope out the house in the darkness, making sure no one was watching her house.   

I see Hannah’s room on the second floor, lit up by her desk light. I can only hope that she's still awake. I take another look around, and once I know it clear, I make my way over to her house. Standing beside a tree in the yard, I pick up several small pebbles and try my best to hit Hannah’s bedroom window to get her attention. After missing several times, I fuss at myself in the process while constantly looking over my shoulder. Finally, on the fourth time, Hannah slides her window up and peers down at me.

“Hannah, it's Kirsten. I need your help. Can I come in?” I ask in a whisper.

"Sure, come to the back door. I'll let you in," Hannah says before she slides the window closed.

Taking another look around, I dart around to the back porch. When Hannah gets the door unlocked, I run inside, shut the door, then lock it behind me. I peer through the small window to make sure no one saw me come in.

"What's wrong, Kirsten? What happened to you?" Hannah asks as she pulls me into her arms. “Who did this to you?” she asks as she pulls away to take in my awful state.

"I don't have much time; I'm in serious trouble. I need to get away from here and fast. I have nothing on me, not even my phone. I had to leave it all behind. I don't know what happened other than my uncle flipped out and attacked me. I've been on the run since last night," I explain to her.

"Your uncle, how could he do this to you? He's one of the nicest people I know. Here set down, let me get you something to drink, and then I'm going to get you patched up. We will figure this out. Do you think that they would suspect that you are here with me?" Hannah asked as she pours me a glass of water.

"I don’t know. I had nowhere else to turn. I won’t stay long, just in case. I’m sure my uncle will come here when he can’t find me. I ran in the opposite direction when I fled the house. Do you care if I get something to eat? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday,” I confess.

"Lord Girl, you know this is like your second home; help yourself," Hannah says as she opens the cabinet to get me a plate.

I open the fridge and pull out some lunch meat and other things. I put a quick sandwich together. I have it eaten in less than five minutes, which almost makes me sick. My stomach thanks me.

 Hannah leads me up to her room then heads into her bathroom. When she emerges, she has several items in her arms, dumping them on her bed—Hannah motions for me to sit.

"I can't believe he did this to you," Hannah says as she examines my face. Hannah then reaches over, going through the items on the bed that looks like a first aid kit.

"Me either, I'm still replaying everything that happened. It just doesn't make any sense; you should have seen the look in his eyes. He looked possessed by something. Honestly, the whole situation was scary. One minute I'm getting ready for bed, then the next thing, my uncle is dragging me to the basement by any means necessary. I have a bad feeling about this. I have only him as a family. I don't know what to do," I tell her.

"I'm hoping that there is a good explanation for all of this. It sounds like something out of a horror story," she says as she continues to clean my face.

Taking some cotton balls and peroxide, she cleans my face. When she hits certain spots on my face, it stings.

“Sorry,” she says as she continues to work on my face.

"He did a number on your face. I hope these don't scar," Hannah says as she makes her way around my face.

I know it's horrible by the look on her face. I could only make out a little through the dirty mirror in the abandoned house.

“I can't stay long; this is one place I'm sure he will come looking for me,” I tell her.

"Ok, all done. Go take a quick shower, and I will get you some of my clothes," Hannah says as she hands me a towel.

I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I peel off my dirty clothes then start the shower. I step in and let the hot water wash over me. The water feels refreshing on my battered body. I try to ignore the bruises that cover my body as I take the body wash and squirt it onto a sponge. I lather it up and make my way up my legs to my arms. I flinch when I run the sponge over my side.         

I fear that I might have a broken or fractured rib. I wash my hair, and the shampoo smells delightful. After getting all rinsed off, I step out and wrap the towel around my body. Brushing my wet brown hair out, it hangs down my back. I head out of the bathroom and find Hannah busy packing.

"Here are some clothes for you,” Hannah says as she hands me a clean pair of Jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt with stripes.

Thank goodness that we are about the same size. I pull on the clothes, dry my hair, and put some ointment and bandages on my scrapes and cuts.

"I know everyone will be asking all kinds of questions when I don't come back to school. I’m sure my uncle will make some excuse for my absence. Will you give Daniel a good excuse for me not contacting him or explaining anything to him?" I ask Hannah.

Her face falls with horror as she sits down beside me. “Are you breaking up with Daniel?” she asks.

“I don’t want to, but I don’t think I will be able to with what is going on. I will miss him, but I can’t stay here with what has happened with my uncle,” I tell her. 

“Are you sure you want to break up with Daniel? Things might get better,” Hannah asks.

“After tonight, I don’t want to ever face my uncle again. I want to get as far away from here as I can,” I reply as Hannah is trying to get over the shock of my request.

“This will crush Daniel. I don't know if I can break the news to him," she says with panic in her voice.

"I need you to do this. I can't handle any more heartbreak. I know he will ask questions, and I don't have any answers. He's the type of guy that would run off with me, and I can't have that," I explain.

Hannah gets up and starts to pace. "You better be glad I'm your best friend. I don't know if anyone else would take on this crazy request. He's going to flip out," she tells me. I can see the confusion and his questions already. Hannah will have her hands full.

"I know, it's the only thing I can think of," I tell her as I pull her down to sit beside me. 

"While you were in the shower, I called my aunt in West Virginia that I stay with during the summer. She said that you could come to stay with her for a while until you could figure something out. She doesn't need to know all the details, only the main details. I told her that your father was abusive and you needed to get away. I think that would be the best cover story for this situation. I guarantee she won't ask too many questions when she sees you. She's cool about stuff like this. She’s my favorite aunt, the aunt that everyone likes. If you are still there by next summer, I will come down and see you. Until then, you better use my phone and keep me updated. He would never expect you to be there, so this is the perfect safe place for you," she says as she wraps her arms around me.

“I can't believe the mess I'm in," I tell her as I start to get all emotional again.

"It will be ok. You’re not alone; you have me. Here is some money that I managed to get out of my mom's wallet; she won't even know it's missing. Here, take my phone. You can call me to let me know how you’re doing," she says as she places some money in my hand with her cell phone.

We both freeze when we hear Hannah’s mom coming up the steps. Hannah pushes me to the ground and motions for me to get under the bed as she grabs everything off the bed, slinging it onto the floor. She kicks the stuff under the bed, then leaps into bed and turns her light out. A soft knock sounds on her door. I'm holding my breath as Hannah acts like she just woke up.

"Mom, I'm trying to sleep," she calls out.

Her door opens slightly, and the hall light lights up her room. Hannah, Kristen's uncle, is here looking for Kristen," she says as my uncle enters the room.

My heart pounds, and the fear takes hold of me all over again. I want to run, but I know I got to be as quiet as possible, or he will find me.

"Hannah, sorry to wake you at such a late hour, but I’m worried about Kirsten. Right before bed, Kristen was doing laundry. I saw her carrying a basket of clothes as she headed up to her room. That’s when I heard her scream, followed by a loud crash. I run into the room to find her lying face down at the bottom of the steps. I ran to her to help her up, and that’s when she pushed me away. She looked hurt when she got up. I think she hit her head when she fell down the steps. I think she may have suffered a concussion that makes her see things that are not true. She took off, running out the door before I could reason with her. I need to get her to a hospital. Have you seen her?" he asks in a calm tone.

Liar, I want to scream. I know I'm not seeing things, and I sure in the hell didn't have a delusion about him attacking me.

"The last time I talked to her was after she finished her homework. She was getting ready for bed. I’ve not seen her or heard anything from her. If she comes here, I will have mom call you," Hannah says.

"Ok, sorry to have bothered you," he says before they shut the door. Hannah flops back on the bed, and I can hear her let out her breath. "That was a close one," she says.

"I got to get out of here and fast," I say as I shimmy out from under the bed, as my body protests from all my injuries. I get to my feet then walk over to the window. I see my uncle get into his car and pull out of the driveway. The car pauses for a moment, making me move from the window. I hope he didn’t see me. “Please go away,” I say in a whisper as Hannah comes over to me, pulling me into her arms. Hannah leans over toward the window then breathes a sigh of relief. “He’s gone,” she says as she releases me, pulling me toward the bed. “Sit; as soon as mom goes to sleep, I will drive you to the bus station.

When everyone is asleep, Hannah tosses me one of her coats. Hannah then leans down and picks up a backpack that she had packed earlier. We make our way down the steps making as little noise as possible. The sound of one of the bedroom doors opening has me and Hannah frozen in mid-step as we look at each other.  The sound of the bathroom door sounds has both of us relieved. We make our way down the rest of the steps without getting caught. We wait at the bottom of the steps to listen to whoever went to the bathroom. When we hear the bedroom door shut, we know we are in the clear.

Hannah opens the car door, throws the backpack into the back seat then climbs into the driver’s seat as she puts the car into neutral. I open the garage door and step back so Hannah can back the car out. She lets it coast backward down the slanted driveway. When she clears the garage door, I pull it closed. I run over to get into the car. Hannah lets the car drift into the road before starting the car. Backing up without the lights on, we head down her street. There are no car's insight, which I find to be a blessing. My nerves are on end as I keep looking in the mirror, thinking they will come and follow us.

When we get some distance from her house, she flips on the car's headlights.  We pull up to the bus station and park the car. Climbing out, we both head inside the station. She buys me a ticket, and we sit down, waiting for the next bus to depart.

"I will keep my ears peeled to see what I hear. You can call me from my aunt's house when you get there. Call me anytime you need to. My aunt said she would meet you at the station when you arrived and would keep you safe until we can figure out what’s going on," she explains.

She pulls me to her and sobs into my shoulder. "I'm going to miss you. Be careful and stay safe," she says.

I give her a nod and then turn to get on the bus. I peer out at my best friend, who waves me off with tears in her eyes. My heart hurts as I finally lost track of her. As the bus hits the interstate, I settle into my seat, then fall apart as I cry as quietly as I can. I cry for a long while until my mind wonders how this happened. I just didn't see this coming; we were laughing earlier that day. All I could figure was that my uncle must be involved in something bad.  Maybe he pissed someone off or owed someone money. Was I the bargaining chip he was going to use to get himself out of hot water?

There was no sadness or pain in his eyes, just anger. I just couldn't think of anything else that could make him act like that. It’s still dark outside as I stare out of the window, watching the streetlights pass. The bus was empty for the most part except for an occasional person that would board and then get off in a stop or two. The past events left me drained, and I found myself dozing in and out as my trip went on. When the bus comes to a stop, announcing our arrival, I snapped out of my trance. Stretching, I grab my backpack and head for the door.

When I get off the bus, an older lady stands in silence until I get near her. "So, you must be Kirsten. My niece called me and said you needed my help. Her face grows in shock at the appearance of my face. Her face softens, “Let's get you back to my house, and then we can work out the details.”

I follow her out to the parking lot, where a dark SUV stands. I climbed in as she starts the engine. "My name is Marie, nice to meet you," she says as she pulls out.

"Thank you for picking me up," I say as I try to hide my face from her. I can tell she has already seen the bruises, and the painful look on her face tells me that she knows I have been to hell and back.

 It's not a long drive at all when we pull up to this white house that has green shutters on the windows. She shuts the car off and climbs out. I grab my backpack and follow her up the stone pathway. She unlocks the door, and I walk in behind her. She drops the keys on a nearby table then heads into another room.

"Do you want some tea? She calls out to me.

 "That would be nice, thank you,” I say as I look around the room.

A few minutes pass, and she comes back with a tray with two cups and some cookies. She sets them on the small table and sits down on one of the couches. She motions for me to sit on the one that’s facing her.

“So, Kirsten, what kind of trouble are you in? I just need the basics. You can leave out the really bad parts; I just need a little information," she says as she pours her a cup of tea.

"I.......I'm not sure what happened. It's my father. He attacked me out of the blue, and I think he was trying to kill me. I can’t let him find me; I think he lost his mind," I choke out.

She gives me a surprised look and then picks her tea up and takes a sip. "My dear, it sounds like he did lose his mind. I will keep in contact with my niece and see if anything changes. Until then, I will hide you here. This means you will have to lay low, and the fewer people that know you’re here, the better protection I can give you. My niece means the world to me, and she talks very highly of you. I would move the earth for her. I have a spare room upstairs that you can use, and there are some clothes that my niece has that might fit. And take two of these, my dear, that looks like it hurts a lot," she says as she hands me two pills with a weary smile.

"Yes," I say as I take them and down them with my tea.

“Now, let's get you settled; you look like rest should be your best friend," she says as she stands and starts up the steps.

I move quickly to catch up to her as she makes her way to the second floor. "Over there in the room, and this door leads to a bathroom. If you get hungry or thirsty, the kitchen is downstairs; it’s easy to find. My room is the far door down the hall if you need anything else. Just give her a knock, and I'll help you, she says with a smile.

"Thank you again,” I say as I enter the room she showed me.

In the room is a twin bed with a small dresser to the right with a mirror hanging above it in the shape of an oval. There are a few pictures on the mirror of my best friend, Hannah. She's with her aunt and her brother in several of them. I walk over to the dresser and open the first drawer. There are the usual socks, underwear, and bras. I shut it and move to the next drawer. Bingo, I pull out a pink set of pajamas, sliding them on.  I climb into bed, pulling the covers up drifting off to sleep in a matter of minutes.

I'm running, and it’s cold and wet. I don't see where I'm running to or from. I look around in the darkness and see nothing but the rain falling from the sky. The streetlights light each drop, and my feet splash the puddles that are forming on the ground. My heart is thumping, and I feel like I'm about ready to come out of my skin. Then out of nowhere, a pair of hands grab me. My own screams wake me up. I'm sitting up, and the sweat is running down my face. My hands are clammy, and the covers are a mess from where I was tossing and turning. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Marie is standing there in her robe with a gun. When she takes in the scene, she puts it against the wall in the hallway and comes into the room.

“Bad dreams," she asks.

"Yes, I'm sorry I woke you up; it was so real. I was living it all over again, the running away part," I say as I try to slow my heart down.

"I'm sure you will have many more of these. At least I will be more prepared for screams in the middle of the night," she says as she smiles at me. “Try to get some sleep," she says as she gets up from the bed and heads over to the door. She looks back one more time and then shuts the door.

I lay back on my pillow and stare up at the ceiling. Now what, I keep thinking to myself. I'm far away from him and still feel like he's going to come busting in and take me away. To do whatever evil that has come over him. I put my arm over my eyes and begin to cry. I cry silently to try not to wake Marie up. I don't like for anyone to see me cry. Tears run down my cheek, making my pillow wet. I'm so exhausted, I want to sleep, but there is the fear of slipping into another nightmare. I give in and close my eyes once again.

For the next few days, things were a blur. I stayed exhausted as the nightmares came every time I fell asleep. I woke up in a panic, either from the nightmares or from the fear of him finding me. On the third day, I wake up, and it's daylight outside. I go to set up, making my body protest with every move I make. I’m so sore that every inch of me screams with pain. I slip out of bed, head over, and pull out a pair of jeans and a pink top. When I dress, I can see Hannah in this, and it's totally her for sure. My face looks much worse than yesterday. The bruises are turning different colors. I see yellows, black and purple, and I'm not sure; I think I see brown. This is going to take a few weeks to fix.

I touch my swollen cheek and wonder if my face will ever look the way it once did. I lean down and grab the backpack and dump the contents out. Hannah packed a cell phone, some makeup, a little cash, first aid supplies, a hair brush, and hair ties. Gees the girl was prepared for a makeover. I grab the makeup first. I dab on the foundation, only to realize I had to drown my poor face even to make any changes. I put on some blush, which helps some, but I still look like a mess. I brush out my hair, put the contents back in the backpack, and set it beside the dresser.

I head down to find Marie sitting at the kitchen table, sipping some coffee. She has breakfast sitting on the table, and the smell is heavenly. I can't believe how hungry I am. I take a plate and load it up with pancakes and bacon. I dig in, and it tastes so good. She grins at me as she takes another sip of her coffee. "I'm glad to see that you have an appetite and that I'm hoping that my cooking is good," she says. I take another bite as I nod with appreciation.

"I'm going to be heading out to town and wondered if you needed anything while I'm out," Marie asks me.

“I'm not sure if I need anything; this is perfect," I say.

"Ok, I will be gone for a few hours. Stay inside, and don't answer the door. I have a house key so that I can let myself in.  Make yourself at home," she says as she stands and takes the keys off the table with her purse.

I finish eating and decide to clean the kitchen up. It's the least I could do to repay her for her kindness. After washing the dishes, I head upstairs to find my best friend’s phone. I find it in the backpack sitting next to the dresser. I dial her up and wait for her to answer.

"Hey," she answers.

"It's me," I say.

"Hey, how are things there," she asks.

"It’s great. Your aunt is great. She's been kind to me. So, what’s going on there," I ask.

"Your uncle came by again asking for you, and it looks like he took a beating himself. They are treating it as a runaway case. They have a few search parties looking for you. I think they are still watching my house. I can see them parked down the street, and mom hasn't even taken notice. I guess they underestimate us, teens," she chuckles.

"Yes, indeed. How did Daniel take the news?” I ask.

“He was upset, as you can imagine. He’s been pouting and staying to himself. I can’t blame him. He will get over it like we all do when we go through a breakup. Don’t stress about it; take care of yourself, Hannah tells me. 

“I hate this. I hate everything about this whole situation. Try to help him through this,” I say.

"Keep in touch with me as often as possible. I think that we should keep our chats short just in case they are tracing the calls," she says.

"Oh, I didn't think about that. OK, I will talk to you soon," I reply.

"Yes, soon," she replies and then hangs up.  I put the phone back in the backpack and head downstairs. If I was going to be here for a while, I figured I would get to know the place a little.