Time passed in a blur. A rainy day turned into a quiet night. I was snuck out of the hospital in the dead of darkness, a ball cap pulled down low over my face. The few nurses that had been on duty bid me farewell. The doctor seemed the most displeased, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
I was mostly healing fine. I could take care of my own needs with few pain meds. He did request I take one last one for the ride to wherever I was going, which I did. I hoped I didn’t regret it, though. Too many times I had been forced to take a sleeping pill or some other drug, just to wake up in a different place with a different man looking over me. More often than not, my body would already be being used when I found my way back to the living.
I was put into the back of the car, the windows tinted a tad darker than the front. No one would ever be able to tell who I was, even though I highly doubted anyone was looking for me.
I was a nobody. Just another product to be tossed from one person to the next.
Words were spoken between three police officers. Two men, one woman. To my understanding, the two men would be following us from a distance in a nondescript truck while the female took me to a safe house.
I never would have pictured myself in a safe house. Hell, I never pictured my life becoming what it was.
Three and a half years. That was all it took to change how I viewed my own life. To see that my choices weren’t my own. To hit rock bottom.
Because ofhim.
“ETA is two hours. Hoping for less with the lack of traffic,” Officer Alexis stated as she turned in her seat to face me for a moment.
I gave a nod, letting my head lean against the back of the head rest. I didn’t have the energy to talk.
As Alexis faced the front, I peeked over at her. It was hard to see much as we were in a dark garage, but what I had been able to tell was that she was a little thing. And that was saying a lot from someone of my own size. Her dark hair was pulled into a low twist at the nape of her neck, yet she pulled off authority better than a few men I had the displeasure of knowing.
Feeling the pain meds fully kick in, I let my body relax. The vibrations of the car helped lure me to sleep.
Before I was ready, the side door was opened, letting warm, humid air swoosh around. Squinting as panic began to set in, I looked around me. When my eyes landed on the officer, an understanding smile on her face, my shoulders dropped.
“We’re here.” She took a step back, letting me get out on my own.
I must not be the firstsurvivorshe’d handled.
Slowly, with gritted teeth, I pushed myself out of the car. My legs were weak, my muscles aching.
You’re weak. Distrusting. Toughen up.
I shook the unspoken words from my mind. He wasn’t here anymore. He couldn’t tell me things I didn’t already know.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I followed Alexis up the sidewalk, then up a set of stairs that housed a small porch. Then, finally, into a house.
My eyes watered as the lights flickered on as someone went through the house and cleared every room. I stood just inside the door for a moment, taking it all in.
It wasn’t much, but it was a world of difference from what I’d known for years. This was heaven compared to where I had been just a month ago.
I wouldn’t dream of complaining.
Across from me was a simple living room with a TV, couch and chair. They looked well worn. I craved to crawl up on the chair and let everything fall away. Let the stress and worry fall, leaving it at the door. The windows were closed, the curtains shut tight to stop anyone from trying to peek in.
“All clear,” another officer spoke, his voice loud in the quiet place. I jerked, feeling my heart pounding wildly in my chest. “Sorry.” He swallowed. “Uh… make yourself at home. An officer will always be stationed outside, day and night. There are also a few retired officers in the area who will keep an eye on things around here.”
“Okay.” I dropped my eyes to the floor, blinking back the fear that was creeping in faster than I wanted.
“I left my card in the kitchen, which is stocked with enough food for a week or so. A neighbor will be doing your shopping, so make sure you keep a list handy of what you need.”
Could he go now?
I didn’t hear whatever he said as I stood near the door, arms wrapped around myself. I must have nodded when I was expected to do so, and soon enough, I was alone in a place I had never been.
All of a sudden, I wished I wasn’t. My breath was loud to my own ears.
My legs gave out right where I stood, my vision dancing as panic fully set in.
