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“Get up, lazy bitch!” Margrave snarled. He kicked my legs hard as I groaned. I could barely open my eyes.
“She’s hurt,” Julie whispered. There was a loud slap, and a muted cry.
“You dare speak without permission?” Margrave snarled, and a second blow echoed.
“Leave Julie alone,” I hissed and shoved upright from where I lay on the floor. I wobbled back and forth, placing my hands on the ground to balance.
“What’s wrong with you?” Margrave sniped.
“You pistol-whipped me three times. I’ve a head injury, fuckin’ idiot. What do you think is the matter?” I replied weakly. Groaning, I leaned to the side and heaved once more.
“Jesus,” Margrave cursed. “Fetch a mop and bucket and clean this mess, Woman.”
Julie scurried away.
Mop and bucket. Right. I struggled to clear my thoughts with one goal in mind. Julie’s freedom. Julie shuffled back into theroom with cleaning equipment. Margrave reached out and ran a finger down her swollen cheek. My eyesight was blurry, but I could see the expression of deep satisfaction on his face. Julie remained still, something she’d learned a long time ago, no doubt.
I steadied myself, feeling as limp as I probably looked. I’d only get one chance at this. As Julie cleaned, Margrave watched like a hawk. My head sagged forward as dizziness and nausea washed over me again. A pounding headache smashed against my temples.
As Julie began to walk back past, I took the opportunity. The bucket was close, and I kicked it hard. It toppled out of Julie’s grasp and covered Margrave. He stood stunned as dirty water and puke splashed all over him. That was all I needed.
Quickly, I grabbed the broom from Julie’s hands and whacked it over his head. Margrave reeled backwards, and I swung again. I was off balance this time, and it smashed into Margrave’s jaw and the side of his face.
“Run!” I screamed at Julie and flailed a third time. I felt the mop connect, and Margrave went down. Julie was already gone when I staggered out of the room we’d been locked in. I fumbled my way down the hallway and into the living room. The door was open, and Julie hovered there, terrified.
“Run! Regardless of what happens, don’t stop,” I ordered, and she nodded as I hurried towards her. Julie’s eyes opened wide, and I didn’t turn around.
“Run!” I screamed, tearing my vocal cords. Julie took off like a scared rabbit.
“Bitch,” Margrave hissed.
I didn’t glance behind, but stumbled outside. We were in the woods, and I hoped to reach the trees before Margrave caught me. Maybe I had a chance there despite the concussion.
A bang made me jump, and I knew Margrave had fired at me. A second shot spun me around as the bullet lodged in my shoulder. Margrave stood wild-eyed in the doorway with a gun in his hands and a crazed smile on his face.
“Woman won’t get far. Your attack did nothing but gain her further chastisement. But you won’t be here to see it.” Margrave fired, and the bullet took me in my stomach. I collapsed with a cry.
“Die, painfully, bitch.” Margrave spat as he headed down towards me. “Woman, I’m coming. Come back, or the punishment will be awful!”
With that, Margrave left me to die in agony.
Julie
The nice lady, whom I didn’t know and couldn’t keep calling ‘lady,’ Angel would do as she was one, screamed to run. Like an arrow, I headed straight for the door and twisted the handle. No! It was locked. Holding back panic, I looked around wildly, and my eyes lit on Mr Margrave’s car keys. I grabbed them and shoved a key into the lock, and it swung open.
Although injured, Angel was giving me a chance. If I could get help, I might save us both. Torn between leaving Angel and running, I hesitated. Angel appeared, staggering but trying to run. She spotted me and screamed, ‘Run’ again.
Mr Margrave emerged behind Angel, and terror raced through me. She yelled, ‘run’ one last time, and I took off like a jackrabbit. I didn’t know which way to head or where I was, so I ran towards the lane, hoping it led to the road.
As I fled, I noted I had Mr Margrave’s car keys still in my hand. I jumped as gunshots echoed and Mr Margrave screamed my name. No, I wasn’t going back. If Mr Margrave caught me,he’d punish me badly. I threw the keys into the trees; at least he wouldn’t be able to force me to leave with him.
Panic scattered my thoughts as Mr Margrave kept shouting and making threats. Angel was silent; there’d been two screams, and now I was terrified she was dead. I heard footsteps behind me and knew Mr Margrave was chasing me. But out here, I was in charge. I’d jogged daily ever since I was around six, going out with my dad. We did at least two miles each morning, and while I was weaker and hadn’t jogged for months, my body understood what to do.
I stopped running in blind panic and dragged in some deep breaths. Mr Margrave wouldn’t catch me on foot. Blindly continuing to run like a headless chicken meant I’d wear out quicker, and that risked capture. I started jogging at a steady pace. I refused to speed up when I heard crashing in the trees. If I panicked, I’d be caught again; that was unacceptable.
As I ran, I prayed Angel had survived, but deep down I felt Mr Margrave had probably killed her. Before I realised it, I had hit the end of the long lane, and I faced a road. One direction led up and the other down. Down would be easier for me, even though Mr Margrave would guess the route I’d taken. But my stamina was fading, and I was tiring. Determined to seek help, I turned right, took the lower route, and cleared my thoughts. Tired I might be, but I knew how to pace myself.
