He kicked me back down.
I needed to distract him.Where’s Alex? What the hell is taking him so long?
Then I heard a noise.
Jeremy froze. “What was that?”He knelt beside me and slapped mehard.“You little bitch,” he screamed. “Did you trick me? Did you tell them where you were?”
“I didn’t say anything to anyone,” I lied. “I swear.”
As per his message, Alex and the policemen would leave their cars behind. They would approach quietly, on foot, surround the area, and wait for the right moment.
Jeremy paced back and forth. He looked out the window and saw nothing.Then he walked briskly toward the door with his shotgun.
That was it. That was my moment.
I got up quietly. Just as he turned back, I planted a right hook into his chin.
He reeled backward, arms flailing.
The shotgun fell to the floor.
I landed several more solid punches on his face and stomach. Years of fear and rage poured out of me.
He fell to the ground. He collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
I kicked the shotgun away.I grabbed a log of firewood from the floor and brought it down on him hard.
He groaned.
I kicked him in the stomach. Then the groin.That ought to keep you down.
I pulled the blade from my shoe and ran to the girls. I cut Michelle free first, pulling the gag from her mouth.“Run,” I told her while freeing her sister. “Run as fast as you can. The police are outside. Don’t look back.”
Her eyes went wide. She screamed.
Jeremy somehow got to his feet and shoved me back to the floor.“No one’s going anywhere!” he roared.
The girls screamed and fell beside me.
He reached for the shotgun.
With all my strength, I got up and kicked him in the back of his knee.
His leg buckled. He fell again.
I grabbed the blade, wrapped one arm around his neck, and stabbed him repeatedly in the shoulder.
“RUN!” I screamed.
The children flung the door open and ran.
I saw Alex in the distance, officers running toward us.
Jeremy tried to break free, but I kicked him in between his shoulder blades. He grabbed me and pulled me down, the blade still in his shoulder. He hovered over me, choking me.“You fucking bitch. If I can’t get you,” he snarled, “no one can. I’ll take you down with me!”
Then voices exploded around us.“LET HER GO! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!”
Alex and the policemen burst into the room.
