I muffled my scream into the arm of my tattered old black hoodie as I clung for my life to the windowsill of my bedroom on the second story of my house. There was no moon tonight. I could barely see the side of the house right at the tip of my nose, the groves of the siding not being seen but felt under the scraping of my fingertips and my kicking feet as I fought for a better hold. My long dark blonde hair whipped into my face and stuck there, ruining my sight even more. One hand clutching the windowsill of the open window, the other fighting its way to the other, I knew I shouldn’t have picked tonight to do this.

With all the strength left in my body I brought my right hand back down, tightened the muscles in my left, griped tighter with my finger tips, and swung my body, reaching my right hand up and up until I finally felt the tips of my fingers on the sill of the window. If only siding on houses were designed so they pointed upwards, then I might have gotten a better footing on the side of the house. Instead, my feet slipped, my arms gave out, and I fell with a thud into the bushes below.

I just laid there a second, glaring up at the branch of the tree that I was supposed to have jumped onto during my escape. Then realizing my crash might have woke one of my parents up, I leapt to my feet and grabbed the backpack off the ground that must have fallen off during my brief fall to the ground. I slid my arms through the straps and ran off to the end of the gravel driveway where my dark green car awaited me.

I threw open the back seat door and tossed my backpack full of supplies onto the black leather seat, then quietly latched the door so that there was no sound. Opening the driver door, I leaned into the front seat to put the car into reverse then grabbed the steering wheel in one hand and the frame of the car in the other. Though it wasn’t easy, I managed to push the car out of the drive way and onto the street. I reached back into the car and put it in drive so I could push it farther on down the street before I started the car. In the corner of my eye I could see one of the lights in the upstairs of the house roar to life. I dug my tennis shoe clad feet into the pavement of the street, and started moving more frantically, desperate to make my escape unnoticed.

Finally, I got out of sight of the house and jumped into the car, reaching into my right pocket to grab the keys. My hand touched only cloth. Laughing at myself for my stupidity, I realized that they’re obviously in my other pocket. So I reached into my left pocket expecting to find my keys. I didn’t.


No way was I going back into that house now. I had finally got to a point where I could escape. If I went back in they would surely catch me and make sure I could never escape again. Or worse. Send me off to somewhere far away where they had high security systems.

I reached into the back seat to where my backpack lay on the seat. I drug it to the front seat and started digging through it frantically, looking for the keys I thought I had with me when I’d left the window to my bedroom. I groaned when I realized that they probably fell out of my pocket when I hit the bushes. I knew I wouldn’t get very far without my keys. There was no way I could walk a thousand miles, it would take too long. The only option was to go back and get the keys from the bushes.

I got out of the car and ran stealthily down the street back into the direction of the house, every cell in my body screaming that this is the wrong direction and that I should turn around and run very far away as fast as I could. Still, I knew that was no longer an option. I crossed through the sidewalk and to the side of the neighbors’ house, hiding in the shadows, watching, and waiting. Trying to see through the curtains of the lit up window on the second story, the window right next to the one I had climbed out. Almost directly above the bushes I had fallen into.

A silhouette of a man fell across the window, its figure poised as if listening really closely for something. My breathing was so loud, the rasp of my breath sounding like the whooshing of a mighty ocean. Surely he could hear me, surely that’s what he’s listening for. I grew anxious knowing that if he opened up the curtains and looked out he would notice that my car was gone. I tried to hold my breath. Seconds that felt like hours ticked by as I hunkered there, tensed in the shadows of the neighbor’s house. If he looked out would I sprint over there and grab my keys? What if the keys weren’t there? I wasn’t even positive I had them when I left the house.

The silhouette seemed to turn slightly to something behind him, his head moving like he was talking to someone. His arm started reaching for the curtain, and I made my decision. I sprinted toward the bushes, the one hundred feet feeling like the thousand miles I’d hopefully be making soon. I prayed earnestly that the keys would just be lying on the ground next to the bushes. As I got closer, I could see a glint of something in the bushes. I glanced up at the window, the hand was now pulling back at the curtains, the light from the window spilling out over the ground next to me making a twin silhouette.

When I reached the bushes, I looked up and could see the face of my father glaring down upon me. Suddenly, he disappeared from the window, and from inside I could hear a thud thudding as he clomped down the stairs. My eyes darted around frantically until I finally saw my keys dangling from the bushes by the lanyard. I grabbed them and hurriedly started working them free of the branches, my hands shaking so bad that I almost dropped them when I finally got them free.
My head whipped around to my right as the back door flew open on the other side of the house. I froze suddenly as the terror of my situation seized me. I could hear the thuds of his feet hitting the ground, getting louder and louder as he got closer. Then he rounded the corner, and I could see the glint of metal in his arms.
Surely not! I thought, my heart pumping. Surely he wouldn’t be that crazy as to go this far! But as the moon reflected into his eyes, I could see the murderous anger flashing there, making him insane, obsessed with keeping me captive.

I had two choices, either run and maybe die, or stay and most likely die of what he’d do if he caught me. I spun around in the direction of where my car was parked down the street and took off scrambling. I could hear him as he thudded behind me, his breath rasping in and out, getting closer to me.
“You’re not getting away Samantha…” He growled behind me. “Just give up, and maybe I won’t kill you.”
I stumbled as I tried to run faster. I knew he was just toying with me, I knew that he could catch me in a heartbeat. He enjoyed the thrill of the chase and watching me run. I could hear the ch-chuch as he cocked the rifle.
Tears were burning at the back of my eyes, blurring up my vision and making it harder to see my car as I drew closer. I could see the dark outline of my freedom just feet away, but I knew it would never be mine. Not with him so close behind me. It wouldn’t matter if I somehow managed to get into the car, he could just blow my head off from the street. I didn’t want to die.
I could see his face in my mind, not the murder crazed lunatic behind me, but my hope and strength to escape the prison that has been mine for 17 years. His features were seared into my vision. I couldn’t fail. I had to get to him. All these thoughts flashed through my mind in a flurry of anguish and desperation.
I glanced behind me, and saw his blazing crazed eyes. He was no longer my father. No longer was he the figure behind me on the swings pushing me higher and higher. He was now the force holding me back, never to push me higher into the world again. The alcohol had done that; it had turned him into a vicious monster. My decision was made.
I reached into the waistband of my jeans and pulled out the knife I had hidden there, the glint of the moon reflecting back into my eyes. I pretended to trip and fell hard to the ground, hiding the knife underneath my body. I laid there and waited, I could hear the crunch of his foot steps as he walked up to me and bended down. My heart thudding, I knew I had to do it. It was the only way.
I rolled over, dragging my hand out of underneath me and thrusted it up into his ribs. His eyes registered pain first, and then shock. Then, relieved, as if he was finally free from the bonds of his addiction, as he looked me in the eyes and fell to the ground.