Her Escape

Chapter 2

Who the Hell is She

"Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing." – Emma Donoghue

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"You thought you could run away from me?" He laughed, taking deliberately slow steps towards me. With every step he took forward, I took another backwards until my back hit the wall. I began to feel the panic rise in my chest when he was mere inches away from me.

In an instant, his large hand was wrapped around my throat and he shouted, "You stupid bitch!" I squirmed under his grip, clawing at his hands. But it seemed the harder I struggled, the tighter his grip became.

"You'll never be able to escape me." He laughed sadistically as my vision blurred and I struggled to get enough oxygen to my brain.

"Alexandra," He tsked, using his free hand to run his fingertips along the frame of my face. Then, he brought his lips to my ear and whispered. "Or should I say Lexie?"

I woke up, gasping for breath. Looking around the dark room, it took me a couple of seconds to remember where I was. As I felt around the air mattress for my phone, I found it tucked underneath the sheets.

It was only 5:34 AM, and I didn't need to be at work until 9 AM. However, there was no point in even trying to go back to sleep – I knew that the moment I closed my eyes, his face was all I could see.

I reluctantly rolled out of bed and went straight for the bathroom. After taking a shower and brushing my teeth, I turned on the kitchen light and hopped onto the small counter space next to the sink while I waited for the water to boil.

I haven't actually gotten around to buying any furniture. That, and the money I had was quickly running out. I stopped by Target the other day to pick up a couple of things I knew I needed, but other than that, everything else was a luxury I couldn't afford at the moment.

I moved into my new apartment three days ago and it was... cozy. It was definitely a lot smaller than what it looked like in the pictures online, but beggars can't be choosers. Or so that's what I kept repeating in my head to make myself feel better.

The apartment was a single space with a small kitchen, bathroom and two closets. The building itself was ancient, and I could hear everything my neighbors were saying through the thin walls. Not to mention, everything inside the apartment was at least fifty years old. The kitchen cabinets were a light brown, old and greasy. The tiles in both the bathroom and kitchen had to have been put in around the same time because they don't even make them like that anymore. However, the place itself was fairly clean and I could see myself making it work for a while.

Not to mention, I got extremely lucky with the landlord.

He was only too eager to accept my offer to pay cash for the first three month's rent, and while he was an older guy that definitely gave off a shady vibe, it was nothing I was too concerned about. After he handed me the keys, no questions asked, he said he's be back in three months to collect the next month's rent.

Jumping down from the counter, I reached above into the cabinet and grabbed a packet of strawberry pop tarts from the box. Tossing them in the toaster, I pushed down on the handle and began stirring a packet of instant coffee into my mug.

.............

At exactly 8 AM on the dot, I grabbed my backpack and and headed down the stairs and towards the bus stop. As I stepped foot onto the sidewalk, I looked around –  searching for the familiar dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that haunted my dreams. My heart hammered in my chest, and I took a deep breath to get it under control.