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milayah.
I have a strange feeling.
I feel like a mouse, blind and lured into a trap.
I stumble out of the dense forest, my heart beating with a feeling of unease I could not decipher. Twigs snap at the bottom of my sneakers and my mouth was dry from not having anything to eat for over 24 hours, but I persist. I had never been so grateful to see a road in my life.
The sound of the passing cars was a lifeline, giving me hope that I really could escape from this past day that has felt like a nightmare.
On the roadside stood a weathered phone booth, its glass planes filthy yet glimmering in the afternoon sun.
I stagger towards it, my movements stiff and cautious, as though expecting Hulk to leap out from under the trees.
He doesn't.
Yet, I don't dare to relax until I close the creaky door behind me.
Inside, I fumble inside my pockets for change with my hands violently trembling.
The phone was old fashioned, with rotary dials.
I dial the home number to my shared apartment with Nevaeh, my heart thudding in my chest.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.
"Hello?" Her voice was strained, worried.
"Nev?" My voice was barely a whisper, as though speaking too loud might shatter my newfound freedom.
There was a pause, then a sharp intake of a breath. "Oh my God, Mila? Where are you, it's been two days. Are you okay?"
Oh.
I nod, then I realise she can't see me. "Yes Nev, it's me."
"Where are you? Are you safe?" Her voice relaxes slightly.
"I don't know exactly... I ran... I got away, I think." Tears well up, I struggle to hold them back. I have to be strong; I'd been strong for so long. "I don't know what's happening, Nev, nothing makes sense."
There's a pause, a shift in the air and hesitation on her end.
"I'm coming to get you. Tell me where you are." She says, her voice urgent.
I glance outside, my eyes darting over roads and landmarks. "I'm on... Route 18. Near a forest. There's a sign for a gas station up ahead."
"We'll find you." She promised. "Don't run."
My heart races as I listen to my friend's voice through the cracking phone line. "Hey are you okay?" Nevaeh asks, sounding unusually tense.
