THE ESCAPE: TAYLOR X DAUGHTER

[ EIGHT ]

"mama!" i screamed..

hazels pov ౨ৎ

my eyes flew open, "mama!" i gasped, grabbing my bunny tight and holding it to my chest, i look over at mama. "daddy, he... he got me," i cried, my voice shaking. "he was... he was taking me away."

mama wrapped me in her arms, rocking me back and forth. "shhh, it's okay," she whispered, i couldn't catch my breath. everything felt too close, like i was trapped.

i squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make it all stop, but it didn't work. my whole body was shaking, and i felt sick. i peeked over mama's shoulder, my eyes darting to the door. and that's when i saw him.

my heart almost stopped. he was there, standing in the dark, his eyes staring right at me. i flinched, my whole body jerking. "no, no, no!" i cried, hiding my face in mama's chest. my chest felt like it was going to burst. i couldn't breathe.

"hazel, breathe, baby," mama said, rubbing my back, but i couldn't. it felt like something was sitting on my chest. "he's not there!" she kept saying, but i couldn't believe her.

i looked at the door again, my eyes wide. he was still there. i cried even harder, clutching my bunny until my fingers hurt. "make it stop, mama!" i gasped, trying to breathe in air, but it was too hard. "he's... he's there! he's gonna take me!"

mama held me tighter, rocking me back and forth. "you're safe, hazel. i've got you," she said, her voice shaky. "he's not here. i promise, he can't get you."

but i couldn't stop. my heart was racing, my hands were sweaty. i squeezed mama and bunny, my whole body shaking so bad, i wanted to scream, but all that came out were loud cries.

mama kept rubbing my back, her hand moving in circles. "breathe with me, hazel," she whispered. "in and out, okay?" she took a deep breath, trying to get me to follow. "you're safe. i'm right here."

i tried to listen to mama, tried to breathe with her like she said. my heart still hurt, but i focused on her voice, the bad feeling started to slip away. i kept my eyes shut tight, too scared to look at the door again.

"that's it, hazel," mama whispered, rubbing my back in slow circles. "just keep breathing with me. you're safe."

my heart wasn't hurting as much now. my breaths were still shaky, but they didn't hurt as much. i held onto bunny and mama, as tight as i could.

mama looked down at me, her eyes still worried but softer now. "you okay?" she asked, brushing some hair out of my face.

i nodded, even though my heart still hurt a little. "yeah," i whispered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. i didn't want to look at the door, so i kept my eyes on mama.

she kissed the top of my head and rocked me one more time before taking a deep breath. "how about we have an early start to the day?" she said, trying to sound cheerful. "i'll order us some breakfast, okay? anything you want."

i sniffled and nodded again. "pancakes?" i asked, my voice small.

mama smiled. "pancakes it is," she said, reaching for her phone. she kept one arm around me while she ordered, like she didn't want to let go.

the sun was shining into the room, making everything look brighter and less scary. i still held onto bunny, feeling a little shaky, but knowing mama was right there made it easier to breathe.

"we'll make today a good day, okay?" she said, giving me a little squeeze. "pancakes, tv, whatever you want."

i nodded, resting my head on her shoulder. the scary feeling was still there, but it wasn't as big as before.