Autobiography of an abolitionist Part I

Something in the floor

I thought as I was walking, that I heard something moving around under the floor. I inquired the lady about it, and she told me it was just the rats shuffling around. I stayed in the woman's house for a week, and then something unexpected happened later that night. A wagon appeared by the house. It had the same symbol as the flag by the door.
This time I asked the woman one more time what was going on, and she made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone what she was about to tell me. Being the honest person that I am, I replied by saying that I wouldn't tell anyone. She led me to a carpet on the floor and told me to lift it up. I didn't know what was under there, but I did as I was told. Under the carpet was something I never expected to see...There was a little door with a small handle.
Next she told me to open the door and see not "what", but "who" was underneath the door. I lifted the latch and opened it and inside I saw beady eyes looking at me. People came crawling out like rats and they laid themselves in a row. The woman gave a signal for them to get up and go to the door. They quickly went out and got into the wagon. I realized that she harbored runaway slaves, because these people were black and looked beaten.
It finally made sense. She harboured slaves and helped them escape. She told me to go with them, and I thought she was speaking a different language. I was supposed to just leave now? I panicked and started to cry. She told me I had to get to the North because Mr. Abernathy's son was looking for me and she was going to pay with her life if I didn't leave that night. I didn't want her to die, so I got in the wagon with the slaves, and we were headed off. No sooner did we leave, I heard the scornful voices of the owner and his son. They were threatening the woman who helped me! They kept saying "We know you helped the slaves!" They were going to kill her! I couldn't let that happen, it wouldn't be fair to her! I jumped out of the wagon onto the rocky road, and cut my knee. I got up and ran as fast as I possibly could to the house, and I got there just in time to yell "Stop!". Mr. Abernathy was shocked to see me, and before I knew it his finger was on the trigger of his gun and he shot me. As I was laying there with a bullet hole in my leg, I heard the woman yell triumphantly "That's the girl I captured for you!" Mr. Abernathy and his son stared in disbelief at my limp body, and finally said "Well I guess you can be pardoned since you brought back my son's wife." It was an absolute outrage that I was still to be that feather brain's wife! But what could I do lying there helpless? The lady I knew to be kind and helpful, had turned her back on me. It was all so overwhelming, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I closed my eyes and drifted into an unconscious state.