You're Insane

I feel as though I can barely move. My whole body is sore. I slowly throw the blanket off of me, and look at the damage done. Welts and bruises everywhere. I need to get out of this situation.

I stand up fast, despite the pain, and grab a bunch of my clothes and personal belongings, and throw them into a bag. I pick up a pen and paper, and write my goodbye;

Zach, I can't go on like this anymore. I can't keep letting you do this to me. I won't keep letting you do this to me. Don't try to find me, I guarantee you won't. Goodbye.

I call for a cab to take me to the airport. I leave my cell phone behind, after deleting all the contacts and text messages, and break the sim card in half. I'm saying goodbye to this old life, and starting a new.

I first stop at the bank, empty my account, and cancel all of my credit cards. I will leave no trace as to where I'm going.

Once at the airport, I get tickets for the next flight to LAX. I'm leaving my life in Chicago behind, for something better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once in LA, I went to the nearest Verizon wireless store, and set up a new phone plan and bill. I'm finally on that iPhone 'swag' as everyone in Chicago called it. I then took another cab to my brothers house.

Before getting out of the cab, I looked in my pocket sized mirror, and looked at the bruise on my left cheek bone, and my busted up lip. I sighed. My brother won't be happy about this.

As I walked up to the house, my anxiety hit. I shakingly knocked on the door ever so lightly, and then a bit harder when no one came to the door. This time someone came. My brothers best friend, and band mate in Escape The Fate, Craig. He looked at me, and smiled for a second, and then concern washed over his face.

"Oh my god, Katie. What happened?" he asked. I put a finger to his lips, and shushed him.

"Where's my brother?" I whispered to him.

"Not home right now. Come in." he said. I ran upstairs to the bathroom, and pulled cover up and concealer out of my purse. Craig followed me, and stared at me in astonishment as I put make up on to cover the bruises. I can blame the busted lip on falling and biting it or something.

"Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened to you?" He pressed. I let out a long deep sigh.

"Zach happened to me." I said after a moment of silence.

"W-what? He hit you?!" Craig asked, getting loud. I shushed him again."

"Okay, Craig, keep this between us, please. I don't want my brother finding out. I'm here now and I'm safe okay? This doesn't have to be known to anyone else."

"You have to contact the police. This isn't right."

"I'm not going back there! If I contact the police, I'll have to go to court there and it's going to be this long dreadful thing. It can be over now. Let it end please!"

He let out a long deep sigh.

"If he finds out that I knew and didn't tell him or do something about it, he'll kill me." He finally said.

"He won't find out." I shouted, ending the conversation.

"Where else?" he asked. I looked down.

"This is gonna be awkward." I said. "Show me to the guest room and I'll show you." He nodded, and walked out of the bathroom, and showed me the room I'll be staying in down the hall. I put all my clothes into a little drawer, and closed the door, before taking off my hoodie, revealing my arms and stomach. Craig gasped, but he hasn't seen the worst of it. I pulled off my pants, and showed him my legs.

"Oh my God", was all Craig had to say. His eyes were so wide. I put my clothes back on, and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Craig, it started out with him back handing me about a year ago, and he promised to never do it again, but it only ever got worse. This is the worst it's ever been, and I ran." I said, tears welling in my eyes.

"He did that all to you with his bear hands?"

"His hands, a belt, throwing shit at me. He tried choking me out last night but I kneed him where it hurts, and that's when he took the belt to me."

"Why didn't you leave sooner?" he asked, wiping tears from my eyes.

"I was afraid he'd find me. But after last night, I was afraid for my life."

Then we heard the front door open and slam close downstairs. Craig and I both jumped up, and walked down stairs. I walked more slowly than Craig because of the pain all over my body.

"Max! Just the person I wanted to see, well actually, not me, someone else wanted to see." Craig said as he got to the bottom of the steps, while I was still making my way to the top of the steps.

"What?" Max asked, confused. I smiled to myself, and slowly walked down the steps. Once I was able to see my brothers face, and he was able to see mine, his whole face lit up, and he ran past Craig and up the steps, picked me up, spun around and carried me down while holding me tightly. I groaned in pain. He put me down immediately, and looked at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I looked down, avoiding eye contact, knowing that the cover up didn't do the bruise much justice.

He lifted my face up with a finger by my chin and looked at me.

"Hi Max." I faked a smile.

"What happened to your cheek? And your lip?" He asked.

"I got into it with some girl last night."

"Craig, go get some ice for her cheek." Max demanded.

"It's fine. I'll be alright." I said quietly.

"You sure?" He asked, to which I nodded slowly.  "Alright.. What brings you to these parts?"

"I don't know. I wanted change I guess, and to be somewhere where people actually care about me."

"Well, you've come to the right place. With family is the best place for that."

"Yeah.." I said, my mind trailing off to Zack, wondering if he's home yet, if he's read the letter.

I suddenly feel guilty for leaving.