My Escape

I never wanted for this to happen. We all make choices in our lives that change us. For better or worse. And this was just another choice.

A choice that now saw a man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

                                                                                                ~

I welcomed the familiar burn when I lowered my useless limbs into the water. I laid there in the scalding water scrubbing my skin raw but no matter how hard or long I scrub I couldn't escape the truth. I was unclean. I was dirty. Inside and out. He made me this way. He did this to me. I was tainted. I could feel the last remains of my innocence escaping my body. Disappearing forever. And now all that remained was an empty shell of a broken girl.

I needed to escape the truth of what had just happened. I was now tarnished and I needed an escape. And my escape was within arm's reach. Glittering in the pale light. Two straight lines down and I'd be free. Free of this nightmare.

My arms floated on the surface of the water. My life force was draining from my body and disappearing into the crystal clear water. My eyes drifted closed as the energy left my body. I finally had my freedom.

I would later discover my freedom was short lived when I awoke to see a bright light all around me and a haunting figure standing in the shadows. My nightmare had crept back into my life like a poisonous fog and the only light I had left was extinguished.

                                                                                                ~

In the weeks that passed there was a tension in the air. My every waking moment was filled with terror and dread. I was plagued with nightmares of a monster that hurt me and I knew it wouldn't be long before it hurt me again.

Later that night I awoke. The moonlight was pouring through my curtains and illuminating my room. I could feel my heart stop and my body froze as I saw a silhouette standing at the end of my bed. My nightmare had come true. My monster had come back.

The room was silent, the only sound that could be heard was heavy breathing. I laid there, a still statue, too scared to even move. I could smell the liquor on his breath and I knew this was the end. I knew there was no escaping the cold hard reality. He was going to hurt me and I wouldn't be able to stop him.

My breathing was shaky and my heart was trying to escape my chest. The anticipation of what was about to happen filled me with dread and in that moment I knew even if it killed me I wouldn't be hurt again.

I jumped from the bed and raced out of my room and down the corridor. I reached the back door and pulled on the handle. The door wouldn't budge as I yanked on it in a useless attempt to open it.

I raced into the kitchen and ran to the counter.

What happened next I only remember in flashes. I remember the feeling of his hands grabbing me and shoving me against the counter. I remember the feeling of his breath against my neck as I tried to escape his hold. I remember the feeling of him hitting me causing me to fall to the floor. I remember landing on the broken glass and the coldness of the dishes he had caused to fall off the bench in the struggle. I reached for anything that would help me to defend myself and then it happened...

It all happened so quickly. The knife left my hand and then he was on the floor. His body lay there lifeless as the blood poured from his body and created a pool of scarlet liquid.

As I stood above his body and looked at his shocked expression, the only thought I had was he couldn't hurt me again. The man I had called father would never hurt me again.

I finally had my escape.