Afraid - H.S - Under Heavy Editing

Ch.12

Ch. 12

Alyssa's POV

I watched him gather his things, getting ready to leave as I finished washing the dishes. Harry was dressed in skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. He pulled on a pair of black boots and slipped on a leather jacket that matched his boots.

"I'm going to a party," he announced as he finished tying his boots. "I should be back around... 2:30-ish."

I nodded.

"My mates will be around any minute now. You've got a window in your room. When you see the car leave, you're allowed to come out, got it?"

I nodded again.

"And, Alyssa," he said finally, coming so close to me that our noses were a centimeter away. "If you try to run, you better hope I don't find you." He stepped back, eyes not leaving mine. "And I always find you. Don't forget my rules." He said.

I broke eye contact.

Harry spoke like he knew I was going to leave. It made me second guess my plan.

His phone buzzed and he turned to walk away.

"They're here. Go upstairs." He said starting to leave.

I took two stairs at a time. I honestly just wanted to get out of here the moment he left. But I knew I had to wait until dark. But that wasn't far away. Only about two more hours.

I stood looking down at them  from my bedroom window, watching the car pull away. I tried to decide if I should run now or wait... I mean It wasn't so bad here, really. Harry fed me, and he didn't hurt me... well at least not like my mother did.

But I am treated like a pet. I have no freedom.

Before I could officially change my mind to stay, I grabbed for one of my duffel bags from the top shelf of the closet and ran my hands over the pockets. "I know I brought it," I muttered. "I know I did."

My hands ran over a lump in the bag and I opened the pocket as fast as I could manage.

Inside was a wad of money, I counted through it quickly and came up just short of five hundred dollars.

I rolled it back up and twisted a rubber band around it.

I shoved as much I could into one of the bags, setting my shoe box and feminine care at the top of the pile and leaving a little bit of extra space before changing into skinny jeans. I pulled on a short sleeve t-shirt and put a hoodie on over it, I slipped on my converse, and lastly my baseball cap.

An overwhelming feeling of paranoia took over me as I dug through the kitchen cabinets for non-parishables . I stuffed what I found (mostly consisting of chips, water, and cereal) into the duffel bag with everything else.. As I stepped up to the front door, I took slow, steady steps. I felt like a girl in horror movies about to go into the closet. I stood in front of the door for what felt like twenty minutes before placing my hand on the knob and twisting it.

"Don't do it, Alyssa! Don't go into the closet!" 

I guess I have something in common with those girls, because even though the voice in my head told me not to, I opened the door huge glass and iron door slowly. A low creek sounded through the house.

The first thing I felt when I came out onto the porch was fear. I couldn't help the feeling that there were invisible lasers that would set off an alarm if I walked through them.

There weren't.

I stepped off the porch and onto the walkway, fresh night air hitting me like a ton of bricks. Harry's words echoed in my mind. "If you try to run, you better hope I don't find you." I realized I'd forgotten to shut the door and turned, walking up the steps and pulling it shut. "I'll always find you."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and began walking again. I didn't see the slightest clue on how to get out of here. There were no other houses for miles it seemed. I was all alone. I walked for a good twenty minutes before I reached the gate. I tossed my bag over, hoping nothing was damaged from the fall. Then I climbed over myself. I kept walking and made a right where a road started.

It was a dirt road that went on for an hour, where I finally came to a sign that advertised a town.

LEAVENWORTH : 2 Miles

There has to be a place for me to stay there, at least until I found somewhere to go.

Another hour of walking later brought me to a small town. It was weird to see so many people around. It was weird to see the traffic jam just up the road. It had been a little over a week since I'd seen a lot of other people, all going about their lives. 

I walked through the dimly lit town at the same pace as everyone else, not wishing to draw any attention. My eyes searched for a head of messy brown curls, but when I didn't see any, I sighed in relief. So far so good.

About three blocks more of walking brought me to an old motel. The Creedence Inn.

There was a little old woman behind the counter. She reminded me a lot of Mrs. Johnson with her soft smile, blue eyes and wrinkled features.

"What can I help you with, Darlin'?" She said, southern drawl evident.

"Uh, yes, Ma'am. I just wanted to know how much it would cost for a night or two."

"Well, it depends."

"I-It's just me. I'm just, um, trying to get away for a little bit." I fidget with the tips of my fingers. 

"Oh," the woman purses her lips. "Is it an ex boyfriend?"

"You could say that..." I trail off.

She stared at me sympathetically for a second before grabbing a key from under the counter. "I'm giving you a discount," she states. "20 dollars a night."

"Thank you," I smile softly. "Thank you. That's great."

She nodded and asked for my information.

"I... I don't want him to find me," I said fearfully.

The woman smirked. "Well, I don't know your name yet."

She passed me a book and I thought for a moment and wrote down Vanessa Brooks.

"Here you go, Vanessa," the woman handed me a set of keys. "I'm Doris, by the way."

I paid for the night and headed to room 2B.

It was a room with two queen sized beds and an old television. A shower, a sink, and a toilet were squeezed into a small bathroom.

I hid about four hundred dollars in a plastic bag inside the toilet top, and kept the remains on hand, locking the doors and closing the curtains. I slipped off my clothes into an old sweater with a hole in it, and leggings and switched off the light.

I laid down, I cried myself to sleep. What am I going to do?