Running [Discontinued]

Chapter One [New]

Harper's POV

"Come back here, you little bitch! I still have to punish you for what you did to your mother and I!" my father yells from the front door of my old house. I just continue running in the opposite direction of him though, completely disobeying him. I am never, ever, ever going back to that hellhole, and he can't make me.

Our house is in the woods, so I have to weave in and out of the trees while I run. It is extremely difficult, because as soon as I get out of the way of one tree, another one pops up right in front of my face and I have to dodge that one too. Damn, they really did make it hard for me to run away. Living in the woods was a very smart choice on their part, unlike almost everything else they do.

You see, I'm running because of my abusive parents. They are the "they" I was just telling you about. My father and mother were just about to collectively beat me like they do every morning, and today's beating was going to be even harder than normal. Why? I don't know. But they're upset because I made it out of the house in time, and now they can't beat me into oblivion like they obviously wanted to. Now both of them are absolutely furious with me, so I'm running away. I have been thinking about running away for years, but now, at age 17, I finally have the courage to actually do it.

As I run and weave through the trees, my backpack comes up and down on my back hitting it with a loud, "SMACK", every time it comes down. That sound reminds me of my father beating me and the slapping of skin as he raped me a couple months ago, and it is the only thing motivating me to keep running as fast and as far as I can.

"Just keep running," I say to myself after a long 45 minutes of just straight sprinting and weaving through the trees. Eventually the forest gets even thicker, which I didn't believe was even possible until now, and I get leaves and small branches constantly stuck in my hair. I continue to persevere though, and just keep running. I have to, if I want to survive.

I sure am going to miss my friends back in my very small town. It's so small it's not on most maps, and it has no name. Even though it is a small town, my family is the wealthiest family there and makes around $40,000 a year, which is more than anyone I know back home. My father and mother kept me locked up for the past 17 years of my life, beating and abusing me, and I only got to see my friends on the very rare occasion that I went to school.

My parents didn't really love me. I could sense it, which is another reason why I chose to run away. I don't know why they didn't love me, though. I mean, I am their only child. What kind of parent does that!? Hating and abusing their only offspring! Not a very smart choice, because what if they couldn't have any more kids! Then what!?

Actually, I hope they don't have any more kids. I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I went through with the two of them. I shiver just thinking about what that second child would have to go through. Would they be treated worse, or better than I was? I hope they will be treated better. I hope my parents learn their lesson from the experience of their only child running away from them and never coming back. Most importantly, I hope that I don't end up completely scarred for life after what they did to me.

My friends have told me stories about rape victims and victims of abuse that have been scarred for life and constantly have flashbacks of what happened to them, which prevents them from doing what normal people do because of those invisible scars planted deep into their brain called bad memories. I haven't gotten any flashbacks so far, but what if they happen in the future? What if I can't have sex because of the trauma of my father raping me and taking my virginity? What if I can't grow up and have a family because I'm afraid of treating my kids the same way my father and mother treated me, and even though I would NEVER treat my kids that way, it's still a possibility. I don't know what it's like to have actual good parents, and what if that means that I can't be a good parent? Ok, I need to stop thinking like this. Think positive, Harper, think positive.

Eventually, I reach a huge grassy field and stop for a bit, catching my breath. Every single muscle in my body is sore, and after an hour and a half of nonstop running, I can finally see the city skyline in the distance. It looks absolutely... beautiful. I just hope I can make it in that absolutely huge city. I've heard stories about it, and it seems like a very difficult place to live with all of the different things that go on there. Probably not as difficult as living with my parents, but difficult enough.

After spending some time catching my breath and drinking some of the water I had in one of my canteens, I brought 5, I continue running. I have to keep going. No more breaks, unless I want my parents to find me before I have the chance to reach the city. Now THAT would be an absolute disaster.

After about 50 minutes of running across the huge grassy field, I reach another forest, and I have to weave through that one too. In this one though, I have to jump over rushing streams and rivers, and trust me that water is going fast. On one of my jumps I almost don't make it, but I am able to regain my footing and continue to put one foot in front of the other. I pass a ton of animals like bunnies, squirrels, foxes, raccoons, and other small animals, before I finally reach the outskirts of the city, and I look up in awe. It's... beautiful. More than I ever imagined it to be. I just hope my aunt who lives here is willing to take me in and not completely reject me like my parents did.