On The Run

April 5th

April 5th

Zoey's POV

"Dad! Today you're supposed to be free and devote yourself to your amazing daughter. Why are you working?"

He looked up at me and mouthed a sorry before returning back to his phone call. I sighed. It seemed that this Sunday was going to be 'dadless' like rest of the week.

I went to my room and sat down on the bed. My room was the definition of untidy. Clothes spread across the bed, books on the floor and desk, headphones hanging on the wardrobe door and what not. The only part of my room that seemed tidy was my collage wall. The north wall of my bedroom was covered in photographs I had taken. It all was arranged so that all the photos on the wall spelled 'Z'. All the night photographs were forming the 'Z' while photographs taken during daytime provided the backdrop. This was my piece of heaven. I smiled staring at dad and my picture in the exact middle of the wall.

"Zoo? Are you in?"

Dad's voice cam through the door followed by a knock. Yes, I also had one of those silly and embarrasssing nicknames. I wouldn't always disclose it externally, but I kinda adored it.

"Yeah dad, come on in."

The door opened revealing a gloomy dad. I scrunched up my face. This meant his sorry speech.
'Sorry zoo, work calls...sorry zoo, you know what I do, I'm bound...'

"It's okay dad. I get it, you don't have to apologize."

I give him a smile before he could say anything despite my deflated spirits. His face didn't change. He now looked at me with sadness. He entered my room and say down beside me without commenting on how dirty my room was. He was holding something in his hands.

"Zoo.. you'll leave the house tonight."

I looked at him quizzically, unsure of what I just heard.

"Leave?"

He nodded in affirmation. He handed me a big thick piece of black metallic box which looked like the hard drive of some computer.

"I don't have time to explain. Just promise me you will keep this safe."

Taking the drive from him I scrutinized it once before returning my attention back to him.

"What's going on dad? I'm scared." 

He looked very upset and hurried.

"Listen, you will understand everything soon. But first things first. Once you leave this house you're no longer Zoey. Get some other name, okay?"

I simply nodded, although my heart was hammering in my chest with fear.

"Outside you will find a black SUV. You can drive, so take that and get away from this place as fast as you can."

I gulped down his words. It all seemed surreal to me.

"Dad, are we in danger?"

I couldn't keep the question in amymore.

"Yes zoo. We may be in a caught in a small hitch."

I just stared at him blankly.

"Small enough that I have to run away."

He scrunched his face up as if caught with a lie. Reaching into his pocket he took out a piece of paper. He handed it to me.

"This will explain everything."