She's Gone

Gabbie's POV

Brushing past Brian's shoulder, I went to go get some water from the tap. "Hey," he called. "I'm going out today. I need to get some stuff from the store. Wanna come?" My eyes widened.

"You mean, like leave the house?" I asked in astonishment. He nodded with a small smile. I quickly accepted, not wanting to miss my opportunity. "Thank you," I mumbled, rushing by to go get ready. I pulled on some fresh clothes, hoping I'd mix in with the people in the area. I wasn't sure if I should have taken all of my piercings out, but he never told me to, so I left them in. I pulled on a beanie, scared to be noticed. I don't know why. It could have been my ticket out of here. I think I was scared of the repercussions. I think I was scared of violent Brian returning. He had a much more docile tone lately, and I wanted it to stay that way.

After a few more moments of anxious examination in the mirror, I returned to the living room. I was once excited to venture out, but now I was scared. What if something went wrong? What if I did something wrong? Would he get mad? Would he hurt me again? He seemed so harmless right now, but I knew of his past. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, noticing my uneasiness. I nodded, not wanting to be put in a vulnerable position. "Let's get going. Shall we?" he said, motioning for the door. I followed behind him and noticed the differences in our relationship from day one. I mean, he was entertaining to be around, but I don't want to live in constant fear.

This was the first time in a few weeks I had stepped foot outside. It felt freeing. He headed over to a car, and I slid into the passenger seat. Buckling up, my heart was pounding. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins as he pulled out of the driveway. "Ok, don't speak to anyone, even if they speak to you. We're taking a huge risk as is. Keep the beanie on, and wear sunglasses. You need to be as unrecognizable as possible. They've all definitely heard the story." He was right. The daily news had my face plastered on it for a few days after my disappearance. People kind of lost interest as time went on, but I knew people would still remember my face.

I stared out the window the entire way there, searching for any clues of where we were. I couldn't figure anything out. My eyes scanned the terrain as we zoomed past the scenery. It looked just like a normal town after about twenty minutes of driving. I guess we had to get out of our isolated area first. We drove for about thirty minutes before pulling into a grocery store parking lot. My hands felt clammy as I reached for the door handle. My fingers trembled slightly as I tried to pull the latch open. I missed a few times before eventually pushing it open.

My feet met the blacktop, and I slid off the seat, glancing around to see if anybody had noticed me. The chilly air bit at my nose, and the wind coming towards my face made it difficult to see. Brian walked around the car over to me. Nobody glanced twice. "Just stay by me," he whispered as we began to walk towards the store entrance. I felt his hand slip into mine, and our fingers entwined in each other. I gasped at the contact and inhaled sharply. I was scared to move. I didn't expect this, but I didn't want to make him angry by pulling away.

Terrified, I just stayed how we were, doing my best to pretend everything was natural. I also didn't want to attract the attention of other people. I tried my best to look like it was normal as a mask for the people around us. I never met eyes with him, scared of him being able to see through my facade. His skin against my skin sent chills down my spine, and my long sleeves masked the goosebumps on my arms. I tried to steady my breathing and focus on the freedom.

I still had to decide if I was going to exploit this opportunity. I didn't know when or how I could pull it off, but this could potentially be the day I escape. This could be the day I go home. My heart pained when thinking of home. It seemed like so long since I had seen my friends or family. I wasn't sure what day it was anymore. The sliding doors opened and a gust of warm air hit us from the inside of the store. He dropped my hand and walked over to grab a cart. He had a sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up, and I watched as he began walking back.