Oscillation | [H.S]

Chapter 29

Life was getting serene. I never thought that I would say it in this situation, but it was the truth. Harry had left me alone for most of the time during the past two weeks. He was working more and more now that their gang was being threatened. A few days ago he came home with bruises on his face again. We both didn't mention it.

With the tension from the gang came a tense Harry. So, all I could do was be silent and do what he told me to do. I cleaned sometimes, cooked, sorted out his clothes, read some books and slept with him in a bed. Luckily, he didn't ask any sexual favours from me. He was too exhausted for that. Whenever he came home, sometimes at the latest hours of the night, he just pulled me into his arms. And I was smart enough to never complain.

However, the loneliness gave me time. Too much time. The thought of escaping shot through my head more and more often. Every time I looked out of the window, my eyes tried to find a way to escape. Every time I opened the fridge I thought about provisions for on the way. I knew what the sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer was.

And the plan for escaping was becoming more solid as time continued. I had found the perfect clothes that were all black, warm and easy to move in. There was a small backpack in the back of Harry's closet when I had cleaned it for him. At the left-side of the house, there was a piece of fence without barbed wire. Food was easy, as was taking a weapon.

All what was left was finding the courage to actually do it and waiting for Harry to go to sleep on time. I would wait until he started snoring. At that time, his sleep was the deepest. He never woke up when I would go to the toilet or when I turned and tossed as my nightmares were still present, just more silent.

But Harry didn't come home on time for another week, and I really needed it to be dark for long enough to escape. To make my way through the thick bushes and find a spot for hiding.

I even found time to make sure that the anklet wouldn't be a problem anymore. I had made the daring decision on a sunny day when I just really wanted to leave this place and enjoy the sun somewhere quiet. Without any second thought, I had ripped the door open and enjoyed the warm rays on my face. Harry had never come home, even though I was sure he would be alerted whenever I would go outside. He didn't even mention it.

So I did it again.

And another sixteen times for good measure.

Now that I was sure he wouldn't notice me opening the door, I would simply have to cut it off a when it was getting light again, so only then he would be alerted. If that was even the truth...

When the moon started to light up the sky this evening, I was sure this was it. It was casting enough light and the sky was all clear. Harry was home, too, wearing his sweatpants which meant he wouldn't go out anymore.

I had to hide my shaking hands all night. I had to kiss back like nothing was wrong when we were seated on the couch and when we got into bed too. I couldn't fidget too much from the nerves when he switched off the light at eleven 'o clock. I had to control my breathing, act like I was asleep.

The first snore was a relief. His arms had slackened their grip on me a while ago already, but now I was sure he was asleep. I had shuffled away from him bit by bit during the past hour. It was now almost one at night and I needed to move if I wanted to get anywhere.

When I moved over the mattress to the end of the bed I was happy with the scarce diet I had received here. Harry didn't always let me eat or I simply couldn't eat from the anxiety. The reduced weight made it easy to move over the bed without a sound or a wrong touch.

When my toe touched the cold ground, confidence seeped through me. I had to do this. Silent as a mouse I made my way to the room in the hallway I once slept in to layer the specific black clothes on my body. I retrieved the small, filled backpack from beneath the bed and took the shoes. First, I had to make it over the fence and be as silent as possible before I would be able to put them on. Into the backpack they went. Along with several cookies and many water bottles. The knife was in there as well.