Running

Chapter 1

Chapter One

         She rushed through the bus station, trying to look as normal and calm as possible. A small duffle was slung over her shoulder, and her bus ticket was clutched tightly between her fingers. It wasn’t until she was on the bus, and it was pulling away from the station that she finally began to relax. She watched out of the bus window until the lights of Alexandria, Virginia faded from her sight. Resting her head back against the seat and closing her eyes, she knew then that she had a chance at being safe, safe from the one person she never imagined she’d have to run from.

         She met him shortly after she decided to move away from home for a fresh start. He was extremely charming and handsome. They really hit it off the first time they met, and they ended up dating shortly after. She was sure he was her dream guy, her true love. He had it all, the looks, the personality, the charm, and the smarts. It was only a short matter of time before they fell in love. It was a whirlwind of a romance. Within six months of meeting for the first time, they were married. He promised to take her on the honeymoon of her dreams, a trip to Bora Bora, and he kept that promise. It wasn’t until after they returned home and moved into their new house in Alexandria that the hell began. She very quickly came to the realization that her dream husband wasn’t exactly what she thought he was. He was no longer the friend but the enemy. He was abusive in every sense of the word – physically, sexually, and emotionally. She’d left an abusive home and an abusive boyfriend in hopes of a better life, only to run into the arms of an abusive husband. She prayed to God every day that it would get better, but it never did. She slowly realized that this man would eventually kill her. It took her five years to work up enough courage to make a run for it. After much careful planning, she was now on a bus to a fresh start. Although she had a long ride ahead of her, she was so jittery that she couldn’t sleep. She stared into the starless, inky sky for most of the night. As the sun began to rise, she could see the skyline of New Orleans in the distance, the skyline that meant that there was still hope.