Seeking Safety Read Free Page B

emergency brake and push in the
clutch allowing the car to roll backwards down the slight incline.
I turn the wheel so the car is facing toward the dirt track leading
to the main road then allow it to coast toward the road a good
distance. Once we are far enough away from the compound, I turn the
key in the ignition and breathe a sigh of relief when it
starts.
    After we are headed down the dirt track
leading away from the compound I turn on the headlights. When we
reach the paved road I drive as fast as I can away from the
compound. I whisper a quick prayer of thanks to my Dad for having
taught me to drive when I was barely fourteen. I am definitely
rusty, but I remember enough to get by. I certainly haven't had a
chance to learn anything since I ran away from home ten years
ago.
    Driving south I try to stay on less traveled
roads. I'm not sure where we're going, I don't even have a plan. I
didn't have enough time to make a plan. I didn't make the decision
to leave until Darren turned on Eric. Then I knew I had no other
option.
    I also know I have to get as far away as
possible before the sun comes up and the men at the compound
realize we are gone. My ribs are aching where Darren punched and
kicked me making it hard to breathe but I can't think about that
now. I have to get Eric safely away.
    It broke my heart listening to Eric scream in
fear and pain but I couldn't make Darren stop hitting him. I begged
Darren but he just kept hitting Eric and hitting him with the belt
across his back. Then he had choked me until I almost lost
consciousness. In fact, I pretended to lose consciousness to get
him to stop choking me. When Darren finally passed out on the bed I
knew we had to leave. I have to get Eric to some place where he
will be safe. I can no longer protect him any other way.
    Just before dawn I pull into a truck stop and
buy gas for the car. I have bruises on my face and neck that I try
to cover with a scarf and the hood on my coat. While inside I pick
up a map and grab two sodas. When Eric and I drive a few miles
further down the road I pull over into a roadside park and study
the map. I want to try to decide on a route. Eric is lying quietly
in the back seat and I hope he is sleeping.
    After I pick my route I start out again, this
time I head east. I am very tired but I can't stop yet. I need to
put more miles between us and the compound. Around noon the next
day I am so tired I can't go any further without some rest. I see a
small private lake on the map several miles away and I go that
direction in hopes of finding somewhere I can rest for a little
while. I pull deep into the woods far enough from the road the car
can't be seen then I stop the car and sleep.
    When I wake up it is getting dark so I start
driving south again. Even though I slept for several hours I still
don't feel well. I am still groggy from lack of sleep and my ribs
are aching. I am finding it harder and harder to breathe and I am
so cold my teeth are chattering. The heater in the car doesn't seem
to be working. Bless Eric's heart, he is being so quiet. I know he
is hurting and scared to death. I need to try to get him to talk to
me, to help me stay alert.
    ******
    Eric's back is hurting so bad. He doesn't
want to say anything to his Mom because she is trying really hard
to get them away from the compound and his Dad to somewhere they
will be safe but he is going to have to tell her. He can't stand
the pain any longer.
    "Mom, my back hurts real bad where Dad hit
me. Can you do anything to make it stop? I can't stand it anymore,"
he says with tears streaming down his face.
    I am surprised at how congested Eric sounds,
but then I remember that Darren broke his nose when he hit him. Damn Darren Calloway! "Oh Eric I'm
so sorry. Why didn't you say something sooner? I will stop and get
you some ibuprofen as soon as we get to the next town. I
promise."
    I pull into the all night convenience store.
I run in and purchase antibiotic cream, sodas, and ibuprofen.