Freedom Ranch

Rebecca found me in a support group. As everyone was standing to leave, she pulled me aside and whispered, "Sara, I heard your story. What if I told you there's a safe place where Frank won't ever find you?"

That's how I ended up at Freedom Ranch in Montana. It's a remarkable place. No men are allowed.

Rebecca is great at playing on everyone's strenghths. I told her on the drive there that I'm good in the kitchen, so I've been cooking since I got here a month ago, which suits me fine.

Arla makes bead jewelry and Cindy sells it online. Faye is in charge of cleaning and organizing the pantry. Some tend a garden and care for the two milk cows. Selena leads the morning exercises and does all the physical labor, owing to her strength.

Rebecca runs the place like clockwork. Her daily mantra is, "Above all else, no violence!" We recite it every morning.

There are arguments from time to time, often between Selena and Cindy. I overheard Selena complain to Faye once, "Cindy just sits in front of her laptop all day while the rest of us do all the hard work."

Mostly though, we got along fine and learn some valuable skills.

Rebecca was making her bi-weekly Costco run to Billings, when a vehicle pulled up. We were finishing our exercises in the barn. Arla ran out to intercept whoever it was.

It wasn't long until we heard a raised voice.

A male voice.

We all came out of the barn together.

The man was yelling, "It doesn't matter. It's not..." He noticed the rest of us. "What the hell is this place?"

Selena shouted back, "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Henry Miller. I'm a real estate agent. I have a client interested in an adjacent lot, but as I was telling Cindy here, there are no records of these two buildings on this property. You can't just build something without reporting it. There are laws, codes, taxes, and..."

Selena slugged Henry hard across the face and then got him in a choke hold. He went unconscious.

Cindy shrieked, "What are you doing? You know how Rebecca feels about violence."

Selena started dragging Henry towards the barn. "He's gonna shut us down. We can't have that. Faye, grab that long rope and throw it over the rafter beam.

Faye complied.

Selena said, "Now help me tie up his hands."

The two of them tied Henry up and hoisted him by the wrists while the rest of us stood gawking.

Selena grabbed the metal pole we used to bat the dust off the rugs. She struck the ground under Henry. "This man shouldn't be here. This is our sanctuary from the likes of him."

Henry stirred and opened his eyes. "What the hell? You are all going to prison for this."

Selena asked, "Are you married, Henry?"

He grunted, "What's that got to do with anything?"

Selena hit his knee with the pole. "Answer the question."

"Ow! No, I'm not married, but I have a girlfriend."

"Ever hit her, Henry? Maybe just a little push?"

"No, never."

"I don't believe you. Men are all the same." Selena struck his body.

"You bitches are gonna rot in..."

She hit him across the face with the pole, making him go limp again. "This man is just like all of your husbands or boyfriends. He doesn't give a rat's ass, as long as he's the boss. Here, at Freedom Ranch, we are the bosses. Anyone else want to take out some aggression? Just pretend he's your ex."

Arlo, who had a particularly abusive husband was the first to go forward. After that, the others struck him one by one, getting more zealous as the mob mentality built.

I walked away, not wanting to witness murder.

Just as I exited the barn, Rebecca pulled up. She got out of her truck carrying a box. She looked from the unfamiliar Honda to me and noticed my expression. "What's going on, Sara?"

"S-Selena..." I was hyperventilating. "They're... they're k-killing him."

Rebecca dropped the box and ran to the barn.

I followed but stayed by the door.

It was clear even from my distance, that Henry was dead.

Rebecca practically screamed, "What the actual hell? I can't believe you all did this after all that preaching about non-violence. Selena, I'm kicking you out.

Selena looked like she was going to defend her actions, but one look from Rebecca squelched that thought.

Rebecca continued, "Gather your things and take this guy's car as far as you want and dump it. The rest of you are on probation."

Selena took off in a huff.

Everyone else's eyes were downcast.

That night, Rebecca and Arla took Henry's body in the back of her truck and dumped it in the wilderness, hoping predators would take care of the evidence.

The next morning, I asked Rebecca for a ride to Colstrip, the nearest town. I'd rather be found by my ex-husband than live where nightmares would haunt me. At least Frank was a known, and I had more self-confidence after the last month.

In three weeks, I had a job waitressing and a small apartment in Wyoming. I heard on the news that Selena had been caught driving recklessly with Henry's car. She ratted out Freedom Ranch, which didn't turn out well for her or anyone else. The ranch was shut down. Most of the ladies faced charges. No one mentioned my name.

If only he hadn't come.