The Escape

Krystal cringed at the sound of his heavy, drunken footsteps coming up the stairs. Shaking, sweating, her body filled with fear and anger-- she couldn’t take this anymore. She would not take this anymore. Snatching her go-backpack (saved for just this occasion), she slid out the window and quietly climbed down the trellis.

Running-- focused --in the night, she was faster than she knew she was capable. Thankful for the light of the full moon, she ran towards the old abandoned barn at the edge of their property. Wonder if there are any werewolves out tonight, she thought, laughing.

Sliding an old wooden plank to the side, she scrambled through the small hole. Sitting on a bale of hay, she took out her cell phone and called Ben. He answered with a groggy, “Hello?”

“It is time,” she said, “I’m at the old barn. I’m not going back.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She continued, “Bring our hiking and camping gear; let’s get outta here. Hurry.” She blurted out, “I love you.”

“I love you,” he said, but she had already hung up.

Waiting was hard. To distract herself, she focused on what she could see. A perfect looking web—she wondered if it belonged to Charlotte or one of her many children. High up in the rafters, she saw a sleeping Barn Owl. They seemed content here in the old barn. She wasn’t.

The plank squeaked as it slid open. Running to Ben with open arms, she slammed into him with a mighty hug. Dropping the gear to the ground he embraced her; a tender loving embrace. Their eyes connected. He gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, lightly giving a kiss on her forehead. She wished she could stay there in his arms forever. Her heart rate slowed as she felt his calm, his love. The fear and anger that had consumed her drifted away. All that existed was his body against hers. His arms around her. Peace.

“I think I brought everything,” he said.

“Well, let’s be off now,” she said, giving one last glance around the old barn, which had served as their special refuge. A quiet, private sanctuary. One where they could talk for hours, or lie watching the stars through the holes in the roof. So many precious memories; but the bad things in life were driving them away with a vengeance.

They picked up and put on their gear. Would they have enough to live self-sufficiently, she wondered. They would soon know.

They pushed aside the wooden panel and she saw Max lying obediently on the ground. He was half Black Lab and half Rottweiler; a perfect combination. Having him with them made her feel a lot safer.

“With this full moon, I can easily find our way up the mountain,” he said as he grabbed her hand. They ran until they were past her house—where they heard yelling and cussing --then settled down to a steady walk. A walk with purpose.

They were headed to a long abandoned hunter’s cabin. It was situated at the peak of the mountain, overlooking a lake with a river running through it.

They kept up a steady pace for hours before finally seeing the silhouette of the cabin.

Max started acting strange. He stopped walking and sniffed as he took in the air, first to the left, then to the right. Then his nose went to the ground. About ten feet in, he turned to the left side and started digging. Because the ground was full of sticks and leaves his progress was good.

Focused on where he was digging, they jumped when they saw a rotting human face. Max moved on to dig ten feet away. Again a face appeared. Krystal bent over retching, vomit splashing on her shoes. By then Max had moved on to a new place to dig, again revealing a face.

Ben called Max after the eighth face had been revealed. “Good boy,” he said, as he grabbed his head in a tender embrace.

Ben and Krystal’s eyes met, wide-eyed terror in both of them. “What should we do?” she asked, always depending on his wisdom and experience.

“Well, first let’s drop all this heavy gear in the cabin.” They moved forward, catching a glimpse of the pristine lake that would be a part of their new home; their new life together. Holding hands they approached the cabin. Suddenly, with a loud crash, the cabin door swung open.