Alison

This was it. Tonight was the last straw. She couldn’t take it anymore. She was getting out.

She put her phone under her pillow, so only she could hear it. The alarm was set to 3:00 am. By then, they’d both be asleep, and if not, the woman could be begged not to talk, at least not until she was gone. If he was awake, she’d say it was a weird dream and she was getting a drink.

Luck would have her. Both of them were in bed. Quickly, she slipped out from under her blanket and changed clothes. Her sweat pants were replaced with a pair of jeans she stole from her brother. A flannel borrowed from her sister was pulled over her tank top. Her hiking boots went on footie-socked feet and last she pulled on her biggest hoodie, a plain dark blue pullover. She pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and, with the hood up and the baggy jeans, you’d have to look twice to see she was a girl.

She tucked her unused clothes under the blanket, making it look like she’d curled up with them over her head. Then, after one last check that no one had woken, she picked up her bag and started leaving.

She didn’t carry much with her. Her clothes could be recovered later, or even given away, she didn’t care. All she needed was in her messenger bag, which she brought after saying she wanted to protect her laptop, which wasn’t all a lie. It was in there, as well as her phone, her wallet, a notebook and her pens, and a knife. The one thing he’d left with her that she wanted to keep, a reminder to never be defenseless. And if she failed, she would probably need it.

She crept as quietly as she could to the back door, carefully avoiding the cats. The deadbolt was thrown, and she turned it as quickly as she could, the click of it being a thunder crack in the silence. She froze, hoping that the noise didn’t carry through the main floor. Thankfully, after a minute, all she heard was the kitten’s meow for his mother, so she opened the door and, as quietly as possible, shut it.

Once the door had clicked closed, she raced across the yard, through the gate and was down the alley within a minute. She looked down at her watch.

3:13 am.

She had two minutes.

She hightailed it to the east, running the block and a half to the train tracks and crossing just as she heard the horn coming from the south. If it was a long one, then she would gain an extra ten minutes to her escape. She prayed it was.

She paced herself as she went, running this bit and walking that. She followed the tracks to main street, then went east past the car wash and the library. She kept walking until she made it to the gas station. She went inside and bought herself a pack of gum and some chocolate. Then she went to the back of the store and pulled out her phone.

The number she dialed was one she had memorize and could probably type blindfolded. Calling it now meant she would not have to, if they were still awake.

It took a few rings, but it was picked up. “Hello?” the voice on the other side said.

“Ella?” she asked.

“Alison! What are you doing, calling at three in the morning?”

“Is Alice awake?”

“No, she’s in bed. Why?”

“Can- Can you pick me up?”

“Pick you up, I thought you- Oh.” Ella’s voice grew dark. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

She couldn’t bring herself to speak, if she did it would be a sob. Ella didn’t need any more incentive.

“Where are you?”

“I’m at the Shell station, but I’m gonna move down to the McDonald’s. I don’t know if they know I’m gone yet.”

“Get there, Alison. We’ll be down there as soon as we can.”

“Alright, thank you.” She hung up the phone and checked the time.

3:45 am

She left the station, walking east down the road. She stayed on the left side. The McDonald’s was on that side, and if they looked for her, they’d have to turn around to try and get her.

Thankfully, she made it up to the McDonald’s safely. She went in and ordered a things of fries and a Sprite, before sitting down at the table farthest from the door and windows. As she waited and ate, she took her notebook out and just started writing. Writing anything that came to mind. Anything that she knew would help her here.

She was checking the time again at 4:15 am when the doors opened for the first customers. She looked up and saw Ella and Alice in the doorway. She got up and ran to them, circling her arms around Alice and, for the first time in hours – or was it days – feeling truly safe.

Alice’s grip on her was tight, almost enough to hurt, but she didn’t care. There was so much love and caring put into the hug that she just started crying, and Alice held her harder, a hand running to smooth her hair.

“It’s okay, Alison, it’s okay,” Alice whispered. “He won’t get you. He’s never going to hurt you again.”

She nodded into Alice’s chest, her tears soaking the thin shirt. Gently, Alice led her back to her table and helped her pack her things. Ella went to the counter and ordered three to-go breakfasts, and by 4:30 am they were in the car and on their way to Ella and Alice’s house.

As every mile went by, she relaxed more and more. He didn’t know where Alice and Ella lived. They kept it a secret from him where they moved to, and so far her mother hadn’t spilled it. Every mile was one closer to freedom.

They got to the house. The dogs barked up a storm and once they were inside, they instantly jumped her, but she didn’t care. The dogs were a sign that she was truly away, he couldn’t stand ones that acted as unruly as Alice and Ella’s did.

When the pups had settled down, she sat on the couch between Alice and Ella. They didn’t say anything, but the hands gripping her own were enough to make her speak.

“It started like it usually did,” she said. “It followed the usual path. Then he went too far. He was so close, and I couldn’t stop him. I had to yell to make him stop. Then he acted so sympathetic and so sad.  He said we’d try again tonight. I- I was so scared. If I stayed, he wouldn’t have stopped, I had to get away!” She pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.

Alice and Ella wrapped her in their arms, holding her tightly and speaking softly. They told her it was okay, and reminded her that she was safe. Slowly, she believed them and she pulled them closer to her. Ella told her how if he ever came near her, she’d kill him, slowly, and make sure he felt all the pain she was feeling now.

When they’d all calmed from the emotional high, they started making a plan to talk to the police. They’d have to go back down there to tell them, but Alice and Ella promised that if he so much as even looked her way, he would be dead before he could touch her. When the last plan was made, they went back to bed, to catch a few more hours sleep before they went down.

As Alison lay down on the couch, so different from the one she started the night on, with the dogs settling around her like guardians, she checked the time on the clock.

5:00 am she marked as the time her freedom truly started.