None of that will stop me though. Despite all of it, I run faster than I ever have in my life.
When I dart into the forest, I feel a false sense of safety wash over me. I know that no one can see me from the house now that I’m covered by the trees. But that doesn’t mean I’m safe. I will probably never be safe again, but at least, I can be free.
Ten miles stand between me and a chance at freedom. Not an easy feat for an experienced runner, much less someone who hasn’t run in months. But I have something that no other runner has. I have the adrenaline and anger that has built up inside me every day since I was kidnapped propelling me forward. I have more determination and need to succeed than any professional runner. I won’t fail. I can’t.
I glance up at the sun overhead. It’s still early in the morning. I have all day to run before it gets dark. I just don’t know how long it will take Arlo or Matteo to realize I’m gone. Did they realize the second I took the bracelet off? Are they already on my tail? And, even if they realized I was gone, would them come after me? Or would they let me have my only chance at freedom?
I don’t know.
I don’t know if they are already trailing behind me.
I don’t know if they are still in bed.
I don’t know if they have let me go.
But, until I know otherwise, I’m going to assume they discovered I was gone only minutes after I left. So, I keep running, knowing that I will eventually make it to town. To someone with a cell phone. To someone who cares enough to protect me from these monsters.
I will get to see Heath again. I will get to see Eden again. I might even get a life again if I can just run fast enough.
I use them as a motivation, but as much as I run for them, I run mostly for me. I run to save myself. Not for any other person, just me.
Images of Heath, Eden, Matteo, Arlo, Gia, and Enrico pop into my head from time to time. But I don’t let any of them in. I just feel the power of my body, and I let that propel me forward.
I run and I run and I run.
I run until I start to see buildings in the distance and hear the faint sounds of cars. I’m close, so close. I don’t let my legs slow down as I run. Even though my body aches with pain and exhaustion, I won’t let myself stop now. Not until I’m on a plane back to America will I allow myself to slow down. Even when I get to town, I will have to carefully choose whom I speak to since I’m sure half of the town is indebted to the Carini family.
I make it to the edge of the woods and finally to a street that leads into town. All have to do is follow the road for a quarter mile, and I will have made it.
It feels a bit dangerous, coming out of the woods and out into the clearing, but it also feels empowering. I can make it.
I stop suddenly as I see a car drive by, heading into town. I could try to flag a car down, but who would stop for me, and what would I tell them if they did stop? I can’t tell them the truth. No one would believe me, and those who did might try to take me back to get a reward or get their owns debts erased. I can’t trust anyone. I just need to borrow a phone to let Heath or Eden know I’m safe, and then I need to get to an airport. That’s it.
I let the car pass, and then I walk out of the woods and begin following along the side of the road toward town. I continue to jog, hoping that anyone who sees me will just assume I’m a jogger and not think anything about it even though I’m dressed poorly and covered in dirt and sweat.
Car after car passes me without a second glance back. I keep running until I finally make it to the center of town. I bend over for a second to catch my breath as I glance around, trying to figure out how I’m going to get someone to let me borrow a phone without drawing too much attention to myself.
I decide to duck into the church up the street. It will get me off the street, and they will probably just think I’m a homeless person. Surely, they will let me borrow a phone and get me a cab ride to the airport.
I start walking up the hill to the church, hating walking at a normal pace but feeling like I need to in order to not completely stick out in the crowd. My heartbeat quickens more with every step as my excitement builds because this nightmare is almost over. Just feet from now, I could be one step closer to being free. Just one last step, and I’m there.
I stop for a second, waiting for the streetlight to change. The second that it does, I begin lightly jogging across the street.
I feel the danger before I see it. I hear the tires. And then I feel the force of the car hitting me.
34
Nina
“Wake up, slave,” I hear Enrico’s voice echo through my ears.
I don’t want to wake up. And, even if I did, I’m not sure I can.
I feel a hand slap me hard across the cheek, and I jolt my eyes open from the stinging pain. That was a mistake. The second my eyes open, it all becomes real. The pain and terror explode all over my body.
I try to figure out where the pain is coming from. My head? My chest? My stomach? My legs? Where? It doesn’t take me long to realize that I feel the pain everywhere. It’s not in one place where I can focus and then forget about as I realize how strong the rest of my body is. It’s everywhere. Just like it was after Enrico raped and beat me.
I take a deep breath. I’ve dealt with pain like this before and survived. I can deal with this, too. But just breathing is almost unbearable. My chest is on fire with every breath. Every rib in my body feels broken.