Shallow River

Ryan’s been watching me through the cameras obsessively, even when he’s home with me. I’ll be doing something mundane and Ryan will come out and point out something I did wrong while he was in office, watching me. So, with no WiFi, he can’t watch me on his phone, and as long as he can see me, there’s no escaping.

I scroll through my contacts and pause on the one person I could call right now. I really don’t fucking want to, but she would understand my situation better than most. I click the call button before I can change my mind and bring the shaking phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

God, Alison sounds so damn sweet. I cringe away from her voice.

“It’s me,” I choke out.

“Where are you?” she asks instantly, her voice hardening into steel.

I drop my head into my hand, not caring that any contact with the burns sends fire racing through my flesh. The fact that she knew without me having to say anything is a testament to what she’s dealt with for years. There’s no way I could’ve stuck around as long as she did. Not because I’m stronger than her, but because I’m weaker and would’ve offed myself. I already want to after only two years.

“At his house. I can meet you on the corner of the street though,” I whisper.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

My finger smashes the red button before I can tell her not to come. Heart racing, I stand on wobbling legs, grab a bag and start stuffing clothing in the bag. The closet has become my safe space from Ryan, and for the most part, he’s let me have it.

A cupboard slams from the kitchen below me. There’s no way I can sneak out of the house without him seeing me if he’s in the kitchen. It’s down the hall from the foyer and the psycho will be watching that front door like a hawk. I tried to leave a few days ago without his permission and it ended in me getting tied up to the bed for the night.

My wrists still ache and the lesions around them haven’t healed yet.

I slip on a pair of sneakers, quietly open the closet door and peek around. He’s still downstairs. Each step is amplified by my racing heart as I make my way over to the window. There’s a roof right outside the window, and on the side of the house is a lattice covered in vines and pretty flowers I don’t know the name of. Never cared to learn.

Biting my lip, I gently raise the window. To me, it sounds like I’m clawing a chalkboard with a nail, but in reality, it hardly makes a noise. Tentatively, I step out. The first breath of fresh air is exciting and terrifying at the same time. Like if I don’t hurry, I won’t ever get the pleasure of experiencing fresh air again. Right when I go to close the window behind me, Ryan bursts into the room. I freeze. He freezes. We both stare at each other in shock.

In tandem, we both bust into action. He guns for the window while I run towards the edge of the house.

“River, get back here,” he growls. His voice isn’t raised high enough to call attention to us. There’s only a few houses close by, but they’re close enough to hear loud commotion.

I make it to the edge of the house and run along the edge until I get to the terrace. Just as I step my foot down, a steel hand is wrapping around my bicep and pulling me back up. I scream, but it’s immediately cut off by Ryan’s hand.

“You fucking bitch!” he howls when I bite down on his hand. Before I can scream again, his fist is slamming into the side of my temple. Darkness threatens to overtake me. Stars explode in my vision as he slides me across the rough asphalt on the roof towards the window, muttering expletives under his breath.

If he takes me back in there, he’s going to kill me. Eyes wide and dazed, I struggle and fight as hard as I can. I can’t let him take me back in there. I can’t.

We make it back to the window. My phone in my back pocket buzzes, and it makes me want to die inside. Alison is here, at the end of the street where she can’t see me. I was so fucking close to freedom.

Ryan puts one leg in the window, slides his torso through with his arms still holding onto my struggling body, and in one rough swoop, he pulls me inside. I grapple for the sides of the window, but my fingers slip before I can fully grasp onto it. My vision teeter-totters and I’m grappling for balance before I’m thrown on the hardwood floor. The monster before me slams the window closed. He looks at me, his face tomato red and his eyes nearly black from rage. I’ve never seen something so terrifying in my life.

When I was child, those men weren’t out to kill me as much as they were to use my body. But Ryan? Ryan wants to kill me. Even though it’s useless now, I scream as loud as I can.

He charges towards me. I kick my feet, trying to gain traction so I can get away from him.

“Get the fuck back here! You thought you could run away from me, huh? You little bitch, I’ve given you everything!”

A hand is wrapping in him hair and dragging me up.

“I’m sorry!” I yell. I don’t even know why the hell I said it. I’m not sorry. I’m not fucking sorry at all. But my survival instincts are persevering.

“Oh, you’re going to be fucking sorry,” he mutters, dragging me into the bathroom. I’ve no idea what he has planned for me, but fuck if I’m going to let it happen.

“Fuck you,” I spit. My body goes completely limp, becoming dead weight on his arms. The sudden weight is unexpected, causing him to stumble. Before he can continue pulling me, I twirl around, ripping out hair in the process and kick him in his balls. I always thought it’d be Mako on the receiving end of that one, but once again, I was proven wrong when it comes to that man.

“Bitch!” he screams, immediately hunching over and wheezing out a harsh breath. My foot snaps up and I kick him in the forehead, snapping his head backwards. He grunts and falls to the floor. Heart pounding, I scramble to my feet and run for the stairs. The adrenaline rushing through my veins is reaching toxic levels, leaving me breathless.

“Get back here!” he yells, his voice gargled and crazed. Too scared to look back, I keep running, reaching the stairs and nearly throwing myself down them. Ryan’s heavy footfalls sound from behind me. He’s close. Too fucking close. The kitchen is closer than the front door and he’s right on my heels. It’ll take too long to open the door. Pivoting quickly, I careen towards the kitchen at full speed. As I turn into the kitchen, Ryan’s hand whispers across my arm, barely missing me.