Page 14 of Be Courageous

The frown that creased his forehead told Faith the news wasn’t good. Her stomach knotted.

“Yes, please do that,” he finally said, “as soon as possible.” He hung up and sent Faith a pained look.

“That was my cell phone provider?”

“It was. Grayson’s phone isn’t online anymore, which means either he turned it off, it’s lost its charge, or it was destroyed.”

Faith felt the blood in her head drain toward her thumping heart.

Seth stretched out a hand and touched her arm. “Don’t be discouraged. I’ve requested a trail. If the phone was on at any time, we’ll know where. Hang tight, mama. We’re going to find your boy.”

* * *

Just calm down and use your head.

His father’s voice was back. Grayson stopped ramming his shoulder into the door and stilled his racing thoughts. The first thing he needed to do if he was going to escape was to free his wrists. Hadn’t his father taught him how to snap the plastic zip tie?

Thinking back, Grayson discovered the memory was still crisp. He dropped to the floor to untie both of his tennis shoes. Taking the inner lace on his right shoe, he painstakingly fed the tip through the cuff around his wrist. That was tricky part. Next, he tied that lace to the inner lace of his left shoe. A nice, sturdy knot was required. Rolling onto his back, he peddled his feet in the air which caused the laces to saw against the plastic restraint. Within seconds it snapped.Yes!

It took longer to undo the knot he’d made than to break the zip tie. He had to hurry. Brian could be home at any moment. Plus the seam of light framing the window had faded since the man’s departure, telling Grayson it was getting late. He needed to escape now.

Clearly the door, a solid piece of wood, wasn’t going to be his way out. That left the window. Crossing to inspect it, Grayson saw where the original pane of glass was broken, leaving ragged shards still sticking out of the frame. The plywood boarding up the window wasn’t as sturdy as the door. He could tell by the air seeping in between the board and the frame that the nails keeping the board in place were spaced more than a foot apart.

Watch the glass. Get up on the edge of the bed and kick with your sole.

Grayson dragged the bed closer, then stood on the side railing for extra height while gripping the headboard for balance. He brought his right knee to his chest, then struck the board with his heel. The squeak of nails coming out encouraged him. He kicked again, this time breaking off a bit of the remaining glass.

The third kick resulted in a three-inch opening. Mellow sunlight filled the bedroom along with damp, chilly air that smelled of freedom. The distance to the ground made his stomach lurch. But his subsequent kicks brought the branches of the big tree into view. If he could grab hold of that thick branch there, he wouldn’t have to jump.

Many kicks later, the board came off the window and sailed to the ground. Using his shoe, Grayson broke off the remaining glass before sticking his feet outside until he was sitting on the windowsill. He ducked his head under the frame and nearly pitched to the ground before catching himself.

You’re okay, buddy. Get your bearings.

With shallow breaths, he took in his surroundings. This side of the house clearly faced south because the sun was to his right, shooting beams of gold through the distant trees and turning the western sky pink. On a main road to his left, he could see cars driving with their headlights already on. If he could make it to the road, he could flag someone down who might help him.

But first he had to get to the ground, and no way was he jumping. That left using the tree branch about three feet away. The tree itself offered plenty of limbs to climb down. Magnolia. The name of the tree came to him suddenly, as did a recent story of how Aunt Grace had jumped from the second-story window of a warehouse in Venezuela last summer. If she could do it, so could he.

Ready?Grayson inched his butt to the edge of the sill.Set.He pressed his heels against the side of the house.Go!

He launched himself, stretching out his arms and striking the knobby limb so hard, he nearly lost his grip. Hanging on for dear life, he managed to wrap his legs around it, making him instantly more secure. Then he began to slide and clamber toward the trunk. The sun had dropped out of view, making it harder to see the branches he encountered.

He was moving down the trunk, stepping from limb to limb, when the sound of Brian’s car reached his ears. The corner of the house blocked his view, but its headlights burnished the dead, lumpy grass in the huge front yard. Fear prodded Grayson to move faster. The engine died, the lights went out, and the car door slammed.

Don’t check on me. Don’t check on me.

As Brian entered the house, Grayson reached the lowest branch and jumped. All at once, the light from the landing shone in the window he’d just escaped from. Grayson started running.

“Hey!” Brian shouted down at him through the open window.

Grayson bolted. Taking the quickest way to the road, he cut straight across a front field that hadn’t been mowed for years. Even though the grass was dead, it had left a thick, irregular layer on the ground, hampering Grayson’s speed. The toe of his tennis shoe caught on a section of stiff grass. He pitched to his knees before he clambered up again.

He used to be pretty fast. Back at his old school, he could beat all the other sixth-grade boys when they raced. But throughout seventh grade, he’d been playing tons of video games instead of getting exercise, and now running hurt.

The road was still half a football field away when he heard Brian gaining on him. A fearful glance back showed his heavy-footed silhouette steadily overtaking him.

“Stop!”

Fear hindered Grayson’s coordination. He stepped into a low area, spilled to his knees, and had trouble getting up again.

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