Page 39 of Like An Animal
“Goodnight, Father.”
He nods before his gaze shifts to the crib in the corner of the room, but he doesn’t say anything. He just turns and leaves out the door. Then, a soft cry comes from the corner and I stand up, walking over. I pick up the poor fussy thing and hold her tight to my chest, running my fingers up and down her back.
“Shhh, little angel. It’s okay.” Her fingers knot in my hair as I sigh, looking into those deep brown eyes full of unshed tears. “We’ll be free soon. Just you and me, okay? Be patient and, for the love of all things demented, I pray you stay asleep. We won’t make it out if you don’t.”
I smooth the hair off her forehead as she flashes a toothless grin at me.
“You’re going to have a better life than I ever did, little Lottie.”
She clings to my shirt as I rock her back to sleep. She’s not dirty or hungry so I assume she just had a bad dream.
I wrap us up in my thick cloak and I wait…and wait…and wait. It’s only when the compound goes silent that I finally stand up. I grab her baby blanket and stuff it with diapers, wipes and a fresh bottle before I tie it up. I make sure little Lottie’s pacifier is in place before we make our escape. Most would assume we would go for the door, but I’m smarter than that.
Trying to navigate my way through the compound without being caught would be impossible. However, the window is a better option. They don’t worry about people coming in. It’s the people trying to leave that they are concerned with. So theexterior is never guarded. Plus, my window is set right against the woods.
It will probably be quite the trek to civilization, but we’ll make it. It’s one of the few things I still have faith in.
I believe in myself and my determination.
I push open the small window and manage to get out without hurting little Lottie or waking her up. Once out, I gently close the window back and make my way into the woods, cradling the baby close. She starts to whine but I coo her, pulling my hood over my head.
We’ll be okay. We’ll survive and she won’t remember this when she gets older. I’ll be the only one that remembers our great escape in the dead of night.
“It’s going to be okay, Lottie.”
I keep repeating that as I run for my life, my feet pounding against the ground. Every footstep is a victory. Failure isn’t an option. This isn’t for me. It’s for Lottie. It’s my maternal instinct that tells me to keep running, like every woman of the past who had to run away with only their child is pushing me to keep going.
I grunt as my knees start to become sore, but I push on through. On and on and on.
Sweat tricklesdown the back of my dress as I follow the path I remember to Aunt Cheryl’s house. I didn’t tell her my plans, but I made sure she knew I was in trouble and would come to her in time. I didn’t realize that I would be coming to her with an infant though. I should’ve figured as much.
She has a small house in the middle of nowhere, which has made it easy to not be detected. A small garden sits along theside of her house and blue and yellow wildflowers line a path to the porch. My legs shake as I move up the porch before gently knocking on the door.
“Cheryl!” I yell out of breath. “It’s Bronwyn. Please, open the door.”
In only a few heart beats, the door is thrown open and my aunt with short, curly brown hair throws open the door, her green eyes glazed over with exhaustion. “Get in here, sweetheart,” she demands on a yawn and I dart into the air conditioned shelter. She closes the door and I watch as she works a line of locks into place before putting a piece of wood into a contraption meant to blockade the door.
Someone was prepared.
“Oh, my goodness, Bron. What happened to you?” She nearly cries as I take a seat on the couch, pain shooting through my knees and my feet. I don’t know how long I walked, but my body is feeling the effects.
“I’m fine, really.” I reach out and squeeze her hand as Lottie whines. Cheryl’s gaze drops to the baby in my arms before she covers her mouth with her hand.
“Is…is…is she yours?” her voice breaks and I slowly nod.
“Her name is Charlotte. I call her Lottie.”
Cheryl’s bottom lip quivers. “Like your mother?”
I nod. “I need to keep her safe and the people I’m running from want to do unthinkable things to her. We just need some rest, a change of clothes, and a way to get out of here undetected. It won’t be long before they trace us here. They know too much about me.”
She lets out a ragged breath. “I’ll take the baby and get her settled. Go take a shower. We’ll figure out the rest of it later.”
Gently, I place Lottie in her arms and I don’t even hesitate to do it. She’s the only person I know will always be on my side. My mom wasn’t just her sister–she was her twin, the otherhalf of her soul. In a lot of ways, I’m her child as well. I kept communication low between us throughout my childhood so my father wouldn’t completely cut it off, but that doesn’t change that our bond is strong.
She holds Lottie with tears in her eyes and I hesitate. Before I stop myself, I ask a question that has been haunting me day and night.
“Have you heard anything about Jeremy?” I ask, my gut tensing.
