Page 3 of Abigail
Straw stared at the screen. The woman was stunning, but her eyes are what draws Straw’s attention. There is a deep sadness in them despite the fact she is smiling in the picture. A male in a dress Naval uniform is standing next to her, but his face has been blurred out. Straw is drawn to the image on the screen. He doesn’t understand why, but something is tugging at his chest. He has seen very similar eyes before with the same sadness leaking out of them. It surely couldn’t be the girl from his childhood who has haunted his dreams all these years.
A sudden desire to find this woman and find out what has happened to her over comes him. Just make sure she is okay. Briefly fear flashes through him as he wonders if she has been taken by the assailant who attacked whomever was in the ambulance. He remains lost in his thoughts about the poor woman throughout the rest of the day.
That evening when he gets to the small apartment he and Tank are sharing near base, he flips on the T.V. to see if he can learn more about the story. He isn’t disappointed. Much of the broadcast is stories about the incident that happened in South Carolina. More images of the woman are shown, mug shots from previous run-ins with the law and one grainy image from a security camera at a gas station. Straw’s attention is piqued when the reporter claims there are new details on the case.
“We have just obtained a reported sighting in Tennessee. Police say Abigail Miller can be seen on security footage carrying an infant into the bathroom at a truck stop along I-40 near Knoxville, Tennessee.”
Security footage is played on the screen. Abigail is seen gently removing an infant from a car seat in back of a small car. Straw notices how she cradles the baby, patting it on the back as if to soothe the child. The image shifts to her entering the bathroom. It blinks and she exits still carrying the infant. Her head seemingly on a swivel as if she is watching for danger. Another video is shown of her buying infant formula, bottle of water, and beef jerky so the reporter says.
“The sighting has just been reported to authorities a short time ago, but officials are saying the videos are from several hours ago. Police say she could be many miles away by now if she has remained on the interstate. We have been unable to locate any relatives she might be fleeing to or seeking shelter. Authorities are as confused as we are as to her destination. They are continuing to evade questions as to whether or not she is facing charges in the attack on the Navy seaman, but sources say that charges are likely, pending further investigation. We will bring you more as the investigation unfolds. Larry Marcum reporting from Beaufort, South Carolina.”
Straw is flooded with relief at least a little. There is no indication she is being held against her will. He can’t fathom why he is drawn to the woman’s image. She’s obviously a criminal. All signs are pointing to her being the attacker and not a victim. However, he can’t stop thinking about her. He feels deep in his bones that she needs his help, but he has no way to find her. He is on a special ops team. He can’t just pick up and go looking for her, no matter how badly he wants to do so. He knows that if he voices his desire to do this, Tank would be all for it because he is a crazy son of a bitch. He would rope the rest of the team into helping too. Even though they should think he is nuts wanting to chase after some stranger he saw on the news, but for some reason, she doesn’t feel like a stranger.
Fuck!He hasn’t been this messed up in the head since he was seven years old. When he lost contact with the girl, Abi from his youth, he had been obsessed with trying to find her. His grandmother had even taken him to see a therapist. She thought he was traumatized after seeing a woman die right in front of him. Oh, he had been traumatized all right, but more so over losing Abi than anything else. He had overheard the social worker telling his Gran that the girl had been taken from the foster home in the dead of night. No one knew for sure, but it was believed that her father had taken her. Even at his young age, Straw knew the man was seriously bad news. Abi had never been seen again. He had spent years dreaming of the little girl. Even to this day, she often haunts his dreams.
Over the next few weeks, he continues to watch the news regularly to see if there are any updates, but to his disappointment, within a few days, the story drops off the news. He has a couple friends who are stationed at the base in South Carolina, but when he calls them to inquire about the situation, they are evasive at best. Both of his buddies report that it is being kept close to the vest. No one is talking about what went down just off base, but that it has ties to a high-ranking naval officer.
Straw is determined to get the woman from the news off his mind, but that proves to be easier said than done. He begins to dream about her regularly again. Her and the little girl from the foster home are both there. They intermingle and blend together until they are one. In every dream, she is afraid and trying to hide. He searches for her, desperate to find her and protect her, but when he finally finds her, she runs from him, clutching the baby close. She won’t give him a chance to explain he wants to protect her and the child she is holding. Every time he wakes feeling anxious and frustrated that she refuses to accept his help.
Sitting alone in the dark, late at night, after waking from another nightmare about the woman, Straw vows to find her and help her no matter how long it takes. He feels it down in his bones that she needs him, and that he is destined to help her. However, he doesn’t know it will take four long years, before he will find the beautiful siren of his dreams once again.
CHAPTERTHREE
Meanwhile on a lonely interstate…
Abigail is becoming exhausted. She’s driven for hours, fueled by her fear and the need to put as much distance between herself and her past as possible, but she’s reached her limits. It’s time to stop and get some sleep. Ellie needs a break as well. The baby is tolerating the long car ride much better than Abigail ever thought she could. Praying that she’s gotten far enough away that no one will recognize her, she looks for a place to get a room for the night.
Exiting the interstate, she drives another hour before finding a small town with an old motel. The old neon sign blinking ‘va--ncy’ as she rolls into the parking lot. After extracting Ellie from her car seat, she enters the lobby, if you can call it that, of the motel. It’s really just a small room with a glass door that has a counter just inside the door.
A bell jingles signaling her arrival. Despite the late hour, a scraggly looking man sits on a stool watching a small television. A re-run of an old sit-com from the eighties, is playing. The guy is laughing at something on the show as she enters. He turns his eyes on her. Abi shivers as she realizes just how vulnerable she is at the moment. A young woman all alone with an infant. No one knows where she is or even cares, other than the authorities. If this man wants to hurt her, there’s nothing she can do to stop him. His eyes rove over her, taking in her bedraggled appearance. His eyes settle on Ellie. Abi tightens her grip unconsciously in her fear. The man notices and leans back on his stool.
“Can I help you?” his rough voice asks, startling her. He lifts a cigarette to his mouth, flicking a lighter a couple of times before it catches. He sucks on the filter a couple of times until he’s satisfied that he’s gotten it lit. Pulling it out of his mouth, he blows a plume of smoke out as he cocks a brow, waiting for her reply.
“Um…I need a room,” Abigail stutters. “Please,” she adds for good measure. The man turns to an ancient looking desktop computer. He begins pecking with his index fingers. After a moment his eyes flick up to meet hers.
“Just you?” he asks. Fear skitters through her at his question. Is he planning on doing something to her if she’s alone? Or is the rate different depending on how many are in the room? She hesitates in answering for a moment, indecision plaguing her.
“Just me…and my baby,” she finally answers, praying she’s made the right decision. He nods and pecks a few more times on the keyboard. He reaches behind him pulling an old keychain off a hook numbered ‘8’. He turns back to her.
“That’ll be sixty-five for the night,” he says. She fumbles to extract her wallet from the outside pocket of the diaper bag. Once she’s paid, he hands her the key. “Your room is up the stairs and to your right. It’s in the middle of the building. The safest part of the building.” He looks apological as he continues, “I’m sure you know this isn’t the best of places. Especially for a young thing like you out by yourself. I’ll walk you up. I don’t think anyone is out right now to bother you, but I’d feel better knowing you’re safe inside. Don’t answer your door without making sure you know who’s on the other side. There are some sketchy people who do business here. Their ‘clients’ can sometimes get the room number wrong. If you plan on staying here a while, I’ll cut you a better rate on the room.” He leads her out the door and toward a set of rusted metal stairs.
Once they reach number eight, he unlocks the door for her. The inside of the room looks a little better than the outside of the dilapidated building. She scans the small room. Faded thin carpet covers the floor, at least mostly. Several holes have been worn into it over the years. A full-size bed, a small table with two wooden chairs, and small dresser make up the furniture of the room. Everything looks like it has been here since the late sixties or seventies when the motel was likely built. Faded and worn as it is, the room is surprisingly clean. The man hands her the key.
“Remember, don’t open that door for anyone you don’t know,” he cautions her again. “This room has the best door frame and best locks, but that won’t help you if you open it.” She nods at him. He stares her down for a minute but seems satisfied she will heed his warning and then leaves her to return to his sit-com.
Abigail gets Ellie fed and settled in to sleep, placing the flat pillows from the bed around her to prevent her from rolling off the bed. Abi heads into the tiny bathroom for a shower. She can still smell the blood and death that clings to her skin. Stepping into the lukewarm shower, she wonders if she’ll ever feel clean again. After her shower, she lies on the bed next to Ellie. Her eyes drift closed as sleep takes her. It isn’t long before the dream begins…
“What the Hell are you doing, bitch? You think you can just walk out on me with our kid?” Todd rages as he enters the apartment they share near base. He stalks across the living room and gets right in her face. “Answer me!”
“Todd, you know this isn’t working. You seem to hate me. I’m not going to stay here and be your punching bag.” Abigail turns to head down the hall to get her clothes. Todd follows her and grabs her by her ponytail. He jerks her head back as hard as he can causing Abi to stumble backward and fall into him. He steps back and lets her hit the floor while still holding onto her ponytail. He proceeds to drag her back into the living room by her ponytail. Abi tries to take her weight off her hair by grabbing his arm and pulling herself upward.
Once he has her in the living room, he pulls her to her feet. The first punch stuns her, knocking her into the entertainment center. The glass doors shatter, and Abi feels warmth leaking down her left arm. Before she has a chance to recover, he is on her again. Grabbing her by the hair once again, he slings her across the room and into the couch. At least the landing is softer than the entertainment center. She tries to scramble to her feet seeing her blood staining the cream-colored fabric.
Unfortunately, Todd is faster. He grabs her bleeding arm and jerks her into his arms. She sees a flash of metal just before she feels the sharp blade against her throat.
“You belong to me, Abigail. You will NOT leave me! Do you hear me, bitch?” Todd continues to rage at her. “I will gut you like a deer and watch with glee as you bleed out on the floor with your intestines spilling out.” Todd is growling in her ear. He has his left arm across her chest with his right hand holding the knife to her throat. “I’m going to teach you what happens when you defy me. I OWN you, Abigail. I got you out of that hellhole you were living in when we met. I saved you from that. You owe me,” Todd roars and Abi braces herself for what is to come.
“I should have known you would get pregnant and then try to leave me so you could get child support and benefits from a Navy SEAL, but I fooled you,” Todd continues his tirade, “I quit SEAL training. I knew what you were about and I wasn’t about to let you have your way. You were born white trash and will always be white trash. I pulled you out of that, but you can’t change a leopard’s spots. Now you will do everything I say, or I will call social services, and they will take Ellie away from you. You will never see her again. I don’t want the little white trash bitch anyway. Hell, she’s probably not even mine. You whore! We haven’t gotten the DNA tests yet. And don’t you go thinking my parents will take her either. They are too smart to fall for your lies. She will go into the system just like her piece of shit mother.” Abigail hates him for reminding her of her upbringing as much as she hates the beatings.
