INK: Abstraction by Bella Roccaforte Read Free Book Online Page A

can’t.
I have to get away from here.” I call out then put my hand over
my mouth realizing how loud I was.
    “ I’ll
protect you while you rest, my love. ” The voice wafts
through my mind.
    “Go away.”
I put my hand to my neck and realize the talisman is gone. Fuck. I
don’t need it. “Go away, Specter. I don’t want you,
just go away.”
    There’s no
response. The chill that was in the air disappears. I’m
astounded that I actually silenced him. Of course I’m not
convinced that he’s gone, but I’ve got enough to worry
about between Glass, poisonous snakes and gators that I don’t
need to worry about him steering me off course.
    The ground has gotten
softer, but the brush thicker. My pace picks up when I hear water. Oh
yes, flowing water means that I’m probably near the St. John’s
River. All I have to do is follow it north or south and I will
eventually hit a highway. It’s a good thing, since the moon has
disappeared below the horizon giving me no real compass to go by.
    I follow the sound of
the river until I finally reach it. I’ve never been so happy to
see a body of water in my life. It doesn’t look like a fast
moving river, but I know there’s a current. I’ve been
swimming in the river many times. I also know there are gators and
water moccasins. The bank of the river is too thick with trees. I
either have to decide to go back until I can find a way through
heading north or south, or I need to climb through the thicket close
to the river. My sense of direction has never been that great and I
could lose sight of the river very easily.
    The only option is to
climb through the thicket and hope for patches of bank that I can
walk along. My trek north is short-lived when I collapse on the river
bank. I can’t move, my body is unresponsive to my will to keep
moving. I’m lying at the foot of a patch of palmetto bushes
that I’m able to crawl the two feet under them to hide. I know
that Glass will come looking for me. I can get some rest here for
awhile, and then I can get moving again.
    I hunker down, checking
that I’m well concealed. As I lay under the bushes I’m
brought back to the memory of the hundreds of times I played
hide-and-seek with Eli and Aiden. Being so small, I was able to hide
in the palmettos in the back yard near the canal. The smell of river
and the black silt dirt comforts me in the memory of how simple life
used to be. Sobs crash against my chest, rising from the depths of my
being. I’m trying to be quiet, but I just can’t control
it. Everything feels so hopeless. I gasp for deep cleansing breaths
trying to calm down, trying to regain silence so I don’t get
caught.
    ***
    Dawn has blessed the
landscape with light and stolen the mystery from my surroundings. I
look at the cuts on my wrists; one of them is still wet with blood. I
can’t tell if it’s still bleeding or was opened again by
crawling up the bank or going through the woods. I eye the water,
wanting to wash the grime from my wounds. Knowing that they are going
to get infected, I would still prefer the polluted water over gritty
dirt. After I’ve gotten some rest I’ll climb down to the
water and wash my wounds.
    ***
    When I awaken the sun
is high in the sky and even under the protection of the bush it’s
still warm. I test my legs to make sure they are still moving. I’m
in pain from head to toe, not having shoes on has taken its toll
running through the woods. I didn’t even think about it until
this moment. I was so consumed with fear and the drive to get as far
away from Glass as I possibly could that having bare feet never
occurred to me until now. They are bloody and cut and my ankles are
on fire where the rope and zip ties cut into my skin leaving deep
gashes. My wrists are in worse shape since I cut into them with the
knife while trying to get out.
    Time to clean up and
get moving. Before I leave the safety of my hiding place I stop and
listen carefully for a solid three minutes. When I’m