Chapter 1
"Mommy!", came the terrified scream from below.
"Get off of me!, Please, I have to get to my little girl." cried Astrid as she struggled with the man on top of her.
"Girl, quit fighting me! I paid good money for ya and I intend to get what a I paid for! So quit yer squirming." The man said as he shoved her back down on the bed and struggled with his belt.
Astrid continued trying to plead and push the man off of her in sheer terror as her daughter continued to cry and scream for her below. Her fists continued to beat at the man as he finally freed his buckle and slid his pants down.
"NO! NO! Please stop! Get off of me!" Astrid cried out with tears running down her face as she punched, pushed and slapped at the man above her.
"Quit fighting bitch!" He hollered after a hard slap from Astrid. His hands gripped around her neck and started to squeeze as she continued to struggle. Her vision began to turn black as a single tear ran down her left cheek to collect with the rest on the pillow. Her last thought was the sharp pain as the man guided himself in.
Later that night Astrid woke up, the man had left but the evidence of his presence was still there in her sore throat and the stickiness between her thighs. She slowly sat up and listened for any sounds around the house. When she did not hear anything, she slowly rose off the bed and picked some clothes off the floor. She was very cautious not to make a sound as she got dressed and headed downstairs to her daughters room.
She creaked open the door slowly and let out a quiet sob for her daughter on the bed. Her daughter was curled up into herself on the side of the bed. As Astrid crept closer she could see hand prints on her daughter's face and drops of blood on the sheets.
Astrid lightly shook her daughter awake and was quick to put her finger in front of her lips in a shooshing motion. She slowly gathered up her daughter in her arms and slid her daughters coat around her shoulders. She turned and headed out of the room and down the stairs towards the living room.
The moon shone bright through the living room windows. Astrid held her daughter close to her chest as she navigated the cluttered living room. She slowly moved through the discarded liquor bottles and crunched up beer cans that had overflown the small table and were now scattered around floor. She held her breath as she passed the two unmoving figures on the couch and on the recliner on her quest for the front door.
The cold sharp wind whipped around her face and she pulled her daughter closer. She headed down the front walk to the street. She had a momentary pause as panic and dread filled her. Where could they go? Would they get caught on the way? A tremor of terror shot down her spine at the thought. She stared back up at the two story red house. She had a good friend from high school that lived in the next town over. She had children, she would understand and maybe she could help.
Henry was just headed home after a long day on the job. He had worked his shift and then had been called back in for an emergency call. He was just glad it was the weekend and hoped he would not get called in again.
Henry shivered and cranked up the heat, it had begun snowing a couple of hours ago and was starting to really come down now. He noticed someone walking on the side of the highway. Who would be out here at 3am in the middle of a snowstorm on a rural highway? He slowed down and pulled over to the shoulder in front of them and got out. He slowly approached the person with both his hands raised in the air.
"Hey do you need a ride? It's freezing out here!" as he got closer he could notice that it was a young woman and what seemed to be a child in her arms. They were covered in snow and shivering.
Astrid stood still as panic raced though her.
"Hey Miss are you ok?" Henry asked.
"Astrid!?" Henry exclaimed as he got closer.
The young woman still didn't say anything. She just clutched her whimpering child tighter, trying to calm her.
"It's me Henry, Fish's friend, remember I live a few lots up from them."
Astrid blew out the breath she was holding. The panic started to recede. The thoughts that it was one of her brothers friends or worse her fathers, started to fade.
She adjusted her daughter and approched Henry. "Yeah we would appreciate it, we are headed over to Ruff's."
Henry took off his jacket and put it over Astrid's shoulders as he guided them to the passenger side of his truck. He opened the door and let them get in before going around to the driver side. He turned the vents over to them and turned the heat all the way up.
They were silent the whole way to town. Aside from her daughters sniffling. Henry kept glancing Astrids way but she just stared out the window the whole time. They pulled past the sign for Berkshire homes and past it the cluster of modular homes could be seen. They drove down to the end of the cul-de-sac where Ruff and Fish's beige home resided. Henry pulled up in front of the house. The home was dark and only Fish's white work truck with the Ameren logo was in the driveway. Astrid grabbed her daughter and exited the truck.
"Thank you" Astrid told Henry in a small voice.
"No problem, You sure they are home?" Henry nodded to the dark home.
"Hope so." Astrid turned and headed up to the side door. She knocked several times and called out for her friend but nobody answered.
Astrid turned and looked despondent. She sat down on their front step and just stared at Fish's work truck. Where would she go now? It was only a matter of time until they started looking for her and this would be one of the first places they checked.
"Hey do you want to try calling them? I have Fish's number back at the house." Henry said as he crouched down in front of them.
Astrid looked apprehensive but sighed and said. "That would be really great."
They got back into the truck and drove back up the road. Henry pulled up in front of a newer looking gray home on the left.
Henry led them up the deck to the side door. He fumbled with the keys to the front door. "Meh, it's not much but at least it doesn't have wheels underneath." Henry chuckled nervously and shrugged. Astrid didn't reply as they waited on the deck to be let into the house.
Finally after getting the right key in the door. They went inside, Henry took his coat from Astrid and hung it up on the peg by the door. He headed over to the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone off the wall. He handed the phone over to Astrid.
"Already put Fish's number in, all you have to do is press dial. I am going to change. Please make your self comfortable." With that Henry gestured to the wrap around couch in the living room.
He headed past the kitchen into his bedroom. While he got a change of clothes out, he couldn't help but feel horrible for them. Astrid had red marks all over her face and dark purple bruising around her neck. Her daughter had a large red handprint across her face. They both looked haggard and shaken. "Oh Gods." he sighed out as he ran his hand down his face.
He had seen plenty of kids come through the home like that. They all had the same terrified look in their eyes. The fear, the uncertainty, the hopelessness. His hands shook as he changed.
Henry took his time changing, he decided to forgo the shower and instead just splashed some water on his face. The clock on his beside table read 4:34am, this was going to be a long day.
He headed back out to the living room. Astrid had just hung up the phone. "Any luck?" Henry asked.
"No, I left a message for Ruff to call me back." Astrid answered as she set the phone down on the table.
"I have a spare room in the back there." Henry pointed to the hallway by the living room.
"There is a queen bed in there, bed is already made. The bathroom is the first door down the hall, there should be towels in the closet and the bedroom is at the end." Henry explained.
"Are you sure?" Astrid looked up to him uncertain.
"Positive, oh and hey both the doors lock from the inside." Henry nodded to them as she picked her daughter up from the couch and headed down the hallway. He hoped having a locked door behind them comforted them someway.
He rubbed the back of his head as he watched them head down the hall. Everyone was exhausted and hopefully they could sort things out after they got some rest.
Astrid opened the door to the bedroom. She set her daughter down on the bed and turned to the door and shut it a small wave of relief passing over her as she clicked the round nob on the door handle. She made her way around the room checking the locks and closing the blinds on both the windows.
Room secured, she sat down next to her daughter pulling her close. Her daughter nestled her head into Astrid's side. "It's ok baby, we are safe here." Astrid said gently.
"Lets just try and get some sleep, ok?" Astrid coaxed her.
"Love you mom, promise you will stay with me?" Her daughter asked her as they were getting into the bed.
"Always my Ally cat, Always." Astrid kissed her head as they laid down to sleep.
Astrid laid awake for awhile, listening to her little girl cough and murmur in her sleep. It was hard to sleep with her mind racing the way it was. Why hadn't she left sooner? She knows why, the fear that they really would take her daughter from her. The idea that her daughter would be subjected to the same treatment she had received all these years. "I'm so stupid." she bit out with a chocked sob. She knew they were sick, that it was only a matter of time before they set their sights on her little girl. She had tried leaving many times before. A few times she hadn't made it out of the house, others she had barely made it down the street. Every time they caught her, they would tease and taunt her with her child.
Gods, how is she going to explain all this to a four year old? It was hard enough when they would scream insults at her and tell her daughter vicious lies. An now here they were at a complete stranger's house, running for their lives.
Could she trust Henry? She had only met him twice over at Ruff's, and then he was always working on the van with Fish. What kind of man was he? Was he someone that would try to hurt and control them like her dad and brother? She waited with a bated breath as she listened for sounds around the house. She fell asleep with one eye on the door waiting to it to be kicked in at any moment.