The Great Escape
There are little to no good memories in my life. I think I remember that I used to have a loving family a dad that doted on me and a mom that kissed all of my owies better. A tire swing tied to a tree in our back yard. I'm not even sure if these are actually my memories or not, for all I know these are just lies that He made up to break me even more. All I know for sure is that I was taken when I was six years old, by a man who I only know as Master.
I don't remember how or when I was taken; I just know that I was six years old. I don't even know my real name, to him I was Pet. I only remember the pain and being in the dark. I assume that he watched the hunt for me, until I was presumed dead, and then the hunt for my body. After a few weeks of sitting in that dark room he let me out. I tried to escape, I remember trying to run to the door but he caught me and started to beat me. This was the first of many beatings. After my attempt to leave he told me he didn't want to take any more chances of his pet running away so he chained me to a pole in the middle of the house I had enough chain attached to my leg to let me go anywhere he approved. I was never allowed outside. At first I was just his servant I cleaned I cooked (as well as any six year old can) and I did whatever Master told me to. If I didn't do something right he would hit me and make me do it all over again. I learned to do it right the first time.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. I used the little window over the sink in the kitchen to chart the seasons. After what I thought was four years he didn't have any reason to beat me I did everything exactly how he asked me to and I made sure to do it perfectly. I had become the perfect servant, only speaking when spoken to, and only doing what the Master bid me to do. When he didn't get the satisfaction of beating me anymore he moved on to other forms of torture. Master would tell me that I was never wanted that my family grew to despise me and that they sold me to him. He told me that I should be grateful to him since he gave me such a nice place to stay. This new form of abuse cut me deep. It took away my last hope of figuring out who I was. When about eight more years of abuse passed he decided to get me a friend. She was no more than ten. When he brought her home I was horrified. How could this monster do this again? I had falsely hoped that I would be his only victim. I had hoped that if I obeyed he wouldn't hurt other girls. I was so terribly wrong and it was all my fault that she was here. I wasn't a challenge for him anymore. Master had completely broken me.
The girl, whose name I learned was Sam, tried to fix me and get me to smile once more. I can very clearly remember the first time she spoke to me.
"M-My name is S-Sam, W- what is yours?" I looked at her for a minute before giving her an answer.
"Pet" She looked at me confused for a minute.
"Pet? That's not a name" She said looking at me.
"It's the only name I can remember" I said quietly. Her eyes grew wide with shock.
"How long have you been here?" She demanded. I looked at her my face impassive.
"Around twelve years I think. I'm not really sure." She looked at me her face frozen in terror.
"Don't you remember your family at all? Your Mom? Your Dad? Anybody?" I simply shook my head to give her this answer. She looked at me for a moment then asked me another question.
"What do you remember from before here?" I hadn't thought of my memories for so long I had given up on ever seeing the outside again so what was the use of a memory. I thought hard trying to find an answer to give Sam.
"I remember smiling and laughing on a tire swing hanging from this really big tree." I told her. She looked at me again with sympathy in her eyes.
"I'm sorry."She said. I nodded in response. Then I heard the large door close.
"Come here my Pet!" Master called for me. I got up to go to him. Sam grabbed my arm and tried to hold me back.
"You can't go out there he is the one who put us here!" She looked terrified. I couldn't blame her.
"It is only worse if you don't listen to him." I said pulling my arm out of her grasp. I left her in the room and went to Master.
"So my Pet do you like your new friend?" I didn't answer and he got angry. He back handed me across my cheek.
"I asked you a question Pet and I want an answer, now do you like your new friend?" he asked once more in the eerily calm way that he had had years to practice.
"Yes," was my quiet reply.
"Good, I'm glad. Now be a good little Pet and make some dinner for me." He ordered.
"Yes, Master" I replied as I turned to go to the kitchen.
"Oh, one more thing my Pet, make sure that your new friend learns her place." He looked at me and started laughing. I simply nodded my head and went into the kitchen.
Cooking was my only pleasure in this hellhole. It was the only time I felt at peace. I cooked his dinner in blissful silence making sure to save an unnoticeable amount for me and Sam to share. It wouldn't be enough so I decided that I would do without. Sam would need it more than I would.
The next month was particularly bad for Sam. It seemed that Master didn't have much patience with her. He would hit her for less than what he would hit me for. After one particularly rough day Sam was all bloody and bruised. Her eye was black and her lip swollen. All she would talk about was an escape. That night she told me something that brought tears to my eyes.
"I think it's time you had a proper name." I looked at her not understanding what she was talking about.
"I don't understand, I have a name." I told her. She looked at me with calculating eyes.
"Pet is not a name, how bout Rose… No, that doesn't fit." She looked at me harder.
"You know who you remind me of?" she asked me. I shook my head no.
"My older sister, Holly, you have the same eyes. The same grey color." She looked at me again .
"Can I call you Holly?" I smiled at her.
"Whatever you want sweet just don't let Master hear you use it. He will get angry." She scoffed at me.
"I don't care he can be angry." I started to panic.
"Sam don't make him angry. He will kill you I know he will please don't make him angry." I begged with her. She only looked at me and nodded. I left it at that not realizing then that I had started wheels turning in her mind that I wouldn't be able to stop.
Another year as far as I could tell was almost over. There was snow covering everything on the other side of the little window. The winter was the worst time of the year it was so cold and the room Sam and I used was even colder. I tried with all my might to keep Sam warm, but my attempts went unnoticed. She got sick anyway. I was scared for her life. I didn't have any medicine to give to her and Master didn't care whether she lived or died. I knew then and there that if I didn't do anything Sam would die. I couldn't let that happen. She had become my reason for living. If I didn't have her I would have given up by now. I sat by Sam contemplating what I needed to do. I knew that there was only one thing to do. I had to get us out of here. The only question was how. We were still chained to the pole. I knew were the keys were but I could never reach them. Master kept them in plain sight after he brought Sam home as a form of torture for her. I would wait for Master to leave tomorrow and then I would try to get the keys.
The next morning I woke to the sound of the door slamming shut again just like usual. I opened the door and saw the list of things that had to be done today. I ignored it and went back to Sam. Her fever had dropped a little in the night and she was breathing easier. I gently shook her.
"Sam get up I need your help." I told her. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at me.
"What do we have to do today Holly?" she asked me. I smiled back down at her.
"Escape" Her eyes got wide.
"How? we can't even reach the keys." Her eyes were still hopeful.
"I'm not sure yet but we'll figure something out. She nodded trusting me to figure something out.
We went out to were the keys were hanging on the wall by the door. There was about a foot distance from where the tips of my fingers reached to the keys. I looked around me for anything I could use. We tried several things like a hanger and a tape measure, both of which buckled under the weight of the keys.
"Hey Holly are there springs in that mattress we use?" Sam asked. I shrugged my shoulders not sure.
"Ok hold on I'll be right back." She left and went into the kitchen and got a knife and then went into the room and came back out a few minutes later. I had managed to knock the keys off the hook with the hanger and when she came back she held out a thick unbent spring from the mattress. I made a hook on one end and used it to pull the key ring to us we were finally in reach of escape. I pulled Sam's leg to me and undid her cuff, then slowly undid mine. My leg felt weird without the familiar weight on it.
"Ok, we need to find blankets and coats and things to use out in the snow. I'll get some food together. We leave in five minutes." Sam just smiled at me.
We got everything together and bolted out of the house we ran through the forest trying to find a road. We didn't stop when darkness fell. We were too scared we didn't know if he would find us. I knew that if he found us he would kill Sam for both running away and as a punishment for me. We moved faster and faster. We stopped every few minutes to catch our breath. Sam's was getting more labored. She started to cough.
"We can't stop now Sam we are so close. I've never been this close to freedom, come on we have to keep moving." I told her. She nodded in understanding. We moved well into the night and as morning shined down on us we hit a road.
We stepped out onto the road and looked both ways trying to decide which way to go. Our choice was made for us though as a big black car came down the road. It skidded to a halt in front of us. I held on to Sam protectively. A man got out of the car. It wasn't master. I let out a breath of relief.
"Ma'am are you ok?" the man asked. I looked at him he looked friendly enough he was rather skinny and wore nice pants and a nice shirt with a sweater vest over it, and his eyes. I looked him in the eyes and I knew I could trust him.
"Please help her!" I managed to say as fatigue washed over me. I started to fall but he caught me. I heard him yell out a name when we I closed my eyes and let the darkness consume me. The only thing passing through my mind was getting Sam medication.
A\N Hello all. This is an old story that I had posted here and I decided that it needed to be revisited and revised. I have chapters 2&3 ready to go as well so they will be up shortly and I am working on chapter 4 right now. Please let me know what you think of this story any feedback is welcomed. thanks for reading LoRo