The first thing Erin did, after checking and then double checking that all the pantry door locks were in place, was begin the search for John's keys. That was the paramount thing, since without the keys, she wouldn't be able to escape, and would just be a sitting duck awaiting David's arrival to take care of her. She would not allow that to be her fate, not when she had worked so hard to escape from John's clutches. Everything in her urged her to hurry, to flail, and she had to ignore that feeling, since she knew that would just cause her to make mistakes.
She started to look over all the counters, assuming that John would place the key ring there, as it was what her husband had always done when he arrived home from work, and then she had had to hang them up on the hook, so that Alan could find them the next morning. She knew that it probably wasn't the brightest move to just lump all men into the same behavior pattern, but there wasn't really anything else that she could think of to find those keys. Thankfully, she was able to locate the keys in short order, along with his wallet, though there was no cell phone around. Which was all right, she just hoped that his vehicle had a GPS system installed, so that she could easily navigate her way to Alex's house. That was the one safe space that she could think of, since she knew she couldn't trust David, and she didn't want to scare Alan half to death by her sudden reappearance. From downstairs, she could hear John pounding on the door, and suddenly, she was glad that it was made of such thick steel, since that meant he couldn't break it down by pounding on it.
"Fuck, I need to get out of here before he calms down enough to use one of my knitting needles to jimmy the lock. His size will mean that he can bust through the locks on the pantry door, and then I'm right back to square one." Stuffing the keys and wallet into her cardigan pocket, Erin went over to the refrigerator and grabbed out some easy to eat foods, as she didn't really want to stop along the way unless she absolutely had to, before slipping two full bottles of water into her other cardigan pocket and then heading outside. Using the keys on the ring, she locked the front door, knowing that would also slow John down if he were to get out of the basement before she managed to get out of the driveway. Then she turned and looked for his car, finding it close to the house, and Erin ran as fast as she could over to it, trying the door first, praying that it was unlocked.
To her immense relief, it was, and she slipped behind the wheel before dropping all her supplies into the passenger seat and then locking the doors. Taking a few deep breaths, Erin looked around the interior, sighing with relief to see that John did, indeed, have a GPS plugged into the car, and she hurriedly tapped in Alex's address and as the device routed her way to safety, she turned the vehicle on and turned around so that she could head down the drive and start towards freedom. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she was overwhelmingly relieved to see that John had not magically burst out onto the porch in the time it took for her to get that far. "Goodbye, John. Hopefully, the next time I see you, it's while I testify at the trial against you and David," she muttered as she made her way down the drive. It was so long that she felt like it would never end, but eventually, she did end up at a road, and she glanced at the GPS to confirm which direction that she had to take.
Erin drove as perfectly as she could, since she didn't have any of the proper documentation that she would need if she happened to get pulled over, but it felt so slow when all she wanted to do was be back in a normal place, where she could rest and regroup before calling the police and having them deal with John. And then figuring out how to come back to life. She knew there were cases of people returning from the dead like she would be, since there were sick fucks out there. The BAU dealt with them all the time, though that didn't make the knowledge any easier to think about.
By the time she reached the first rest area, Erin knew that she had to pull over and stretch her legs, so she parked beneath a tree and got out to stretch. Based on the time she was making, and her gas gauge, she knew that she would need to stop and fill the tank in about two more hours, and then the race would be on to see how far she got before she needed fuel again. She wanted to arrive before it was too late in the evening, but unless she could make good time, she'd end up at Alex's front door at one in the morning.
"Maybe it would be better if I spent a few hours in a hotel room…no. There's not enough money in John's wallet, and I don't have an ID to show the front desk clerk. I have to press on. Lord, give me strength to make it to her side before I get into a car accident. Keep me safe. I have to believe that You didn't allow me to escape from that hellhole only to die in a crash." Shaking her head, she pulled out John's wallet to see if he had any singles as she headed over to the vending machines. A grateful breath left her lips when she saw that he did, and she bought herself a cup of coffee, hoping that the caffeine would keep her awake and alert as she continued to drive towards safety.
Erin finished the bitter coffee and threw away the cup before peeing and then heading back to the car. She turned the vehicle on before grabbing one of the snacks she had hurriedly grabbed, eating it while she made certain that she was still on track with the GPS directions. Backing out of her spot, Erin merged back onto the freeway and continued south, hoping that there would be someplace decent to grab a quick bite along the way, as she hadn't brought anything too substantial with her. Or maybe she'd just get something at the gas station, since that would save time. Everything was about time now, since she didn't know how long John would be contained in the basement. A part of her hoped that he wouldn't destroy any of her belongings that were in her prison, because she would want the pictures and her knitting and her clothes when all was said and done. Though given that it would become a crime scene, she knew that there would be a very good possibility that she wouldn't see her belongings for months, if not years. In the end, though, things didn't matter, so long as she was with her family and friends once more.