Captive Bride - Alta Hensley Page 0,50

on marching through the snow one step at a time.

And then I see the Jeep.

Oh Jesus Christ, I see the Jeep.

Freedom is on the horizon and we are nearly there.

My heart skips, my blood boils with renewed energy and determination to pick up my speed. Safety. We are so close to safety.

We’re going to get the hell out of Hallelujah Junction!

“That’s it,” the man says as he and the woman keep shoeing ahead. “Hurry up. We’re almost there.”

The male opens the back door to the Jeep and helps me and Ember into the back seat while the woman crawls into the front seat. The man then runs around to the driver’s side of the Jeep.

I remove the soaked gloves from my feet which somehow had stayed on and begin massaging feeling back into my feet. Ember is frozen in place and doesn’t move.

“Try to get your feet warmed up,” I say, but notice she doesn’t budge.

“He’s going to find us,” she says softly which has the girl turn her head to look at her in fear.

“Who?” the girl asks. “Who is going to find us? Who kidnapped you?” She reaches for her phone again, but when she puts it back down, I know she still has no signal.

“We’re safe now,” I say, taking hold of Ember’s foot and removing the glove.

Her foot looks red from the snow, but doesn’t look like any frostbite is present, which is the same for my feet.

And just as hope begins to warm my frozen body, the sound of the Jeep not turning over happens. The Jeep won’t start.

“Come on!” the man says as he keeps trying but nothing.

“Why won’t it start?” the woman beside him screeches in terror.

I glance toward the road and know there is no way that Ember and I can make it down the road wearing nothing but gloves on our feet. The couple maybe can…

“You both need to get out of here, now,” I say, feeling like I can hear the sound of boots crunching on the snow. “He’ll kill you. You need to run.”

“We can’t just leave you,” the man says as he keeps trying to start the Jeep.

“Get down the hill and call the police,” I order, scanning the area for any signs of Richard.

The woman hops out of the Jeep and turns and looks at us. “I promise we’ll come back for you.”

Ember doesn’t say anything but removes the woman’s coat and hands it to me. I remove the coat given to me and hand both of them to the woman.

“Run as fast as you can. This man, Richard, is insane. He’s extremely dangerous.”

The couple doesn’t waste any time and start snowshoeing down the hill. Ember and I crawl out of the back seat and hobble our way to the driver’s side of the Jeep. I jump into the seat and try to start the vehicle myself. It’s making no sound at all. It’s not even trying. I get out of the Jeep and open the hood of the engine. I’m no mechanic, but maybe Lady Luck will shine down on me, and I’ll see something that’s an easy fix.

“We need to go back to the schoolhouse,” Ember says. “Maybe if we get back there before Papa Rich notices we’re missing, then this will be like nothing happened.”

I stop staring at all the guts of the Jeep and look at her in the eyes. She has a point. If the couple makes it down the hill and is able to reach the authorities, then it’s just a matter of time until we’re rescued. But if we show our hand, and we have Richard chasing after them… Maybe trying to get back to the schoolhouse undetected is a good idea.

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Let’s get back.”

I never thought I’d be going back to the schoolhouse if I ever got my chance of escape, and yet, here I am.

We quickly run back to Hallelujah Junction, scanning the area for any signs of Richard. Excuses were running through my head as to what we will tell him if he catches us outside. I decide to remove the gloves from both of our feet and bury them in some snow just in case we are detected. Maybe I can convince him that Ember and I were going stir crazy and had to get out… barefoot or not. I know it’s a stretch, but I have to tell the man something. Ember, however, doesn’t have a lying bone in her body. The