Great Escape

Caroline Evens was exhausted as she parked her van in the snow piled parking lot outside of her apartment. Normally, she enjoyed working third shift for the small nursing home, but last night had been just one of those nights where nothing seemed to go right. Her legs, back and head hurt. All she wanted was a hot shower and her bed.



Inside the apartment, things were quiet. Obviously, her husband was still sleeping, and rather than disturb him she cuddled up on the couch after her shower and absently petted her cat on the ear. It didn't take long for her to drift into a semi-sleep state, when suddenly she bolted straight up. Wide awake, adrinaline coursing though her system she was on full alert. What was going on? A sudden and all knowing feeling of danger enveloped her and the distinct, powerful feeling that she needed to escape quickly refused to let up.



Quickly praying as she rushed to the bedroom, she fumbled with the light switch and flooded the dark room with light. The bed was neatly made, her husband's wallet, which he always placed on the night stand along with his watch and Bible were gone. Caroline grabbed an empty laundry basket and threw as many of her clothes as she could grab into it. She made a bee line to the bathroom where she grabbed her personal items and tossed them into a plastic Walmart bag.



Hurry! Hurry!



Things had been bad between her and Bobby for a long while with her hardest challenge coming the month before. She had prayed things would fix themselves. Where was Bobby? Why wasn't he here? He never allowed her to be alone. She was always watched. Always in his sight. He completely freaked when she wasn't in his sight. No, something was definately not right.



In the kitchen, she threw food into another Walmart bag. Out of the closet from the entrance way, she took down the cat carrier and prayed the cat wouldnt see it until too late. She didn't have time to chase or hunt a skittish cat. She must hurry! Oh, she dreaded going back out into the weather. It was really comming down now, and she had heard a report they would be under white out conditions by noon. She made three quick trips to the van, throwing things in the best she could. Every passing moment, the urgency to drive and not look back was pressed upon her until she could hold it off no longer. Whatever she had not grabbed, would have to be done without.



The cat was one pissed off cat. This, was not her normal morning routine with her Mama. She was supposed to be contently curled up on her Mama while the two of them took a long nap. Then, she was supposed to potty and have her meal given to her. Instead, she found herself rather rudely pushed into the much hated crate and was placed on the floor board of Mama's van. Mama kept talking to her, but frankly, Sassy didn't give a damn, and was very willing to tell Mama just what she thought of all this. Finally, Mama stopped talking and the radio came on. She liked the radio, the sounds were soothing. Well, maybe if she took a nap when she woke up things would be back to normal!



At the bank, Caroline punched the ATM buttons and prayed her husband had not changed anything. He didn't. She took out the maximum amount she could, $500. It would have to do. Where on earth was she going? The over whelming need to run and leave had subsided into the uncontrollable need to just drive. She had no idea where she was going or what direction. She just pointed the van and drove. Visibility was very limited, and she could go no faster than thirty down the slick roads.



She drove for hours non-stop. She put Wisconsin far behind her and entered Illinois. She stopped for gas and a sandwhich in Chicago but kept right on going. Sassy refused her meal on the go and Caroline warned the grumpy cat she wouldnt be getting another offer for quite sometime. It was well past nine o'clock when Caroline finally pulled into a cheap looking motel. She was in Pureu, Indiana. She paid for the room and was grateful the room was on the other side of the building as she threw a blanket over the cat carrier and entered the room. She sat the carrier, her laptop, and the over night bag she had packed for over night onto the bed. Only after securely locking the door did she allow the cat out to explore the room and picked up the phone to order a pizza to be delivered.



While waiting for the food, she hooked up the laptop and signed on. Her husband had sent 14 new emails. She read the first three and after scanning the angry, demanding messages, deleted them all. Where was she? Why wasn't she at home? When was she getting home? Ugh! It was enough to drive her to madness. Indeed, sometimes she felt it already had. She ate two slices of the delivered food and curled up on the stale smelling bed and fell into an exhausted sleep. She never felt Sassy creep up onto the bed and after helping herself to the uneaten plate of pizza, curl up next to her mistress.



It was sometime in the early morning hours before daylight when the vivid dream came to Caroline. She was back at her apartment sleeping on the couch as she had that morning with Sassy curled on her side. She saw very clearly a dark figure standing over her with what looked like a bat or club and as she watched the object came crashing down crushing in her skull and sending blood and brain matter splattering all over the place. Clear as a bell she heard her husband laughing his cruel, hateful laugh and as she woke scattering the dream from her mind, she knew without doubt had she not left when she did, she would be dead. Her husband had hired one of his ex prison buddies to slip into the appartment and bean her on the head while she slept! That was why he wasn't home.



Sassy meowed softly at being woke up and Caroline, fully aware that God had intervined and saved her life, laid back down with the cat in her arms and stroked her. Sleep came again, but this time, was a sweet restful sleep. Her journey with God had only just begun.