Savior of the Wolves

Jessica's POV

Unknown sounds began to create distorted images within my mind. My imagination had to be wrong. It had to be!

I had been driven somewhere for at least an hour or two. Well, that was my best guess. I tried to count in the beginning, but fear interrupted my counting so many times that I figured it was now in vain. The brain seems to behave much like the senses. When the eyes are covered, the brain goes into overdrive creating images from sounds. Mine made pictures. Nightmarish figures manifested into my reality. I created nauseating scenarios of what his plans were while I waited. Waited for...I just prayed it wasn’t true.

Could this be his bizarre attempt at a birthday surprise?

“Quit thinking he has an ounce of goodness,” my defenses screamed.

My fear escalated by the minute. Somehow, in the days prior, I thought things couldn’t get any worse. But now…

The saddest thing was, I kept wondering if it was my birthday yet. Like that mattered in the grand scheme of things. It’s just on your birthday, you’re supposed to feel important.

Sitting in his car, blindfolded, terrified, and shivering, I felt like the least important person in the world.

My pity party was quickly interrupted by an abrupt turn that sent me flying across the seat.

My shoulder and temple stung form the impact with the door and I remembered feeling disoriented. A whimper escaped before I could stop it and I held my breath to prevent the next one.

Tears burnt my face as they dripped down my cheeks, sliding over the now raw areas of my cheek. I began to push away from the door but realized that from there I would be harder to reach with the back of his hand. So, I remained where I was.

And he didn’t even notice.

The road became bumpy. Uneven. It felt like a gravel road maybe. One that hadn’t been maintained for regular vehicles. We were hitting holes every few seconds.

Still my mind wanted to believe that there was good in him. My nightmares could not be true.

But as we drove further on this path, I had to brace my hands on the door and seat to keep from sliding to the other side at times.

No, there was nothing good or kind about this trip.

Inner warnings became louder and louder.

Then he began to talk to himself.

He was whispering at first. Clearly to himself. After hearing small parts of his plan, spoken too loudly at times by the raging lunatic just inches in front of me, I wanted to beg for my life. But instead, I remained quiet. Knowing that my voice angered him. I would remain invisible one last time. I would buy myself the few more seconds I needed to think. Think of how to save myself.

His thoughts were jumping all over the place now, but one thing was clear. “Insurance policy” kept being repeated in the evilest tone spewing from his mouth. He knew that I would be getting it all now. So he devised this plan to collect the insurance policy as the beneficiary...after my accidental death.

Even though I still had two months left of school, he wasn’t going to wait to be done with me. He had no idea I was leaving. He just wanted this over. Now. Tonight!

“She’s not even mine. That tramp had to go and die and leave her with me. Well, I’ll have the last laugh. I’ll get the insurance one way or the other.”

The words froze in my mind’s eye like a billboard, “She’s not even mine.” Most children would be shocked or crushed with disbelief. I just felt pure relief. I was flooded with memories. No affection. No smiles, laughs, or a single good memory could be recalled. Just cruelty, that grew over time.

My brain dissected it all at once and it just made sense. He was the devil. I was nothing like his kind. I was something else. Someone else’s.

Somehow that gave me clarity. Something I needed desperately. I had to focus.

I began to slowly reach around. Feeling for anything I could use. Something I could tuck away and use as a weapon.

My hands were free. “Why didn’t he tie my hands? Did he have a weapon? Why didn’t I think about that before now? He wasn’t worried about tying my hands because he must have a weapon.”

I needed a weapon. My reaching became more frantic. My fingers drifted across the fabric of the seat. It felt scratchy and dirty in my blinded and desperate search. I reached down towards the floorboard without leaning too much to avoid being seen or noticed by him.

Nothing!

Fuck!

I took two shallow, deep breaths. “Calm yourself. Think it through,” I could almost hear my mom speaking to me. Guiding me.

“My elbow can do the most damage. Fight till you can’t fight anymore.”

I had never realized how fragile life was. How quickly evil could try to snuff it from a beautiful world. But he was going to try.

And if he did…I would take him with me.

My fate was suddenly and unequivocally resolved in my mind now. I felt calmer than I thought I should feel. Anticipation grew but I continued with my calming breaths. Then my body leaned forward abruptly with the sudden braking of the car.

I heard his door open in front of me. I gasped.

I felt adrenaline pump through my blood like a drug. Like I’d never felt before. I was almost consumed by the rapid racing of my heart when my door suddenly opened, and I felt a painful jerk of my left arm. I fell out of the door and onto the unyielding ground. My face landed on his leather work boot, and he quickly kicked at my face, accidentally snagging the blindfold that had been covering my eyes. The blindfold fell to the ground, along with a chunk of my hair that had been trapped in his sloppy double knot.

I screamed from the pain of my hair ripping from my scalp.

I quickly looked around to see where I was. Fear engulfed me as though I were being strangled by his own two hands. We were deep in the woods, and he was standing over me...holding something in the air.

He began to hit me almost in unison with his kicks to my abdomen.

I didn’t know where it came from, but I instinctively fought back. I clawed his arms and blocked his kicks as much as I could as I fought to get to my feet. Once on my feet, I struck him in the face with so much force I could tell that even he was startled. That bought me enough time to turn and run. I saw freedom ahead in the dark, and my legs pushed forward through their agonizing weakness. Hope began to rise. I was pulled towards the hiding places in the woods.

Suddenly, it felt like the back of my head was split open.

Everything grew blurry and something inside of me said, “Keep fighting. Help is coming. Keep fighting.”

So, somehow, I did.

With the warmth of my blood oozing down my head and onto my back, I turned and saw a distorted version of the man I never really knew. I couldn’t focus through the piercing pain in my head, but I began to strike at the blur before me. I hit him several times, but I took several hits in return. His punches were much more brutal than mine to him. But I felt numb now and continued until I knew I was going to collapse. I gave my last swing all that I had and clawed enormous chunks from the front of his face before collapsing on the ground.

This is it. The end.

The ground was less cold than the first time I fell onto it. It was oddly comforting in my weakened state.

I waited for the final blow. I wondered if I’d even feel it now.

Instead, there was the most peaceful silence I have ever experienced…followed by my father’s horrified yell…and a low menacing growl.