49. Anna
CHAPTER 49
Anna
A cold chill screamed through my bones. My body shot up in the shed, heartbeat racing in my ears. Waiting for the pounding to subside, I heard muffled voices and footsteps.
What was happening?
Gunshots. Screaming. Crying.
My dress tangled around my legs as I got up from the cot that I slept on during the time of the month when Father deemed me too filthy to be in the house. Cramps bubbled through my lower belly, letting me know I was still in need of cleansing.
More screaming echoed through the night. I peered through the cracks of the shoddy fixture. Men in uniform, dogs snapping and barking, red, white, and blue lights, all flooded my vision as I took in the scene before me.
“Get in there and get as many victims out as you can.” A harsh voice demanded as men and women in uniform scattered in different directions. “Any women and children are to be taken into custody. Arrest any man on sight for questioning.”
My breath hitched, obstructing the tiny airway. I pounded on the door using all the strength I could muster. The padlock on the outside jangled under the force.
God, please let me out.
I let out the silent prayer, knowing it would go unanswered as all of them did. He wasn’t here, and he never would be.
“Hands behind your fucking back!” Through the cracks, I watched Father get thrown out of the house. Surrounded by men on all sides, he cut through them during the chaotic moment, making a beeline for me.
He stumbled and fumbled as the men and dogs chased him. The canine hot on his heels, ready to claim his leg with its powerful jaws.
“Daddy!” I pounded on the door. “Please Daddy let me out!” I could feel my eyes sting with tears as they ran down my cheeks. The salty taste in my mouth always made my empty stomach ache, but that night, I didn't care.
“Shut up!” He snapped as he barreled into the door, ripping the lock off and throwing it. “You say one word to them, and you’ll be damned to hell, do you hear me?” he hissed at me, dragging me out of the shed by my hair.
“Daddy!” I cried out. This was the only life I knew; could I really leave? Was this really the chance that I was given?
“Goddammit, you stupid girl, go!” His words congested in his chest as his body convulsed. He screamed out and twitched as crackling sounds deafened me. His body sagged to his knees as the woman put something back at her hip next to her gun.
“Don’t move one fucking muscle, or I’ll shock you again,” her voice was a growl, but it was calm. I looked at her slack jawed, my heart racing in my chest. Her hardened features showed nothing like how Father described women from the outside.
She looked healthy.
She looked beautiful and strong.
Her warm brown-eyed gaze met mine, and she reached her hand out to me. “I gotcha, sweetie,” her tone immediately softened as she spoke to me. Crouching down to my level, she smiled at me showing perfect teeth encased by her full lips. “You’re safe now.” A single dimple blemished her cheek.
My eyes flicked to her outstretched hand, then back to her face. “My name is Sergeant Maxwell. You can call me Dahlia.” Another tear slipped into my mouth as I watched three men tackle my father.
The clinking sound of the metal chains they put around his hands echoed in my brain as the woman talked to me. “Can I touch you?”
I shook my head fiercely. “No!” The words were gritty. “I'm not clean, you can’t touch me.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Sweetheart,” she sat on her knees, her hands resting in her lap. “You aren’t dirty.”
I gazed at her through slitted eyes. “I’m bleeding.”
Dahlia’s eyes widened. “Where?” Her gaze studied me. Not the same way Father’s did, with unquenchable hunger, but with concern and confusion. “Were you hit with a stray bullet?” Her words tumbled out of her mouth at full tilt as she spoke into a phone-like device. “We need a medic team. I have a little girl, maybe in her teens, injured.” Static met her command along with a muffled voice I couldn’t understand.
“No.” I focused my gaze on the ground and bowed in child’s pose. “I am bleeding,” I emphasized the words. The warm caress of a gentle touch traced my back.
Realization crashed into her finally. “That doesn't make you dirty.” Her words were soft as the men hauled my father away. The slamming of doors could be heard along with the panting of the large dogs. “It makes you a woman. You poor girl.” Despair laced her tone as she helped me to my feet.
My eyes snapped open. A woman?
I looked around at the men and women in uniform, unable to make out their faces as the lights from the cars blinded me. “Where?” Was the only word I could summon.
“To safety.” Dahlia smiled at me and held her hand out. Reluctantly, I grasped the warm body part, sliding my fingers across the back of her palm.
This was real. This was happening.
My pace picked up as she helped me into an unmarked car. One that didn’t have any lights or dogs. I was going somewhere different than my father.
The vehicle carrying him drove past, parallel with mine, for only a split second. But that split second was enough for our eyes to meet one last time. My eyes were so different from my father’s, a trait of my mother’s that he hated me for. His lips formed a sneer engrained deep in his expression.
‘I will come for you,’ he mouthed as the engine roared, taking him away from me. A frisson of terror ran down my spine. Icy dread making its way through my system.
A gasp left my parted lips. The slamming of the door muffled the sound. I jumped as Dahlia started the vehicle. “It’s okay,” she comforted me. “We’re getting you out of here—for good.”