Chapter 1: The Escape

The anxiety Evelyn was feeling had her heart beat pounding in her ears. The closer the taxi got to the airport the more fear gripped her heart. Fear of this being only a dream. Fear of leaving a trail. Fear of being caught. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not being strong enough. The list went on and on.

Taking a deep breath she looked at the seat beside her where her heart was. Such a beautiful baby wrapped snuggly in her car seat sleeping soundly with out a care in the world. The site of her baby girl strengthened her resolve. No matter what, she had to leave. There was no going back. Even if they tracked her she had to be strong and refuse to return. Her daughter's happiness and ultimately her daughter's life depended on her.

Just minutes later the taxi arrived at the airport. The driver was kind enough to help her unload everything and put it on a cart. Once everything was loaded on the cart she went around the car, unbuckled the carseat, and carefully placing it on the stroller caddy. Looking down at her sleeping daughter Evelyn smiled for the first time in a long time. Coming back around the car she payed the driver and thanked him for his help. As he drove off she quickly maneuvered the stroller and cart in through the airport doors.

Once inside, she headed to the United Airlines counter to check in. At the counter Evelyn gave them her ticket print-offs. She had secretly printed them off this morning under a different email address. Evelyn then tagged and checked in her two large suitcases. One suitcase was old and worn. It was hers from before getting married. While the other one was brand new just bought yesterday. When questioned as to why she had bought it, it was easy enough to lie and say it was to replace the old one. But even with that as her cover story she knew he was suspicious.

Once done at the counter she was directed to the security check point. The line to the check point wasn't too long but standing there waiting made her antsy. She could almost hear the seconds ticking away slowly on the wall clock. Looking up at the clock, Evelyn realized that by now everyone probably knew she was missing. But if not everyone, her husband definitely did. This thought in and of itself caused chills to go down her spine. Her anxiety was back in a flash as the line slowly crept forward. She knew that once she passed the security check point she would be safe, or at least safer.

A slight whimpering sound caught her attention and pulled her out of her thoughts. Looking down she noticed her daughter starting to stir. Unbuckling her from her car seat and picking her up she noticed signs of her being hungry. Bouncing her gently she bent down under the stroller and dug into the diaper bag for a bottle. Luckily she had the foresight to make one before they left.

Popping off the lid she placed it in her mouth and watched as she greedily drank it.

It was hard to believe but her baby girl was five months old already. It felt just like yesterday when she rushed to the hospital to have her. She had originally been depressed to find out she was pregnant. It felt like another chain tying her to a bad decision. Little did she know that instead of a chain to hold her, she was the key to free her. Without her she would not have had the strength or will to leave her toxic marriage. Her daughter had become the very reason for her to live.

Looking down at her daughter she was amazed at how big she had gotten. She was born at just over 7 lbs but now she was over triple that. Her eyes were already changing from the murky gray blue that infants have to a striking ocean blue. Pairing them with her thick black hair she was noticeably a beautiful baby.

Not wanting to draw attention or be memorable she made sure to dress her in a simple one piece outfit with a hat to cover her hair. Evelyn did the same thing for herself choosing a overly large black sweater, a taupe jersey knit maxi dress and black flats. Her chestnut brown hair was hidden under a blonde wig. Her look said rushed single mom.

As the line moved forward Evelyn struggled with moving the stroller, moving the cart, and feeding her daughter. She realized that from now on this would be her life. She would be solely responsible for their lives. She would have to be strong. She would have to shoulder their burdens alone. With this thought in mind Evelyn tightened her hold on her daughter and promised herself that no matter what she would not return. She would do whatever it took to succeed. She would get stronger and be independent. She would make her daughter happy and that was all that mattered.

Within a matter of minutes the bottle was empty and though she was still hungry Evelyn hoped she was content enough to make it through the security check point. By this time they had made it to the front of the line and were waiting to be summoned to the security counter to check their tickets and passports.

"Next!" ,called the security officer at the counter.

Evelyn quickly placed her daughter in her carseat. While praying,that she would not start crying, Evelyn grabbed their tickets and passports and then pushed the stroller while pulling the cart.

"Tickets and verifying identification?" ,Ask the security officer.

Placing the documents in his hand Evelyn forced herself to not look around. The last thing she needed was to get detained for being suspicious.

He looked over the documents making sure they matched up and then looked at her and the baby to make sure they matched up as well. " Looks like everything is okay here." He said as he handed her back the stuff. " Do you have any liquids, weapons, or anything else on you today that needs to be verified?"

"I have a baby bottle with water?" She stated.

"Okay, we will have to test it. You guys will go to lane one were they'll test the bottle and x-ray your bags. After that you should be free to go." He said while pointing to lane one.

Going to lane one she unloaded the cart and placed the carry-on bags on the the conveyer belt. Then, digging out the baby bottle full of water she handed it over to the lady security officer to be swabbed.

"Do I need to put my purse and the diaper bag through the x-ray scanner? Evelyn asked the officer.

"Yes. Please, put them each in a tote along with any electronic devices you may have." ,responded the officer.

Following the instructions Evelyn placed her purse and the diaper bag in totes a long with her phone. Walking to the other side of the scanner Evelyn collected the two carry-on bags, the diaper bag, her purse, and phone only now she did not have a cart to pile everything on. She was trying to figure out what to do when someone started to fuss because she was hungry still.

The security officer had finished her test on the bottle and was bringing it over to her when she saw the situation Evelyn was currently in. "Ma'am, would you like me to call a electric cart over to help you get to your gate?" She asked

Relieved to have the problem solved Evelyn responded with a smile and a, "Yes, thank you."

The officer radioed for a electric cart and then went back to her station, leaving Evelyn to wait on her own. Evelyn didn't mind as she had an unhappy camper on her hands and decided to make the other bottle while waiting. While fixing the bottle Evelyn realized she had made it through the security checkpoint. A smile appeared on her face with this realization. She was finally free of the darkness that had controlled her these past three years. She had Escaped.