Tina Stewart Brakebill

Flashback post for Fandango’s Flashback Friday

I’d noticed the lights when I left the motel. They never got closer. But they also never dropped back. It was like we were attached by an invisible static line. I told myself I was being paranoid but a line from that movie he loves kept running through my mind.

“Who are those guys”?

Except I knew who it was. It had been two days since I escaped. I thought I was ok. Even stopped to sleep for a few hours before getting back on the road before dawn. But then those damn lights appeared. Nearly 24 hours later and they were still there.

I must be wrong. There’s no way he could have found me. But what if he did. He said he’d kill me if I ever left. I can’t go back. I won’t go back. Those lights felt like his eyes. Glowering. Raging. Unblinking.

I will not go back.

As the bridge loomed ahead, another line ran through my mind.

“The fall’ll probably kill ya.”

And then the lights went out.

(174 words)

Written and inspired by FFfAW ‘s photo prompt (provided by Jodi McKinney) with a little help from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.  

And remember, domestic violence is NOT just a story or a piece of flash fiction. If you are in danger, please use a safe computer to access info at https://nnedv.org/ or call 911, a local hotline, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.