Dressed in a black suit like he was one of the attendants of his own funeral, he was merely a shell. That’s what I saw, a shell, a remnant of someone who had once been, but was no longer. There was no glow, no flush of the cheeks, no…life. All that remained was the vehicle that had once carried a vibrant soul.
That’s the day I was no longer afraid of dying. While I wasn’t fearful of death anymore, I had, however, become terribly afraid of coffins. Not the tight fit, so much, but the idea of being placed into the ground, buried and left to rot under six feet of dirt.
Curled into the corner of the trunk, I fought fears and anxieties long forgotten. Pushing my irrational worries aside, I attempted to control my breathing and focus on the task at hand. Besides, having been kidnapped and held by unsympathetic government agents had recently taught me what real fear was about and I wasn’t going to ruin my chance to escape it.
Tucked into the belly of the trunk, I felt the car start. The low rumbling of the muffler beneath me rattled as I sensed the car moving forward.
I had no idea what to expect next.
Considering that Keanu had placed a fabric cover over me, I assumed that the guard might inspect the trunk, probably as a standard precaution.
Caressing my abdomen with my hand, I attempted to sooth myself as much as my tiny passenger.
I hoped I wasn’t lying to her.
The car moved steadily forward. For a moment I thought maybe we’d already gone through the checkpoint and we were home free.
That’s when the car slowed to a stop.
My ears perked when I heard male voices mumbling outside. While I couldn’t make out what they were saying, the tone sounded friendly. The car doors were being opened and then slammed shut. After the fourth door closed, I braced myself for the inevitable.
An audible click directly above me caused me to flinch and a fresh wave of adrenaline shot through my veins. My mouth went dry as I heard footsteps approaching the back of the car. Two men chatted, one obviously Keanu, as their voices neared my location.
“Where are you headed?” An unfamiliar voice asked politely.
“Washington. Just going home for the weekend.” Keanu’s voice was calm and casual.
The men were standing just outside the trunk. I held my breath and closed my eyes, hoping this would be over soon and we’d be free.
The trunk lid groaned a little as it was fully opened. Praying that no part of me was visible from under the dark cloth, I waited, paralyzed.
“Which part of Washington you from?” The guard asked as I felt his eyes scanning the inside of the trunk. His voice was so loud now; I knew he was only inches away from me.
“Richmond.” Keanu’s voice cracked ever so slightly as the pressure mounted before him.
Finally, after several moments of intense praying, the trunk slammed shut and I heard the men walk away. I wanted to scream with joy that we’d done it!
All we had left to do was drive off the base and join the world of the living again!
Feeling the car jiggle a little and a door slam, I knew Keanu had gotten back into the driver’s seat. Excitement like I’d never known welled inside me.
Before this entire nightmare, I’d never thought about what it must be like to be incarcerated, or worse, sitting on death row. To be a prisoner awaiting their last meal or walking the last mile toward the moment of their last breath.
Now I understood what anxieties and pains they must endure…and the appreciation of freedom. I’d only been captive for a short time compared to many inmates, but I’d faced my worst fears and my own death head on, only to come out the other side a changed soul.
My perspectives had altered so drastically, I felt like a different person. Now being on the run, it crossed my mind that I would have to consider changing my name, which seemed appropriate now that I’d been reborn into a different light.
I had never been a materialistic person but whatever obsessions I used to have regarding my hair, make-up, clothes, etc. were virtually non-existent on my list of priorities now. Even school and my once precious archeology were pressed so far back into the recesses of my former self, I didn’t care if I ever went back.
Amy.
I would always miss Amy. I knew I could never see her again. It would too risky to associate myself with anyone I knew in my former life.
Even my grandmother, the wonderful soul who welcomed me into her life from the day she found me in the cave, would have to be left behind, filed into the memory banks of my past.
Someday, I knew that I would find a lesson in all of this, maybe even an appreciation, someday, a long time from now.
With the car moving slowly forward, inching us across the borders of salvation, I heard a noise that chilled me to the bone.
Tears streamed from my eyes immediately as a loud siren screamed outside the car. I could distinguish angry shouts emanating somewhere in the distance.
A million thoughts raced through my mind. Did the cleaning woman get caught and was forced to tell what she knew? Did they find the guard’s unconscious body in the shower stall? Maybe they went into my room for whatever reason and realized I was nowhere to be found.
As I was preparing myself for the worst, the car suddenly pealed forward, sending me rolling towards the rear of the trunk. Smashing my head against something hard, a sharp pain ripped through my forehead. A trickle of warmth drizzled down my forehead and dripped onto my hand. Crying out in pain, I applied pressure to my throbbing head with my hand.
The car swerved sharply to the left and then to the right. My entire body slammed into one side of the trunk and then the other as the car sped away from the facility.
Releasing my hand from my gushing wound and spreading my body out, I pressed my hands and feet into the four corners of the trunk to prevent from further being flung around like a rag doll.
Blood ran down my face and soaked my hair as I held on for dear life.
The sound and sensation of gravel clunking under the vehicle dominated my little space. There was an occasional tinny noise as tiny rocks rebounded off metallic parts in the undercarriage.
He’d given up everything for us. Keanu most likely wouldn’t be able to see his family again because of me. He was going to end up a fugitive for the rest of his life—if he even lived through the ordeal.
The car’s rear end fishtailed violently as we fled from the dark authorities. Hot, salty tears cascaded down my face as my arms and legs shook from holding my body taut against the sides of the trunk.
Between the rocks beating the underside of the car and the revving of the engine, I couldn’t hear anything else—until I heard a loud banging noise. Every few seconds, I could make out a bang, followed by a sound that reminded me of hail pelting a tin roof.
I nearly threw up with the realization that we were being shot at. The whole scenario reminded me of the cheesy chase scenes depicted in an action movie, only this was terrifyingly real.
With all the noise going on around me, it was startling when everything but the roar of the engine suddenly stopped. The car bounced lightly as it appeared to move from the gravel road to smooth highway. From then on, the car moved at breakneck speeds. The winds whistled around the car as the aerodynamics were pushed to the limits.
Surprisingly, and much to my relief, the gunshots had ceased. Had we gotten away? Did they give up and
