Future Rewritten

A Morning to Remember

Sitting in a dark and dingy basement, a woman tries to count the days. It's been 365 days or an entire year, now. A year since she seen the sun. A year since she felt as if there could be a way out. It's been hard on her, to the point of almost giving up.

Nothing had prepared her for this life. At the age of three, her parents die in a car crash. With no known relatives, she was forced into foster care. Every home ended up being worse than her last. Never staying long, the homes claimed they couldn't handle her.

She had always been an in-your-face type of girl. Fighting her own battles. Coming home with scraps and bruises. It seemed like no matter where she went, someone would talk down to her. Tell her she was weird or unlovable. It never stopped her from trying to find a place where she belonged.

Right before she turned 18, an distant relative stepped forward. Claiming to be uncle on her father's side. She was then sent to live with him. Hoping that he would love and accept her, she did her very best to listen and obey. Yet, it wasn't the case.

Her uncle was cruel and calculating. Every weekend he would hold card games in his basement and he would require her to wear skimpy outfits and serve all his buddies beer. After a while, her uncle racked up so much debt from a single guy, that he sold her to him to wipe the slate clean.

You would think that a woman her age would have left. Gotten out of her uncle's house and made a life for herself. It wasn't that easy. Her uncle never allowed her to go anywhere for very long. Never could have a job or money. Where would she go? What could she do? She was dependent on him. He made sure of it.

Now, sitting on a mattress on the floor, in the basement of the man who bought her, she had nowhere else to be. No where to go. No one who loved and missed her. To the world, she was nothing. Luckily, it's never stopped her.

Tonight the moon was full. She could see it from the small window across the room. Normally, the man would have that window boarded up, but she had begged him for something. Now, she gets moonlight on special nights. Unknown to her, tonight would be the most special.

The gentleman, who never gave his name to her, had another party. Like always, she was meant to serve drinks. He was winning so well, he continued to drink out of pure joy. When the party was over and the night, late, he rolled in his winnings. Proud of his accomplishments, he sauntered off to bed. Leaving the woman, unchained, unhindered, and completely to her own devices.

She waited. Watched as the moon moved in the sky. She didn't want to do anything when he could come back and lock her up. Worse, if she tried to escape and he caught her. That she's already went through and won't repeat it.

After what seemed like a couple hours, she slowly made her way up the rickety old stairs. Carefully, she opened the basement door. Trying not to make a sound. Moving on the balls of her feet, she makes it to the back door. It was locked, but luckily he left his keys on the counter next to it. He always leaves his keys next to the back door.

Once she unlocks the door, she pulls it hard. It's an old door on an old house. It can get stuck. It made a loud bang noise. Pausing, she listens for footsteps. With luck on her side, she hears none. Carefully, she opens the screen door. It makes a creaking noise, since the spring was slightly rusty, but it wasn't too loud.

Standing in the doorway, she takes a deep breath. It's the first time out in the fresh air in a long time. She had done something to piss him off and that's when he started chaining her in the basement. That's when she started to count the days.

Not wanting to hesitate too long, she softly closes the screen so it doesn't rattle. It seems she was in the clear. Tonight was the best night for her to do this. The moon allowed for her to see perfectly.

Moving through the unkept grass, she makes her way towards the tree line. She doesn't know where she is or where she's going, but anything is better than here. All of a sudden, the dogs he keeps chained go crazy. Growling, barking, and rattling metal forces the light on the second floor to turn on. It's now or never.

Running as fast as she could, as fast as her legs would carry her, she bolts. Far away from the house and the hell that's held her captive for god knows how long. Into the trees and the shadows. Anywhere and everywhere, hoping he won't find her.

A slope appears beneath her feet. Unable to stop, she slides down half way into a tree. Resting, she catches her breath. Listen for anything, a rustling of leave or a branch breaking. She knows he's after her. She is his favorite toy.

When a sound comes from behind her, she knows she must continue. Following the slope, she moves cautiously. When she reaches flat land again, she takes off. Dodging low branches, tree trunks, bushes, and even small obstacles. Need for distance, driving her.

Another slope plunges her to the ground. Rolling the rest of the way and off a small cliff. When she hits the ground, she realizes that she landed in a small creek. The water was cold, but refreshing. It makes her wish for something to drink.

Not wanting to wait around for him to find her, she clawed her way up the other side. Out of the creek bed. Covered in mud. Panting heavy, she looks around trying to decide which direction to take. When she looks through a set of trees, a small light appears.

Her mind, body, and soul was pulling her in that direction. A small fear that the light might be him, she tries to decide to go another way, but it didn't work. When she looks at the light again, she can feel safety. So she takes off toward that safety.

Her lungs start to burn. Her legs ache. She knows that she won't hold out much longer, but she needs to get to that light. She can't stop now. Not even to see if he's behind her. Today will be the day that she finally finds her place.

After what feels like eternity, she rushes through the last set of tree. Right into an open field. Pausing, she sees that the grass is cut and there are a set of goals set up. Looking around she can tell that she had found a place with people. She didn't know where she was or who was here, but it didn't matter. It's not him.

When she finally turns around, what she sees surprises her. A large black wolf is stalking her. She didn't hear him. She had no idea that he was even around. Which was surprising since he was rather large. She was so focused on trying to run, she was unaware of everything.

Carefully, she lowers herself to the ground. Not wanting the wolf to lunge and attack. Happy that she, at last, was able to rest her legs. As the wolf got closer, the sun refracted off the black-as-night coat. She didn't realize that the sun had already risen over the horizon. Yet, she was glad it had.

The wolf was magnificent. Though black, the sun refracted greens, blues, and dark purples. As if his back housed it's own universe. It would have taken her breath away, if she had any. Carefully, she looked to his eyes. One gold and one blue. Over the blue eye was a deep laceration. Not even his fur was able to grow.

Safe. In his eyes she felt safe. Even with his gums pulled back and his teeth bared, she knew she could trust this wolf. Moving her hand, she pulls her golden hair all to one side. Then she leans her head slightly to the side, exposing her neck to the even enclosing wolf.

Looking at his feet as to not provoke him, she can tell he has stopped. "I'm sorry."

She raises her blue eyes to see that the wolf was staring at her. His eyes showed more than aggression. His lips were still pulled back, but he was no longer growling or baring his fangs at her. She hoped her demonstration proved to him that she wasn't a threat.

"I'm so sorry." She looked in his eyes. "It wasn't by design. Please, I need help."

A moment later darkness envelopes her.