He Follows ✔

Chapter 11

Michelle had taken too much pain in the last two weeks.

She had to get out of this place and her father was coming with her.

She had been whipped, starved, and forced to watch her father in pain because of her.

She was tired of doing nothing and tired of causing other people pain.

Bradley and her father had almost gotten killed because of her.

She thought of a plan to get out of the room she was in.

Since she couldn't talk to Bradley, she tried to find a way to communicate with him. She needed to ask him if Hank was there whenever he brought in her food and water.

If Hank wasn't there then she would attempt to get out.

She waited nervously for the door to open.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly.

She found her eyes starting to droop with the need for sleep, but she was jerked awake by the sound of the door opening.

She jumped up, a little too eager.

Bradley came in, confused by her sudden burst of energy. She ran over and grabbed the water glass from his hand.

She had an idea.

She signaled with her hand for him to stay and then dipped her finger in the water. The floor was made of concrete, so it was easy for her to use water to write.

She wrote out, "Is Hank here right now?"

Instead of shaking his head yes or no, he surprisingly answered her.

"No, he always goes out at this time. Why?"

Instead of drawing this time, she openly spoke.

"I have to see my father and get out of here."

Bradley held his mouth open in shock.

"You... you can't do that."

"Please. You can come too. We can all get out of here."

Bradley shook his head in fear.

"No...no he would find us."

"No, he wouldn't. My father and I would find a place where he never would. We don't have much time though. You have to let me see my dad and we can get out of here."

Bradley said nothing. He looked like he was staring at a small crack in the wall, pondering what it would mean if he left.

"He is in control of my whole life. If I left, I would finally be free of him."

"Yes and you could come with us wherever we go if you want. We just have to go now."

Bradley came over and reached for her hand to pull her up from where she sat.

"Follow me."

Bradley walked quickly down the hallway with Michelle following quickly behind. He constantly looked at his watch, muttering something that Michelle couldn't make out.

They finally arrived at a door that looked exactly like hers had.

Bradley put the key in the lock and then opened the door.

She ran inside and there her father sat. He looked awful and tears started to pour down her face. His clothes were barely hanging onto his body, his face was a mix of black and blue, and his wrists were rubbed raw from the zip ties.

She knelt beside him.

"Father. Father can you hear me? Please father."

His eyes were swollen shut but she could hear a whisper come out of his mouth.

"Run."

"No father. I won't leave you here. You have to come with us!"

Bradley came over with a small pocket knife and cut the ties around his hands.

Michelle took his hand and kissed it over and over.

"Michelle," he whispered.

"Yes, father. I am here."

"I love you so much. But you have to go and leave me here."

"Father! I can't! I just found you and now you are telling me to leave you here to die!"

Bradley started to tap his foot rapidly.

"Michelle, he is going to be back any minute now. We have to go."

Michelle turned to him with anger in her eyes.

"Then leave, Bradley. Just leave! Because I am not leaving without my father."

Michelle watched in sorrow as Bradley ran as fast as he could out of the room.

She had no hope left. She wanted so badly to run out the door with Bradley, but she just couldn't leave her father.

She put her head in his lap and she could feel him start to stroke her hair.
She had stopped crying. When she was a girl, her father would always stroke her hair and it made her calm down. It did the same now as it did then. She felt at peace.

But her peace was quickly interrupted.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Michelle did not react to his voice. She felt that nothing could scare her anymore.

"Michelle...Michelle look at me."

Michelle did just the opposite.

She looked up at her father.

She actually hoped that Hank would pull out his gun and shoot them both just then. She felt so much peace being with her father, but she knew Hank wouldn't shoot her.

"You know we were in the military together. Your father and I were best friends. I used to call him 6:15 cause he got up at that time every single morning."

Michelle looked up at Hank then.

"I thought you were supposed to be dead."

He laughed then.

"Yeah, I thought so too until I woke up in the hospital."

"What happened after that? I thought y'all were best friends."

"We were until he found out I was alive and told him that you were going to be my wife. He refused my offer and told me that that was your decision to make one day. Threat after threat this little man still held out against me. It was always his will power in the military that impressed me and now I see it in you too."

"Please just let us go. He needs to be taken to the hospital or he is going to die."

"He is the only thing that ever stood between us. The only thing he is going to need to see is the grave."

Before Michelle had any time to react, Hank pulled out his gun and shot her father in the chest.