Escape

Beth loses sight of the bridge, engulfed in the flow of a raging river sweeping her around a bend. Her backpack pulls her under, impeding her ability to swim. Lose the bag. Panic sets in as she struggles to keep her head above the frigid water and fight the current to get to the river’s edge. No, I can’t!

Sucked beneath the choppy surface, all sound cuts off, replaced by churning bubbles. Beth’s body twists, over and over, confusing her which way is up. Sunlight fades as the river claims her, dragging her down.

A memory she doesn’t want to remember comes up: the anguish of loss overtaking her mind, breaking her as she weeps and screams in the backseat. Her arms tighten around a soft, furry object as fire rages unhindered in the car across from her. The high-pitched screams of her parents died long ago, replaced with crackling metal, acrid smoke, and a sweet, putrid taste. Misty rain cascades under the streetlights, but not enough to douse the flames. I was alone.

Beth’s lungs protest, but her mind commands action, and her limbs reply as she claws her way up from the river’s murky depths. Light charges at Beth, and the river spits her out. She gasps and chokes, still caught firm in the river’s grip as white noise assaults her.

Sirens rang in her ears that night, aggressive and invasive, as pain tore through her broken and battered teenage body. Swaddled under blankets, her arms were bound to a stretcher.

Desperate to grab onto something, Beth’s arms flail, and her hands reach out, but she’s moving too fast in the flow. Not finished, the current rakes her body over jagged rocks, tosses her around, pulls her under, casts her out, and sweeps her over rapids without compassion. Pain registers, it’s everywhere; she can’t pinpoint any place she isn’t hurting. Why fight it?

“Whole family was wiped out, man. One survived,” said someone, pushing body bags into the hospital elevator from the hallway. One of those should have been for her. This punishment, brutal and just, is appropriate for her crime. Beth gives in and lets go. This is what I deserve…