Healing Faith

by Jennyfer Browne

  Within minutes, I was stepping into the general store, where everything had changed for me. It seemed a lifetime ago. I dug into my bag and pulled out the last of my cash for a tall bottle of water, ignoring the little corn cakes that had gotten me into trouble in the first place. The man behind the counter eyed me suspiciously as I asked for a restroom, eventually pointing towards the back of the store. I disappeared into the restroom, the incessant flicker of the fluorescent lights irritating as I rinsed the dirt of the road off of me.

  The water was cool and it helped against the burn that was starting along my shoulders and cheeks from the late summer sun. I looked in the mirror, the first time in days and grimaced at the image before me. A girl, flushed and gritty, with her hair still tied up in a simple bun stared back at me. I looked so plain as I traced my hairline, my cheek. I knew I was plain.

  Dull blonde hair, overlarge dark eyes and tender pink skin from the sun. I was nothing spectacular. But now, having lived the plain life, I felt even less so. It was then that I felt the prickling of the tears. I didn't belong in my life; I certainly didn't belong in his. I had nothing to show for my life, or where I might go.

  Shutting off the water forcefully I dug around in my backpack looking for my hairbrush until my fingers wrapped around my phone. I pulled it out, hesitating before I opened it to retrieve the number. It was only a matter of time before Sean might find me again.

  I dialed Stacy’s number and she answered on the first ring.

  “I’ve been so worried!” she said in a breathless voice. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t have cell service and was afraid Sean was tracking me with my phone,” I replied, relieved to hear a familiar voice.

  “I’m sorry, Katie. Dad called and threatened to cut off paying my tuition if I didn’t tell him where you were. And then Sean called me,” she said and I could hear the fear in her voice.

  I closed my eyes at the pain I had caused her.

  Sean would never stop.

  “I shouldn’t have gotten you into this mess,” I whispered and leaned against the sink, exhausted.

  “Just tell me where you are and I’ll get you here,” she started.

  “No,” I said and shook my head vehemently. “Then Sean will just come there.”

  “Then we’ll get a restraining order, Katie. Where else do you have to go?”

  “I shouldn’t have left,” I whispered. “I should have just dealt with it. Given him what he wanted.”

  “You know that would have ended with you in the hospital or worse,” she argued. “Come here, maybe Dad will be happy to have you out of sights. And the police will take care of Sean.”

  “The police will only help if he actually does something, Stacy,” I shot back. “And I don’t want to think about what he has planned for me. You didn’t see him the other night.”

  She was quiet for a moment, thinking things over.

  “What are you going to do?”

  I sighed and closed my eyes.

  “Katie, let me talk to Dad. I’ll get him to wire some money and then we’ll get you set up here. You can start over again.”

  I knew as soon as she told our father where I was, Sean wouldn’t be far away. Chances are he was having my phone traced as I spoke to her.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I know where to wire some money. Just don’t talk to Dad yet. I need to figure things out,” I replied.

  I hung up before she could answer.

  I needed to figure out what to do next.

  I contemplated hiding in the bathroom all day, but I was sure the man behind the counter was already counting the minutes I was in here. I splashed water on my face again and paced the room, weighing my options.

  I really didn't have many options left. I took a measured breath and stepped out of the restroom, trying to decide where to run next. I’d get to Stacy’s, and figure it out then. For now, I needed to get out of this town, away from the last week and more importantly, away from the threat of Sean.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed up Stacy once more. It was ringing as I stepped out onto the porch of the store.

  One ring.

  Looking down the street I caught a glimpse of one of the many buggies I had seen in the last few days coming towards us from the community.

  Two rings.

  I glanced off towards the diner and noticed an old couple entering the diner, walking past a dusty car that was parked in the alley next to the restaurant.

  Three rings.

  My heart stopped at the recognition of the car, red under all the dirt.

  Four rings.

  "Kate."

  "Katie?"

  I startled at the meaty hand that grabbed my phone, as I looked up at black eyes in wide-eyed terror.

  "Do you have any idea how worried I have been, Kate?"

  Large arms wrapped around me, arms that suffocated and gripped me too tight as the heat of Sean's body overwhelmed me in the hot summer sun. I stood there frozen in fear as he held me against him, his nose burying deep into my neck to lay a kiss at the base of my neck.

  Run.

  He let out a relieved sigh and kissed me again, the steamy wet heat of his breath uncomfortable in the heat of the day.

  "I was so worried, Kate. But I found you. Everything is okay now. Shhhh, it's all right. Don't be afraid. I found you," he whispered along my neck, making me tremble. I felt trapped, swallowed up from his massive frame tightly wound around me.

  "I missed you," he said and pulled away enough to look down at me, his smile too wide as he took me in.

  "Sean," I croaked, trying to carefully extricate myself from him.

  His smile widened further at my attempts to escape and his hands wrapped around my wrists hard, a flash in his eyes told me he knew I was trying to flee.

  "Uh-uh-ah‚" he tutted. "I won't let you go this time."

  "Please, Sean," I pleaded, feeling his hands tighten on my wrists enough to make them burn. "Please just let me go. I promise, I won't run. Please. You're hurting me."

  He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, as he looked me up and down.

  "You hurt me, Kate. By leaving. I'm not letting you out of my sight anymore. I'm taking you home. I won't have you rushing off again. You're mine," he explained in a voice that was too calm, tugging me to his side as he stepped off the steps towards his car.

  I slowed my steps, until he was practically dragging me across the street. I looked around, trying to get someone's attention. I thought to I cry out and get someone to help me, but there was no one. The old couple was safely inside the diner. The buggy I had seen way down the road was still too far away to call out to.

  I was alone, and quickly approaching the car that would deliver me back to my cage.

  "Please, Sean. I don't want to go," I whispered, struggling in his grasp.

  I felt him tighten his hold on me, whimpering at the ache in my wrists from the compression. I stumbled and tried to pull away, only to have him grip me around the waist and shove me roughly towards the car. I had just a split second to veer away and make a run for it. I turned and bolted, but hands moved in and grabbed my arm roughly and spun me hard into the side of the car, Sean's imposing body sandwiching me until I could not move.

  I shuddered as he moved against me and grabbed at my chin to bring his lips to mine in a forceful kiss. A kiss that only lasted a second before he pulled away and shoved me harder against the side of the car, his eyes raging.

  "Have you been kissing someone else? You reek of a man, Kate! Have you been whoring? To get across country? You won't let me, but you'll let some stranger do you?" he grated and held my jaw firmly in his hands until the pain made my eyes tear up.

  "Have you? Answer ME!" he yelled.

  "No. Please Sean, you're hurting me!" I whimpered, sagging against the hot metal of his car.

  "Get in the car, Kate! I wasted so much time on you, only to find you screwing around in some nothing town. I should just let you stay here, let
the guys you hooked up with have their way and throw you out like the trash you are. But I couldn't do that to your dad," he ground out, his face an inch from my own.

  "I didn't, Sean. Believe me," I whispered, trembling in his grip.

  "You're a whore, Kate. Telling me you were saving yourself, but I bet you were screwing around before we even started dating, weren’t you?" he spat and forced himself against me harder. I could feel he was aroused; clearly excited by scaring me.

  I felt sick to my stomach.

  This was not the Sean I had fallen for. This was the beast, the terrifying dark side of him. His Jekyll and Hyde.

  "Get in the car. I'll pretend you are the pure little thing you profess. For your dad’s sake, but you will always be my little whore. Maybe now that you give yourself so easily, you'll finally let me have it," he said and grabbed my face for another violent kiss.

  It was cut short by the voice behind us. A voice I knew, and thought I wouldn’t hear ever again.

  "Let her be."

  Chapter 10

  The voice startled me.

  It startled Sean more.

  He lurched away from my face, his eyes blazing at the intrusion. He looked at the man at the opening of the alley, his dark hat obscuring his face into shadow as the sun hid behind the building. But I didn't need to see him to know who he was. I knew because his profile haunted my every thought. And his voice was like a beacon of hope.

  Nathan took a step towards us, his hands bunched into tight fists beside him as he moved closer. I saw the glimmer in his eyes as they flickered my way for an instant before settling back on Sean. Taking in how Sean pulled me possessively against him. Taking in the hand around my upper arm that was squeezing it until it burned with pain. Taking in the way Sean regarded him.

  Sizing one another up.

  "Get in the car, Kate."

  Sean's voice was low, almost a growl as he opened the door and tried to shove me inside. I fought him, angling myself against the side of the car to avoid being pushed inside.

  "I said let her be," Nathan said again, taking another step towards us.

  "Mind your own business, farm boy," Sean growled and grabbed a hold of me and pushed me towards the door, my head not dipping fast enough before it met with the top of the car hard.

  I cried out, everything a blur as I struggled to pull away from Sean once more. I felt his hands shove me roughly towards the car before I was suddenly free and slipping to the ground as my knees gave way under me, crashing to the asphalt beneath me. Gripping the doorframe I pulled myself up and swayed slightly at the dizziness, but the scene before me cleared my head immediately.

  Sean circled around Nathan, who stood as still as a statue in the middle of the alley. Sean leered at me for a moment before returning his gaze back to Nathan, looking him up and down and laughing.

  "Seriously, Kate? You'd do the little country boy here and not me? Does he screw you like he screws his sheep? Do you get on all fours for him?" he said, watching as Nathan's hands closed and opened slowly. Nathan's eyes held mine, calm under the tightness of his body.

  "Stop it, Sean," I whispered.

  I could tell Sean was trying to get a reaction from Nathan. And as he circled, he moved closer and closer.

  "Stop it? Why do you always say that, Kate? Do you tell him that? When he kisses you? Do you tell him to stop? Is that why you reek of him? Did he have a little roll in the hay with you?" Sean taunted.

  "Stop it, Sean! Please! It's not like that!" I cried out, struggling to stand, only to cringe back against the car when Sean rushed over to me, his face an inch from my own.

  "It's not?" he hissed, forcing me to flinch away from him. His hand moved lightning quick and caught my wrists in his large hand, squeezing hard until I bowed over in pain.

  "Let her alone. She has done nothing wrong.”

  I was aware of Nathan beside us, and of Sean's body tensing at his closeness.

  Nathan's fingers slipped over my forearm like cool water, wrapping around Sean’s fingers with determination. I felt Sean's fingers tighten on me as Nathan's pried at them. All the while Nathan seemed eerily calm, staring intently at the man who held me captive.

  "This is not how Kate should be treated, you are hurting her," Nathan said, his voice low. Sean's eyes widened at the statement.

  "How would you know about Kate? She's mine. I'll do what I want. Stay out of it!" he growled.

  Nathan's hands never left me, even as Sean moved to block him. I felt one vice give way, followed by a shove from Sean as he continued to berate me. Nathan stood his ground, never pushing back. He continued to work at releasing me from Sean’s strong grip.

  "She's a lousy lay, you know that? Cold and limp. Of course I guess that's better than the farm animals you're used to. She’s not even worth it. At least you can get something out of livestock," Sean prodded.

  Nathan remained where he was standing and looked down at me, his face a mask of calm. But his eyes burned as he looked at me. Anger and determination made that calm exterior fierce. Something I had never seen in him before.

  "Kate, you do not need to hear this. Wait for me by my buggy. I will take you somewhere safe," Nathan was saying.

  "You won't take her anywhere! She's going with me!" Sean hissed and tried to grab me just as Nathan's fingers had pried the last finger away.

  I watched in horror as Sean pushed Nathan, Nathan holding his own, as he stood there, solid against Sean's shove. It frustrated Sean, his nostrils widening as he puffed out his chest and moved towards Nathan once more. Sean was almost as tall as Nathan, but he was definitely wider, having trained for so long with football.

  "She's coming home with me. Go back to your farm," he said and shoved Nathan a little harder.

  Again, Nathan did not budge from his spot beside me.

  "Kate, please. You do not need to stay with him. Go, it will be all right," Nathan said to me, taking his hand and moving it carefully towards my shoulder.

  "Don't touch her!" Sean yelled and pushed Nathan with an explosive force that sent both of them past me. I heard the impact of the two of them as they careened towards the dumpsters of the diner, Sean gripping Nathan by the collar and shoved him against the dumpster hard before stepping away, laughing.

  "You won't even fight. You see that, Kate? He doesn't care. He just used you for a good screw. Get in the car, we're done here," he said and turned to push me back towards the car.

  "Leave her be. She does not wish to go with you."

  I knew by the flash in his eyes that Sean had had enough.

  Nathan stepped in to intervene between us, to block Sean from grabbing at me once more, but Sean was intent to get to me. I felt Sean's grip on my arm tugging me away from Nathan. I wasn't prepared to see Sean's arm as it swung around to an unsuspecting Nathan. Nathan stumbled back a step, surprise on his face as Sean stepped towards him again, in an effort to frighten him off. But Nathan stood there, hands clenched at his side.

  I cried out when Sean moved closer, arm raised. My cry distracted Nathan, his eyes flashing towards me for a second too long when Sean's fist hit him across the jaw, forcing Nathan to retreat back another step. Sean took advantage of his distraction to push him again, knocking Nathan back and stumbling towards the wall of the alley. I knew if Sean cornered him there, Nathan would become a punching bag, no matter how fast he dodged.

  I acted on instinct.

  An instinct I never thought I would have. Perhaps it was because I hated the idea of someone like Nathan coming under attack from someone like Sean, because of me.

  I leapt for Sean's back, tugging and scratching at bare skin as best I could to distract him from pummeling Nathan. Sean faltered, stumbling back towards the car long enough to provide Nathan a chance to get way from the wall. I clung to Sean as he grabbed at me, finally wrenching me free and tossing me off of him like a rag. I landed hard against the door and fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of me. I lay there for a moment, stunned, feeling like a li
mp ragdoll.

  "Kate!" I heard Nathan cry out.

  I crouched on the ground, heaving to try to get the air back in my lungs, the ground spinning before me. Noises reached my ears, garbled as I struggled to breathe. There was a loud crash and then silence. As the quiet rang in my ears, my lungs suddenly exploded, the air rushing back in.

  With the first breath I was calling out.

  "Nathan!"

  I felt the door push past me, and hands pulling me upright to sit. I flinched at the suddenness of it all, until I felt the gentle pressure of Nathan's fingertips along my jaw, his eyes coming into focus as my vision cleared.

  "Kate? Are you all right?" he was asking.

  His hands searched my face, tracing along my temple and down my cheeks, his eyes taking in where his fingers searched. I nodded dumbly, trying my best to speak, to ask him if he was all right. He had an angry cut along his cheek, extending up towards his ear, and his bottom lip was split and bleeding. I reached up and took his hands in mine, hearing his relieved breath.

  "Where's Sean?" I whispered, suddenly terrified of what must have happened.

  Nathan’s eyes seemed more pained at my question and he shook his head.

  "We should leave, Kate," Nathan whispered.

  I looked around us, not seeing Sean at first. When I finally found him, I gasped and struggled to stand. Nathan helped me to my feet and pulled me in the direction of the alley entrance. I slowed and shook my head.

  "We should leave, Kate," he repeated, the fear in his voice apparent this time.

  "I have to see," I whispered, pulling away from Nathan to make my way towards the unmoving form in the half darkness.

  Nathan released me; my feet slow to move as I took in the image before me.

  Sean's body lay crumpled amongst the trash of the diner; his arm limp over his face. I took a tentative step closer, afraid of getting too close and having him spring to life and tear me apart.

  Afraid of getting too close and finding him dead.

  "Is he?" Nathan stammered several feet behind me.

  I knelt down and carefully moved Sean's arm away from his face. Sean let out a soft noise but didn’t stir, though his chest rose and fell. The bleeding gash across his forehead from where it seemed he had hit it along the dumpster was already starting to slow. It looked worse than it was; he'd have a bad headache when he woke up.