Two: Lana

Lana's P.O.V.

There was no hiding the fear in my eyes as I stared at the broken man in the bed before me. For years he had taken pleasure in every bruise, cut, and broken bone he had inflicted upon my body. Yet, karma had finally caught up with him, and we were going to be free from his torture.

In the past, I had been his only victim. The only one to feel the pain brought on by his rage and fists. But one drink too many, and he found himself thrown through his windshield with his car imbedded in the back of a pickup truck. Thankfully, the couple he hit had walked away with minor injuries. My husband wasn’t so lucky and that made me happy.

The steady beeping made my eyes narrow as I willed for the line on the screen to stop bouncing up and down. It would only be the perfect ending to our horrific marriage. The plugs right behind the head of his bed taunted me as I imagined locking the door and ripping them from the wall.

Only there were no locks on hospital room doors, and pulling the cords would only serve as a guarantee that I would be separated from my daughter. I looked over as my wildly curious four-year-old grabbed the edge of the windowsill, looking out over the city. Her headphones blocked out the noise around her.

This was the first time she had been able to see the world from so high up, and her pale green eyes widened at the view from the fifth-floor hospital room.

The out-of-pattern loud beeping made my head snap back over, fear filling my veins as I waited for him to open his eyes and see me. Only he remained unaware of the world around him, and the blood-pressure cuff on his arm began to fill with air.

Taking advantage of a distracted Maddie, I let out a breath of relief and stepped forward to lean over the disfigured and unconscious body of my husband.

"Karma is a cruel bitch." I said as I whispered in his direction, keeping my face just far enough away that I would be able to see his arresting grey eyes should they start to open. My hand rested against his chest without applying any pressure. "You deserve this, James. I hope you can feel every broken bone, every cut, and every bruise."

I glanced up to see Maddie pushing a dead fly across the windowsill with the tip of her finger, and I curled my lip in disgust. This was exactly what he deserved. I could only hope that the medical care matched the cleanliness of the facility.

"I'm taking Maddie now, and you will never find us again. Enjoy Hell." I whispered, patting my fingers on his chest slightly harder than I needed to before pushing off him and walking away. My hand dropped down the back of Maddie's soft head of light brown hair, and she glanced up at me with wide, innocent eyes. I removed her headphones gently from her ears, placing them around her neck. "Come on, sweetie. Say goodbye to Daddy."

She looked over at James, pressing herself against the back of my thigh as her soft voice called out, "Bye, Daddy."

The feeling of relief washed over me as I scooped her into my arms and walked briskly from the room. It had been a long time coming. Years of setting money aside and planning had finally paid off.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, making me look over my shoulder to confirm the hallway was empty. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and I tightened my grip on my daughter as I picked up my pace. Each draw of breath came easier than the last, but the feeling didn't go away.

It felt as though there was something my body knew that I didn't. With each step away from my past, I felt myself growing more excited for my future.

It took six hours of driving with only a few bathroom breaks for Maddie to relieve herself before we pulled up to the quant little cabin. I smiled in relief that our new home wasn't as cut-off as I had expected. The woman who agreed to rent it to me had made it sound more like a cottage, completely off the grid, but I was happy to discover it appeared that of a small house.

The best part was that the closest neighbor was a small drive away, so we would have our privacy, and I wouldn't have to wonder if every passing car was James since there wouldn't be any.

As I helped Maddie free from her car seat, my heart jumped into my throat at the sound of a lone wolf howling in the distance.

The setting sun was bringing with it a rapidly forming nip to the air. Maddie glanced around the trees in wonder and excitement, ready to explore, but I put my hand on her shoulder before she could make a break into the unknown wilderness around us.

"We can explore later. It's getting late, and we need to get settled in before it gets too dark." I said softly, noticing the circles under her eyes from exhaustion. Grabbing our bag of essentials from the front seat, I took her hand, and we made our way to the front door.

The creak of the porch steps made me smile, knowing I would hear anyone approaching before they could knock or break in. It was a quaint little home, fully furnished with sheets covering everything to keep it clean.

Only, there were pine needles and leaves scattered across the hardwood floor from the trees outside, and the small droppings on the coffee table, which I could only assume were from a rat, gave away how much work this home was going to be. There was no way Maddie could go unsupervised while conscious until I had a chance to clean it and make it child friendly.

It took a short while to get the living room cleaned up. Thankfully, with no sign of our little friend that had defecated on the furniture. Until I had the chance to clean out and inspect the other rooms in the house, this was where we would be sleeping.

I wrapped Maddie up in her blanket, laying her down on the couch and smiling when she instantly fell asleep from the excitement of the day. Knowing she would be safe here for the few minutes it would take me to bring in the rest of our belongings, I made my way outside to the car.

The door of the rusted old station wagon I had purchased with cash for less than two months' rent, squealed as I pulled it open to gather our belongings. I groaned when I noticed the food Maddie had left spread out along the back seat. The half-eaten chicken nuggets and French fries were sure to attract critters or animals tonight if left there.

I crawled into the car, collecting all of the pieces of her dinner from the floor and seats. The jeans I wore did nothing to help protect me from the cold air of the night as the wind blew against my backside.

The sound of howling surrounded me again, louder than the time before, and I straightened my spine, smacking my head on the roof of the car before scampering out to check the woods around me.

My hand moved around my body to the back of my waistband, feeling the cold metal under my shirt for comfort. I hadn't intended to use it unless James showed up, but after several more wolves joined in to sing with the first, I had to reconsider.

My daughter came first. If any wild beast got too close to her, I would shoot it.