Escape

She walks numbly, her feet swathed in the fog drifting up from the piles of snow. She knows not where she is going, only that she must continue to move or risk the frostbite that will come with the night.

The delicate streaks of the sunset hover over her as she moves on, the snow-capped hills rising like pyramids in the distance. Her cape offers little protection from the cold, but her hat, looking as if the purple streaks of the sunset have formed the brim, will serve to protect her should the skies open up with delicate crystals.

She left in a hurry, paying little heed to her warmth and comfort. He would be coming after her, she knew, as she put as many steps as possible between them. One wrong turn in the frigid wilderness could mean death – either at the mercy of the weather or the cruelty of his hands.

She had endured his roller-coaster life, the ups too few and the downs too numerous to count. All had been well until he broke, taking her with him into the depths of despair. She wanted no more of it, but he had isolated her, kept her remotely removed from even the fringes of society. Her life was barren, and now she craved escape.

She waited until he was in a drunken stupor to sneak out. She had nothing with her and nowhere to go, but go she must. Life was not life anymore – it was a slow, creeping death in a living hell.

She hurried, her feet leaving tell-tale footprints in the snow. If she was lucky, more snow would fall, masking her trail. But more snow meant her way would be ponderous. There was no answer for her. She only knew one thing. Fear was driving her into the unknown, away from the horrid known that had been her life.

Escape

She kept her eyes straight ahead, seeking her destiny. The wind caught her cape like a sail and she drifted away. She would be somewhere else in the morning.