The Bite (Book 1)

Original Edition - Chapter 1: On The Run

I knew no one in Alaska. Absolutely no one. It was perfect. I could disappear in a little cabin somewhere in the woods. I could grow a garden, a big garden like my mother used to have before she got sick. I could get a job, I could work at a small town store, or I could do whatever the hell I wanted without fear of repercussion.

I only stopped for the necessities. Before I crossed the border, I spotted a Wal-Mart. I knew he would try to track me down. He would be like a hound on the hunt, and I could not risk that.

I loathed Wal-Mart and the establishment that it represented, so I was a Target girl. Like that was any different. But I knew he wouldn't look for me there, so that's what I decided on as I pulled into a parking place close to the entrance. Close enough so I could run back to my car quickly if need be.

I quickly tossed new clothes in my buggy: practical leggings, a few long-sleeved t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and a rain jacket. I got some new underwear, comfortable cottons, and a few plain nude bras. It was liberating to pass up the lace. The lace that he loved. That he demanded that I always wear.

After finding the necessities, I quickly made my way to the hair dye. The long aisle full of every color of the rainbow that I could choose from; the many different identities that I could choose from.

But I went back to my roots. I always wanted to go back to my roots. I went back to the brown that was almost black that I had been born with. The dark color that seemed almost as dark as night as it contrasted with my skin that was naturally almost the color of moonlight in the dark.

It was time for a change, a change that I was more than ready for.

I purchased my items at the self-checkout, because I couldn't risk anyone seeing my face. Not only would they be horrified, but I was terrified of the trail I was leaving. I couldn't let him find me. Not ever.

The water was warm at the rest stop. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until my skin was raw. The baking soda paste that I had mixed was starting to wash away the orange that stained my skin, causing the water at my toes to turn into a resentful yellow.

My hair was another story. It was like my hair welcomed the change as it sucked up the dark dye like it was water in the desert.

My reflection almost scared me. Before me was a woman who I had not seen for so many years, that she almost seemed like a stranger. She was like a doe scared of the light from an approaching vehicle as she looked back at me in the mirror. Her long wet dark hair stuck to her skin and her wild blue-grey eyes seemed to be glowing, storming, full of fear, thought, and frantic desperation. Yet there was fight behind her eyes. There was a fire that had not been there for many many years, yet here it was, starting to slowly burn.

Her skin was pale. Like porcelain gleaming as the water started to dry up from the hot shower. She was well built, yet she had allowed that build to diminish. Yoga and cute little Zumba classes at the local country club had not allowed her to become as strong as she should be, as she would be.

But it did not matter.

Seeing myself again was the life that I needed breathed back into me, and I wasn't about to lose it.

I slept in my truck again that night. I always slept in the truck, I was terrified of motels. In a motel, he could barge in and drag me out. At least in the truck, I could lock the doors and drive away.

The morning came earlier than I would have liked, but the new sun gave me hope. I had made it three days. Three days without him. I could make it three more days, then three more days, then three more days. I could make it many days without him.

I stopped at a McDonalds along the way. God, I didn't realize how much I missed this food. I knew it was horrible for you. He used to go on and on and on about how awful it was for you, but it tasted so damn good.