#ac077

She could hear them. She knew they were coming for her next and judging by the haunting silence that was now coming from the upstairs of the home, she knew her time was limited. She had to act fast. She held her breath as she hid beneath the wooden steps leading to the basement, ensuring her entire body was deep within the shadows as she heard the creaky door swing open. Within seconds, four men had invaded the basement, curse words dripping from their lips, laced in the thick southern accents as they began their hunt for her. Quietly she watched them, blue hues following their darkened frames as they made their way further into the basement, nearing the water heater now and granting her just enough space. This was it. Acting fast, she wrapped her fingers around either side of the wooden plank that made up the step – the fifth one from the bottom – and without further hesitation, she pulled herself beneath the handrail and up onto it, gaining her footing as quickly as possible before rushing up the steps, no longer bothering to keep herself quiet. With their attention caught by the sound of her bare feet scurrying up the steps, they turned on their heels, and suddenly they were right behind her. For the first time in her life, luck decided to remain on her side as she stumbled over the top step, jamming her knee into the doorframe as she turned to slam the basement door shut, shaky hands managing to lock it as she mentally thanked whatever God existed for the extra locks her parents had installed on the door to keep her in. As ironic as the situation seemed, she had done it. She had made it, but even still, she knew she needed to continue to act fast if she truly wanted to escape. She sucked in a deep breath as she turned away from the basement door, ready to run and leave everything behind without a second glance back – that’s when her eyes landed on it; the scene in front of her. Blood was everywhere. Cryptic messages scribbled across the walls, the dark red liquid dripping from each letter that made up the warning to the other compound members, reminding them of exactly what would happen if they dared break the rules the way her family had. It was a show, a display, an example. Large footprints scattered the light carpet, while small puddles worked on seeping into the natural hardwood flooring, staining the home for forever. Her stomach turned as she made her way forward, threatening to spill out what little contents it had within it as her blue hues now landed upon what would become the final scene of her family. There they were, drained and displayed across the living room furniture – another example to other cult members, another show. It was the Winston Family Showcase, and she would be damned if she was going to become part of it. With another deep breath in, she forced her frozen feet to move, to push their way through the remainder of the home and out the front door without a second glance back. To pick up speed the closer she got to the outside world, finally breaking out into a full-blown sprint the second the crisp nighttime air hit her cheeks. This was it. Time passed, and she had completely lost track of it before she finally came to a stop. She didn’t know how long she had been running for, or how far she had gotten, all she knew is that she had escaped. She doubled over, the palm of her hand gripping at the trunk of the closest tree as she heaved inwards, her lungs struggling to catch oxygen as her stomach once again threatened to spill, malnourishment being the only thing stopping her. Dropping to her knees, adrenaline and fear pumped through her as she glanced up at the night sky, silently counting the stars before dropping her hand from the tree and moving to push it through her tangled blonde locks. A small smile dared tug onto the curve of her lips as silent tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. She had done it. She knew she could only rest a moment before she needed to get back on the move, but, this was it, this was the moment she had finally done it. For the first time in her life, she was free. Genevieve Lynn Winston was free.