The wind lashed the rain across the windscreen. If it came down any harder, the wipers would not be able to keep up. The road was a blur in front of Kara. These were not the type of conditions that anyone wanted to leave home for. Only the desperate would choose to drive through a rainfall like this. And it was just rain. No rumbles of thunder, no flashes of lightning.
Just take it slow. It’s fine. Everything is going to be fine. You are safe. Just keep moving.
Over the sound of the wind and the rain, there was the distinct sound of two children in the back seat. Eli sat gurgling in his car seat while Laura tried to read out loud from her cardboard story book.
“How’s that knocking at my door?”
“I don’t know baby, who is knocking at the door?”
“A wolf!” Laura erupted with giggles, her tinkly laughter drowning out the hammering of the rain for just a moment. Kara smiled. It felt fake. Plastered on her face like so many smiles before. She was numb. She kept asking herself the same questions over and over again.
Was this far enough? Was this the right thing to do? What if he found them? Was it too late to turn around and pretend none of this had happened? What would he do when he discovered they were gone? Would he even care? Could he find them? Did she cover their tracks well enough?
She kept driving. Every minute was a step further away from being hunted, from feeling like prey. Going back was not an option. The life she had been surviving in was over, she was ready to start living. Her future stretched out in front of her but she couldn’t see, the rain was coming down too heavy.
The three bedroom semi-detached was at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. No screaming, no fights, no sirens. Just birds chirping. It was miles away from where she had been before. There was space. Freedom. Even the weak November sun was coming out to greet them in their new home. The faint sunbeams warmed her face as she breathed deeply.
Is this what peace and hope are? Breathing in the sunshine?
But still, there was that niggle of doubt in the back of her mind, reaching down into her stomach, tickling her ribs with fear. Getting away could not be that easy. There was bound to be a trap somewhere that she didn’t see yet. Even after she had arrived, she still felt hunted.
“Mama, can I knock the door?”
“No baby, you don’t need to knock the door, I have the key. This is our new home.”
“Is daddy coming?”
Kara winced.
“He’s not coming. It’s just me, you and Eli.”
Kara lifted the sleeping baby from the car and walked to the front door. For a moment, she hesitated. That feeling in her stomach, that pull backwards to her past, threatened to drag her back to a sea of pain like an undertow.
Just get inside and lock the door. Everything will be fine. Just lock the door. Wolves can’t get through locked doors.
The door opened easily. Inside was empty. Clear floors and freshly painted walls for a fresh start. Laura ran past, squeaking with delight while Eli continued to snooze peacefully. Placing him gently in the living room, Kara began running back and forth from the car, pulling inside the small collection of items that she had managed to lift before they fled. There wasn’t much in the car. She didn’t own much. He had made sure of that. As if by divine timing, once the car had been emptied and the front door locked, Eli woke from his nap to be fed. His changing bag had bottles made up for the day along with a collection of snacks. Laura wriggled on the floor as she nibbled her cheesy crackers. Eli glupped down his bottle.
“Ok, we have no food in the house so how about we order pizza for dinner?”
Laura’s small face lit up like a beacon of childhood wonder with wide eyes and cracker crumbs on her lips.
“Pizza? For real life?”
“Yeah, for real life. I’ll get it delivered so we can unpack some stuff and get the house set up for our first night.”
It was a weird experience using the new address as she handed over her details. It gave her a thrill to say it out loud. Everything they owned was in black plastic bin bags. For the time being, they would have to make do with an air mattress on the floor for the three of them. Eli did have his Moses basket but something told Kara that she would want him sleeping closer to her. It was fine. It was good. Everything was going to be just dandy. Looking around, it was clear that the house had been freshly decorated for their arrival. The smell of paint hung in the air, the carpets still had fluff on them from being fitted, the blinds still had stickers to be removed before she could close them.
KNOCK KNOCK
“Who’s that knocking at the door?”
Kara peeked through the blinds, willing her heart beat to slow down.
“It’s just the pizza guy.”
Panic over.
Everything is fine. They were sitting eating pizza on the floor and then everyone could go to bed. There would be no shouting, no cursing, no beating. Just a quiet bedtime. Everything is fine.
As the evening wore on, the bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling lit the house with a white glow. They were safe. Putting the kids to sleep on an air mattress was a new experience. They sat together cross legged with Eli lying in the middle, kicking his legs in excitement. They read a book. The idea of getting a story at bedtime was a foreign concept to Laura. They had never done this before. She sat memorised by the story which started to unfold from the battered pages of ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’. Of course, they had to read the story of the big, bad wolf too. Once the babies were down for the night, Kara wandered around her new home, tracing her fingers along the walls and surfaces, her fingertips drinking the details of the house which would become their home. For a brief moment, Kara allowed herself to make small plans. Maybe they could go to the library and find some books that don’t have big, bad wolves knocking at doors. For the first time in a long time, Kara allowed herself to have a drink. It wasn’t anything hardcore, just a tin of alco-pop. There she was, sitting alone on her living room floor, her and a small tin to celebrate her great escape. No glass to pour it in or fancy metal straw to use. Just her and a tin of something bubbly. Everything was good. Outside, the rain had started up again, the force of the downpour was rattling off the window. She hadn’t realised how loud it really was until she had been sitting there for a while. As she listened, the rain lashed down in a rhythm. There was a deep rumble as the water drenched the tarmac outside while a tinkle of rain danced across the window every few seconds. She didn’t hear the knocking, not at first. She thought she had heard something but wasn’t sure. With every passing moment, she reminded herself that she was safe. Nobody knew where they were, she doubted anyone would come looking for them. Then it came again, louder this time. By the time Kara had registered what she was hearing, the knocks had transformed into brutal thumps against the front door.
“OPEN IT!!! I KNOW YOU ARE THERE!! KARA!! OPEN THE DOOR!!”
Kara clenched every muscle in her body. Every bang echoed through the house. Eli began crying upstairs. She knew exactly who was knocking at her door. The Big Bad Wolf had come for them. And he was hungry.
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