Unavoidable
Authors: Yara Greathouse
Unavoidable
by
Yara Greathouse
Unavoidable
Copyright © 2014 by Yara Greathouse
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission
of the above author of this book. If you are reading this book and have not purchased
it or won it in an author or blogger contest, this book has been pirated. Please delete
and support the author by purchasing the book from one of its many retailers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents
are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced
in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use
of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark
owners.
Published by Yara Greathouse, PO Box 483, Rockwall, TX 75087
Copyright © 2014 by Yara Greathouse
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission
of the above author of this book. If you are reading this book and have not purchased
it or won it in an author or blogger contest, this book has been pirated. Please delete
and support the author by purchasing the book from one of its many retailers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents
are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced
in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use
of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark
owners.
Published by Yara Greathouse, PO Box 483, Rockwall, TX 75087
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my grandmother, Margarita de Fernandez, who taught me to
read and write before I started to attend school, showed me that my imagination was
a powerful tool and told me stories of the good old days to make me laugh.
Mami – I love you, I miss you and we will reunite again, one sweet day.
This book is dedicated to my grandmother, Margarita de Fernandez, who taught me to
read and write before I started to attend school, showed me that my imagination was
a powerful tool and told me stories of the good old days to make me laugh.
Mami – I love you, I miss you and we will reunite again, one sweet day.
Chapter 1
Brianna
(A little over three years ago)
Some people expect greatness out of life. My only expectation was survival. You can
say someone has bad luck when they are able to crawl out of a fire pit after years
of torture only to fall into a lion’s den, but I am strong enough to survive both
and scared enough to do something crazy in order to get away.
My heart is beating so loud and fast I think it may give away my location. There’s
not much time before they come looking for me. Luckily, it is late in the evening
and the bus station is rather empty.
Get a grip, Brianna
.
I cannot call attention to myself. Stepping casually into the restroom, the first
thing that hits me is the nasty smell of urine. God knows when this restroom was last
serviced. Then I notice the pale green walls and the pink sinks. This room has not
been touched since the early 80’s - literally. I notice my reflection in the mirror
and quickly spring into action and start to remove all traces of my current life.
Take the makeup off. The most masculine clothes I have will have to do - Baggy and
saggy jeans and an extra-large sweatshirt. Pulling up my long brown hair around my
head and fastening it with pins. Then, I put on the wig of short black hair which
I took from a new girl before I left. I don’t think she will miss it, after all she
had like twenty of them. Putting on the baseball cap, I chance a look in the mirror.
Almost done. The finishing touch: brown colored contact lenses I had gotten from the
super store’s vision center a while back in order to cover my blue-green eyes. Stepping
away from the sink, I stared at the image in the mirror. I just might be able to get
away with it.
Snap out of it
.
I have to hurry. Opening the black trash bag I brought with me, I take the clothes
I took off and placed them in the bag. Placing my trash bag at the bottom of the bin,
I put the restroom’s trash filled with discarded paper towels on top of mine. Hopefully
if they look inside this trash bin they will only see the paper towels and not realize
my clothes are underneath.
Calmly, I sling my back pack on my shoulder and walk out of the restroom making my
way to the ticket window. Looking at the board, I see the next bus is headed to Miami,
FL. There is an older lady inside the booth and it looks like she is reading a book.
As casually as I can, I say: “Excuse me, ma’am, one ticket to Miami, please. When
is the bus leaving?”
Without looking at me, she says “It leaves in 20 minutes.” She rings up my ticket,
I hand her the cash and she gives me my change.
Shit
! 20 minutes is 15 minutes too long. I have to find a hiding place
pronto
.
After I get the ticket, I turn around and scan the room. I decide to chance it and
step outside. I look around and find the bus arrival/departure area. The bus was already
waiting for passengers, but I am not stupid. Those goons will show up in a few minutes
and the first place they will look will be on that bus. The second place will be the
bathrooms. At the moment I am covered by the shadows in the parking lot. I have to
find a hideout fast. My head starts hurting and my heart is thumping.
Breathe. Breathe.
A vehicle is coming. I hide around the corner of the building trying to figure out
where to go. When the vehicle pulls up next to the bus, I realize it is a white van.
On the side, there is a sign that says “Joy of Clean, Janitorial Services.” The driver
and another guy get out of the van and then they go to the back of the van to get
their cleaning equipment out. They are talking about their weekend plans, joking and
laughing. I find myself wishing I could joke and laugh about my current situation...
Once they are in the building, I make my way to the van and try the handle – the door
opens! While climbing inside the van I hear a loud engine approaching. I don’t bother
to look, my heart is telling me it’s them. And I still have ten more minutes before
the bus is ready to go. I quickly slam the door, lock it, and hide behind the driver
seat, next to all the brooms and mops and cleaning solutions.
Just as I settle behind the seat, the vehicle pulls up near the van. I recognize the
voices. It’s Jesse and two of his body guards. I tried to stay calm, but my body is
not paying attention to my brain at the moment. I am so scared I shiver and shake
as if I was locked inside a commercial freezer. At this moment, I would much rather
be inside a commercial freezer than waiting for these monsters find me. I hear Jesse
give instructions for one of them to go inside the building, the other to go around
the building and he was going to look inside the bus.
Minutes feel like decades and time moves ever so slowly – but my heart is beating
double time. I feel someone lean on the van and try the handle, only to find it locked,
then something hits the van and I jerk out of fear, but there are no windows on the
back of the van and they cannot see me.
“Son of a bitch!” Jesse says as they reconvene in the parking lot. “Are you sure you
didn’t see anything?” He asks the others.
“Nothing, Sir.” One of the goons answers.
“Did you show her picture to the cashier?”
“Yes, Sir. Also to the cleaning crew and the few customers inside the building. No
one has seen her around here.”
“Dammit!” He says and hits the van again causing my heart to jump. I realize I have
stopped breathing and make myself inhale slowly.
“If she is not here, she must be at the train station. Let’s go!”
After loud doors slam, I hear the squeal of tires peeling out of the parking lot and
at the same time the bus engine reeves up. I jump from behind the seat up over the
driver side and quickly look out of the window – they are gone! Unlocking the door,
I jump out of the cleaning van and run towards the bus moving my arms so the driver
sees me right as he was getting ready to take off.
The driver opens the door and asks “Got any luggage?”
“No luggage, thanks.” I climb up and start walking towards the back of the bus.
“Miss?” I hear the driver voice again and my soul jumps out of my skin, he has recognized
me!
“Do you have your ticket?” Realization dawns on me as I turn around, dig inside my
pocket and pull the ticket out, passing it to him. He gives me what is seems a knowing
smile and I swiftly turn around and move towards the back, staying away from the windows
– they were definitely not safe. Not until I leave this awful place. Finding an empty
seat on the aisle next to an older lady, I sit down. Leaning back on the seat, I am
able to take a deep breath. Looking up to the Heavens, I quietly whisper a thank you,
and it is the first time in a long time my lips dare to give in to a tiny smile. Once
my body stops trembling and my breathing returns to normal, I realize we are out of
the city limits and it is the first time in at least a year that I actually feel hopeful
instead of hopeless.
“You will NEVER be able to hide from me, you fucking bitch! I will find you and destroy
you! I will never stop looking for you!”
Jesse’s voice chases me while I run as fast as I can, leaving me no choice but to
draw a huge breath of air. I feel a hand on my arm, shaking me gently. My eyes open
in a panic and I look down at my arm, then up, following the hand that is touching
me. My gaze stops on a pair of gentle eyes looking sadly at me.
“You were having a bad dream, dear.” The old lady says to me. I nod at her and smile
thanking her for waking me up. There’s no telling what I have blabbered about while
I was dreaming and I need to keep everything low key.
I look around carefully noticing everything for the first time. The lights are off
with just a faint glow coming from the emergency exit signs. Looking out the window,
I read the next road marker that we come across. It appears we are in South Carolina.
The temperature inside this bus is a little chilly, and I’m thankful for the oversize
sweatshirt I have on. Getting up slowly to stretch my aching muscles, I look at all
the other passengers around me: everybody’s head is bobbing gently following the motions
of the bus. I allow myself to relax a little. Things are going good and this crazy
idea is going to work out after all.
When the bus arrives at the next stop, I approach the driver and ask how long we have
to use the facilities. Fifteen minutes before we head out again. I hurry to use the
restroom – another dinky one, but at least smells of pine sol instead of pee – and
then I head towards the vending machines. Things have gotten pricey: I slide in a
dollar and a quarter for a bottle of Coke, and another dollar for a Twix bar. Can
you say sugar high? Shaking my head, I head back to the bus, the driver is talking
to another passenger, telling him the next stop is Atlanta, Georgia, and after that
he is headed for Columbus, Georgia. I have never been too comfortable in extra large
cities. I start to consider where to get off. Although my ticket says Miami, Florida,
I do not want to end up there. If Jesse figures out that I left on this bus, he will
follow.
Jesse is like my very own dedicated and personal bounty hunter, although I have never
committed a crime, he treats me as if I had taken away everything that matters to
him, when in reality he has done that to me and others. He is obsessed with owning
me. Relentless. Always seeking me out. I have to come up with a plan to keep him away.
If I could fake my own death I would do it, just to get rid of him, but I lack the
contacts, money and access to do what’s needed to carry out that plan.
Relaxing in my seat, I close my eyes again and when I wake up, I will be where life
wants me to be. Long ago I made a promise to myself: When I finagle my way out, there
would be no regrets and life will be lived to the fullest enjoying every day as if
it was my last. I have suffered enough during my life and I am letting go of all that.
Will my future be happy? Who knows, but I’m sure as hell going to give it everything
I’ve got.
The bus driver makes the announcement that we are arriving in Columbus, Georgia. I
can’t help but to smile. Those three steps leading out of the bus are symbols of freedom,
happiness and the possibility of dreams to be sought after – I cannot wait to leap
out of this bus and into life. As the sun comes out in the horizon I look at the blazing
orange, blue and yellow sky and say to myself “Happy Birthday, Brianna.” Today, I
am 18 years old and free.
Looking around the neighborhood makes me wonder if a bus station has ever been built
in a decent area. There are questionable individuals everywhere. Thank goodness for
daytime arrivals. Nothing can put a damper on my day, however, and I have tons of
things to do. First and foremost I have to find a place to stay and put into motion
the second part of my plan.
Brianna
(A little over three years ago)
Some people expect greatness out of life. My only expectation was survival. You can
say someone has bad luck when they are able to crawl out of a fire pit after years
of torture only to fall into a lion’s den, but I am strong enough to survive both
and scared enough to do something crazy in order to get away.
My heart is beating so loud and fast I think it may give away my location. There’s
not much time before they come looking for me. Luckily, it is late in the evening
and the bus station is rather empty.
Get a grip, Brianna
.
I cannot call attention to myself. Stepping casually into the restroom, the first
thing that hits me is the nasty smell of urine. God knows when this restroom was last
serviced. Then I notice the pale green walls and the pink sinks. This room has not
been touched since the early 80’s - literally. I notice my reflection in the mirror
and quickly spring into action and start to remove all traces of my current life.
Take the makeup off. The most masculine clothes I have will have to do - Baggy and
saggy jeans and an extra-large sweatshirt. Pulling up my long brown hair around my
head and fastening it with pins. Then, I put on the wig of short black hair which
I took from a new girl before I left. I don’t think she will miss it, after all she
had like twenty of them. Putting on the baseball cap, I chance a look in the mirror.
Almost done. The finishing touch: brown colored contact lenses I had gotten from the
super store’s vision center a while back in order to cover my blue-green eyes. Stepping
away from the sink, I stared at the image in the mirror. I just might be able to get
away with it.
Snap out of it
.
I have to hurry. Opening the black trash bag I brought with me, I take the clothes
I took off and placed them in the bag. Placing my trash bag at the bottom of the bin,
I put the restroom’s trash filled with discarded paper towels on top of mine. Hopefully
if they look inside this trash bin they will only see the paper towels and not realize
my clothes are underneath.
Calmly, I sling my back pack on my shoulder and walk out of the restroom making my
way to the ticket window. Looking at the board, I see the next bus is headed to Miami,
FL. There is an older lady inside the booth and it looks like she is reading a book.
As casually as I can, I say: “Excuse me, ma’am, one ticket to Miami, please. When
is the bus leaving?”
Without looking at me, she says “It leaves in 20 minutes.” She rings up my ticket,
I hand her the cash and she gives me my change.
Shit
! 20 minutes is 15 minutes too long. I have to find a hiding place
pronto
.
After I get the ticket, I turn around and scan the room. I decide to chance it and
step outside. I look around and find the bus arrival/departure area. The bus was already
waiting for passengers, but I am not stupid. Those goons will show up in a few minutes
and the first place they will look will be on that bus. The second place will be the
bathrooms. At the moment I am covered by the shadows in the parking lot. I have to
find a hideout fast. My head starts hurting and my heart is thumping.
Breathe. Breathe.
A vehicle is coming. I hide around the corner of the building trying to figure out
where to go. When the vehicle pulls up next to the bus, I realize it is a white van.
On the side, there is a sign that says “Joy of Clean, Janitorial Services.” The driver
and another guy get out of the van and then they go to the back of the van to get
their cleaning equipment out. They are talking about their weekend plans, joking and
laughing. I find myself wishing I could joke and laugh about my current situation...
Once they are in the building, I make my way to the van and try the handle – the door
opens! While climbing inside the van I hear a loud engine approaching. I don’t bother
to look, my heart is telling me it’s them. And I still have ten more minutes before
the bus is ready to go. I quickly slam the door, lock it, and hide behind the driver
seat, next to all the brooms and mops and cleaning solutions.
Just as I settle behind the seat, the vehicle pulls up near the van. I recognize the
voices. It’s Jesse and two of his body guards. I tried to stay calm, but my body is
not paying attention to my brain at the moment. I am so scared I shiver and shake
as if I was locked inside a commercial freezer. At this moment, I would much rather
be inside a commercial freezer than waiting for these monsters find me. I hear Jesse
give instructions for one of them to go inside the building, the other to go around
the building and he was going to look inside the bus.
Minutes feel like decades and time moves ever so slowly – but my heart is beating
double time. I feel someone lean on the van and try the handle, only to find it locked,
then something hits the van and I jerk out of fear, but there are no windows on the
back of the van and they cannot see me.
“Son of a bitch!” Jesse says as they reconvene in the parking lot. “Are you sure you
didn’t see anything?” He asks the others.
“Nothing, Sir.” One of the goons answers.
“Did you show her picture to the cashier?”
“Yes, Sir. Also to the cleaning crew and the few customers inside the building. No
one has seen her around here.”
“Dammit!” He says and hits the van again causing my heart to jump. I realize I have
stopped breathing and make myself inhale slowly.
“If she is not here, she must be at the train station. Let’s go!”
After loud doors slam, I hear the squeal of tires peeling out of the parking lot and
at the same time the bus engine reeves up. I jump from behind the seat up over the
driver side and quickly look out of the window – they are gone! Unlocking the door,
I jump out of the cleaning van and run towards the bus moving my arms so the driver
sees me right as he was getting ready to take off.
The driver opens the door and asks “Got any luggage?”
“No luggage, thanks.” I climb up and start walking towards the back of the bus.
“Miss?” I hear the driver voice again and my soul jumps out of my skin, he has recognized
me!
“Do you have your ticket?” Realization dawns on me as I turn around, dig inside my
pocket and pull the ticket out, passing it to him. He gives me what is seems a knowing
smile and I swiftly turn around and move towards the back, staying away from the windows
– they were definitely not safe. Not until I leave this awful place. Finding an empty
seat on the aisle next to an older lady, I sit down. Leaning back on the seat, I am
able to take a deep breath. Looking up to the Heavens, I quietly whisper a thank you,
and it is the first time in a long time my lips dare to give in to a tiny smile. Once
my body stops trembling and my breathing returns to normal, I realize we are out of
the city limits and it is the first time in at least a year that I actually feel hopeful
instead of hopeless.
“You will NEVER be able to hide from me, you fucking bitch! I will find you and destroy
you! I will never stop looking for you!”
Jesse’s voice chases me while I run as fast as I can, leaving me no choice but to
draw a huge breath of air. I feel a hand on my arm, shaking me gently. My eyes open
in a panic and I look down at my arm, then up, following the hand that is touching
me. My gaze stops on a pair of gentle eyes looking sadly at me.
“You were having a bad dream, dear.” The old lady says to me. I nod at her and smile
thanking her for waking me up. There’s no telling what I have blabbered about while
I was dreaming and I need to keep everything low key.
I look around carefully noticing everything for the first time. The lights are off
with just a faint glow coming from the emergency exit signs. Looking out the window,
I read the next road marker that we come across. It appears we are in South Carolina.
The temperature inside this bus is a little chilly, and I’m thankful for the oversize
sweatshirt I have on. Getting up slowly to stretch my aching muscles, I look at all
the other passengers around me: everybody’s head is bobbing gently following the motions
of the bus. I allow myself to relax a little. Things are going good and this crazy
idea is going to work out after all.
When the bus arrives at the next stop, I approach the driver and ask how long we have
to use the facilities. Fifteen minutes before we head out again. I hurry to use the
restroom – another dinky one, but at least smells of pine sol instead of pee – and
then I head towards the vending machines. Things have gotten pricey: I slide in a
dollar and a quarter for a bottle of Coke, and another dollar for a Twix bar. Can
you say sugar high? Shaking my head, I head back to the bus, the driver is talking
to another passenger, telling him the next stop is Atlanta, Georgia, and after that
he is headed for Columbus, Georgia. I have never been too comfortable in extra large
cities. I start to consider where to get off. Although my ticket says Miami, Florida,
I do not want to end up there. If Jesse figures out that I left on this bus, he will
follow.
Jesse is like my very own dedicated and personal bounty hunter, although I have never
committed a crime, he treats me as if I had taken away everything that matters to
him, when in reality he has done that to me and others. He is obsessed with owning
me. Relentless. Always seeking me out. I have to come up with a plan to keep him away.
If I could fake my own death I would do it, just to get rid of him, but I lack the
contacts, money and access to do what’s needed to carry out that plan.
Relaxing in my seat, I close my eyes again and when I wake up, I will be where life
wants me to be. Long ago I made a promise to myself: When I finagle my way out, there
would be no regrets and life will be lived to the fullest enjoying every day as if
it was my last. I have suffered enough during my life and I am letting go of all that.
Will my future be happy? Who knows, but I’m sure as hell going to give it everything
I’ve got.
The bus driver makes the announcement that we are arriving in Columbus, Georgia. I
can’t help but to smile. Those three steps leading out of the bus are symbols of freedom,
happiness and the possibility of dreams to be sought after – I cannot wait to leap
out of this bus and into life. As the sun comes out in the horizon I look at the blazing
orange, blue and yellow sky and say to myself “Happy Birthday, Brianna.” Today, I
am 18 years old and free.
Looking around the neighborhood makes me wonder if a bus station has ever been built
in a decent area. There are questionable individuals everywhere. Thank goodness for
daytime arrivals. Nothing can put a damper on my day, however, and I have tons of
things to do. First and foremost I have to find a place to stay and put into motion
the second part of my plan.
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