Chapter 5 - The Dead Woman
My brain could not process the impossible reality standing in front of me.
My mother looked older, thinner, and her eyes were filled with fierce determination.
She did not waste a single second on emotional reunions.
She grabbed the keys from the unconscious officer's belt.
She unlocked the back door of the cruiser and freed Grandma.
Grandma gasped in shock but asked absolutely no questions.
My mother threw the handcuffs into the woods and told us to run.
We followed her deeper into the forest until we reached a hidden dirt road.
A beat-up pickup truck was idling quietly in the shadows.
We climbed inside and my mother slammed on the gas pedal.
The truck roared down the muddy path away from my father's neighborhood.
I sat in the middle seat, staring at the woman who was supposed to be dead.
She looked at my bruised cheek and fresh tears filled her eyes.
She apologized for leaving me behind.
She explained that my father had tried to murder her when she discovered his dark secrets.
He faked her death and threatened to hurt me if she ever returned.
She had been watching the house for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to rescue me.
Grandma asked her what secrets my father was hiding that were worth killing for.
My mother pointed at the broken doll I was still clutching tightly.
She said the doll was the key to completely destroying his empire.
I looked down at the plastic toy with its missing arm.
I pressed my fingers against the hard lump hidden inside the cotton stuffing.
My mother drove the truck onto the main highway.
Suddenly, the engine sputtered violently and the entire dashboard went dark.
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My mother checked the rearview mirror and her face turned completely pale.
A black SUV was rapidly approaching us with its headlights turned off.
