The Fragility of Light by Heather Lonczak

Author:Heather Lonczak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heather S Lonczak

Chapter 26

Sunny

I awoke on Tuesday feeling a strong sense of trepidation. After Joshua left for work, I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling listening for clues as to what was happening around me. There was no sound at all—neither birds nor airplanes. I was done for, finished. I’d slept very little the night before and was both fatigued and restless. The atmosphere was eerie, like an invisible cloud was following me. It was them; they were zeroing in on me. I got up to go to the bathroom late in the night and, as I sat on the toilet, I saw that there was a light coating of blood on my hands. Then I remembered sitting up in bed for hours, unable to slow the rapid-fire thoughts streaming through my head. I was trying to devise a getaway plan as I chewed mercilessly on my cuticles. Several of them really hurt when run under water. When Joshua asked me what I was doing, I mumbled something about a bad dream and lay back down. But my planning continued.

As I drank my coffee, I saw that it was almost 10:00. Milquetoast was coming in an hour—shit! I darted around the condo like a squirrel as I considered my situation. I stopped every now and then to kiss Chester, who was sleeping on the couch. First, I went to the bedroom and removed my missed doses of medication from the bottles and crammed them into the bottom of the garbage. Then I pulled my backpack down from the closet. It still contained the clothes I’d added weeks earlier. There was also a bible, but no jewelry or pocketknife. Joshua was constantly nosing into my plans, putting me at increased danger. I loved him to death, but his interference was exasperating as hell. Just like the day before, I was running on a very short fuse.

Feeling energetic, I ran around the condo, gathering the items I would need. I added more clothing, several granola bars, three bottles of water, a banana, and a few carrots that I didn’t have time to peel. I desperately needed a weapon, but good old Joshua had hidden away the sharp knives. Did he think I was going to kill him? Then I remembered Joshua’s toolbox. I ran to the garage and dug through the various tools until I found a crowbar. I saw Joshua’s tackle box on a high shelf and pulled it down. Bingo—a butterfly knife, which was really sharp. I ran to the bedroom where I shoved the knife and crowbar into my backpack. I looked through my wallet and saw that it contained all of $21—great. I placed my most valuable jewelry in a side pocket along with a tiny sewing kit. I’d sew them in my clothes later, no time now. I absently touched my neck, ensuring that Babcia’s Star of David pendant was not there, still hidden away in the closet where it could not incriminate me.

I needed to get dressed.

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