…..THEN I TURNED AROUND TO FIND HIM HOLDING A SHOTGUN, MIND YOU WE DIDN’T OWN ANY GUNS. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY HEART WAS POUNDING UNCONTROLLABLY. HE PROCEEDED TO THE DOOR AND CLOSED AND LOCKED THE MAIN DOOR, THEN CLOSED THE FRENCH DOOR. I CALMLY ASKED HIM, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING”? HE REPLIED IN A VERY CALM, SLOW VOICE, “I AM GOING TO KILL YOU”. I TOLD HIM IF HE KILLED ME HE WOULD GO TO JAIL, HE REACHED DOWN AND PULLED TWO SHELLS OUT OF HIS SOCK AND SAID, “ONE FOR ME AND ONE FOR YOU, I AM NOT GOING TO JAIL. AT THIS POINT I KNEW I WAS IN TROUBLE AND I STARTED TO PANIC. SO MANY THINGS WERE RACING THROUGH MY MIND LIKE, WHAT ABOUT MY DAUGHTER? WHAT ABOUT MY PARENTS, MY FAMILY WAS GOING TO BE DEVASTATED, AND I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO MY MOTHER. THEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE THINGS MY MOTHER TOLD ME ABOUT HOW I SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT AND IF ANYBODY EVER TRIED TO HARM ME OR TAKE ME AGAINST MY WILL TO FIGHT UNTIL I COULDN’T FIGHT ANYMORE. I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO FIGHT MY WAY OUT, BUT HOW? HOW WAS I GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE ALIVE WITH A STRONG MAN HOLDING A SHOTGUN? I STARTED PLEADING WITH HIM, I STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD TOGETHER. I STARTED TALKING ABOUT OUR DAUGHTER WHO HE LOVED SO MUCH. HE WAS VERY CALM, DISTANT AND SPACED OUT, HE JUST WASN’T HEARING ME. HE TOLD ME TO TAKE MY CLOTHES OFF AND TO GO INTO THE BASEMENT HE SAID, “I AM GOING TO SHOOT YOUR WHOLE BODY UP SO YOUR MOTHER CAN FIND YOU”. I WAS TERRIFIED BUT I REFUSED TO GO AND I STARTED CRYING, SCREAMING AND POUNDING ON HIS CHEST. HE DIDN’T BUDGE HE WAS LIKE A ZOMBIE, HIS EYES WERE GLAZED OVER AND HE WASN’T THE MAN I ONCE KNEW AND LOVED. I FOUGHT UNTIL I WAS EXHAUSTED THEN I COLLAPSED ON THE LOVE SEAT CLOSEST TO THE DOOR. AS HE PACED THE FLOOR BACK AND FORTH I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW I COULD GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. I HAD TWO DOORS TO TRY TO GET OUT OF BUT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE MAIN DOOR, WE HAD ISSUES WITH THE DOOR STICKING AND YOU COULDN’T JUST OPEN IT FREELY. THE DOOR JAMB WAS SHIFTED AND YOU HAD TO OPEN IT A CERTAIN WAY, FOR THIS REASON I DIDN’T THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO OPEN BOTH DOORS AND GET OUT WITHOUT HIM CATCHING ME. MY MIND CONTINUED TO RACE AND I TRIED TALKING TO HIM AGAIN ASKING HIM ABOUT HIS MOM AND HIS FAMILY, HE DIDN’T RESPOND. AFTER TRYING EVERYTHING I COULD THINK OF I DECIDED TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT. I JUMPED UP AND OPENED THE INSIDE DOOR AND CLOSED IT BEHIND ME, HOLDING THE DOOR WITH ONE HAND I TOOK MY FREE HAND TURNED THE LOCK, TURNED THE KNOB AND THE DOOR OPENED RIGHT UP WITHOUT GETTING STUCK, BUT GOD!!! I DID IT I THOUGHT, I AM FREE! THEN I HEARD A LOUD BOOM AND I WENT DEAF. I COULDN’T HEAR ANYTHING, I JUMPED OFF OF THE PORCH AND STARTED RUNNING. I WAS RUNNING WONDERING, “AM I SHOT”, “I DON’T FEEL ANYTHING”, I TOLD MYSELF, “IM NOT GOING TO FALL”, “I AM NOT GOING TO LOOK BACK”, “I DON’T SEE ANY BLOOD”, MY MIND WAS RACING BUT I KEPT RUNNING THROUGH THE SNOW. I JUMPED FROM PORCH TO PORCH SCREAMING FOR HELP, BANGING ON DOORS BUT NOBODY WAS HOME. IT WAS SO QUIET IN STILL, I FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE WORLD ALONE. I STARTED THINKING, IF I AM SHOT, I’M GOING TO EVENTUALLY GET VERY WEAK AND FALL JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT HAPPENED, I FELT SOMETHING ON MY FACE. BLOOD STARTED POURING DOWN MY FACE, CONFIRMATION THAT I WAS HIT(shot in the head),BUT I STILL DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING. I KEPT RUNNING AND RUNNING UNTIL I WAS IN THE NEXT BLOCK. I RAN ON THIS PORCH AND I WAS SO TIRED BUT I STARTED BEATING FRANTICALLY ON THE DOOR, FINALLY THE DOOR OPENED AND THIS MAN SAID, WHAT THE F*^# IS WRONG WITH YOU BANGING ON MY DOOR LIKE THAT? I FELL IN THE DOOR AND HIS WIFE PULLED ME INTO HER ARMS AND HELD ME ON HER CHEST. SHE PROCEEDED TO CALL THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE. THE GENTLEMAN WENT TO HIS ROOM AFTER I TOLD HIM MY HUSBAND DID IT AND HE GOT HIS GUN AND HEADED FOR THE DOOR. I PLEADED WITH HIM NOT TO GO OUT THERE. I HAD NEVER MET THESE PEOPLE A DAY IN MY LIFE BUT THEY HELPED ME, THEY SAVED MY LIFE.
HE KILLED HIMSELF AFTER A LONG STANDOFF WITH THE POLICE…..
27 years later I’m still standing..
-Sonya C.