A dog barked as he took cover under a nearby hedge. He waited to see if a porch light turned on or if everyone was asleep. EJ paused for just a moment in the shadows. Feeling safe he moved on towards a large thicket of weeds nearer his home and then gazed about using the moonlight as his guide for direction. He noticed an old shack sitting in the corner of the empty field among the high weeds. Thinking that it might be just what he was looking for the escape out. "Best to investigate it first." That way, he would leave no unturned surprises in his awake when you are leaving in a hurry. "I have a gut feeling I will be," he thought.
As the boy made his way over to the old shack, a car turned the
corner. His only cover is the weeds around him. The small shack was
out of reach; he tried not to panic, as the car got closer. Fear was strong and it nearly engulfed his senses, with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, they are coming. Without thinking the boy hit the dirt, lying flat on his stomach he awaited for almost certain doom to ascend upon him. The car speedily drove right passed him and turned the corner. Again he was covered in total darkness. The boy's heart raced as he turned over on his back, his breathing hard, but with a sigh of relief, sweat poured off his face. After a few minutes, he looked up at the stars, with the house and his brother being so close and yet so far away. "I sure hope he knows all the trouble he has put me through tonight," he replied softly. EJ swallowed hard blew hard through his mouth then get on his hands and knees.
EJ does not take any more chances as he crawled over to the shed. With a quick look, he thought to himself. "It could work. Humm…
if I lean a few of those old boards on the outside against the shack and
pry a couple of these boards off for a door and make a possible escape out the back," thought to himself. The boy remembered how old Mr. Farmer'slittle trick made him feel trapped and still seemed to haunt him. With one last look and a quick nod of his head, the boy puts on his ten-gallon hat.
"The Calvary's a comin' little brother with guns a blazon, saddle your
horse's men, we ride," he said into the wind at his back.
There was a large oak tree towards the end of the road; the boy
quickly weaved in and out of the shadows, which now become child's
play for him. Just four more houses on this lane with a large empty field
across it. He could see the house his brother is being held in. It is the third one down. His palms are sweaty, realizing that the tiredness is setting in.
He arched his back and shoulders and winced a little from the pain,
stretched his arms and gasped. "Oooh, bad idea," he said. The bruises
quickly reminded him why. "I'll try little stretches for a couple of days,
won't hurt as much." He said though no one, but he could hear.
EJ raced quickly down towards the empty field. The boy had never
felt so nervous in his life and excited with adrenalin running through
his veins. He could see the bedroom window where he and his brother
usually slept. All the lights are turned off except the one in the living room.
He noticed the bedroom window had been left open ajar. "They might have thought I had left the county by now or least hoping and therefore not expecting me to return anytime soon. They got that right, but they might have forgotten one small detail. Never leave a man behind enemy lines, they always say." He said softly only pausing for a second. "Now the question is how to get into that room? Humm, looks like they moved all the stuff from underneath the window so climbing up there not an option, plus it would have been too noisy anyway," he said softly.
While he looked around the yard, the boy was getting a little discouraged, but he refused to give up when an idea popped into his head. "Where did I see that old ladder last?"
Taking his hat off, he scratched his head and retraced his steps.
"There it is?" The ladder was leaned up against a tree, busting wide
open he yelled. "Yahoo!" Too quickly and a little bit too loud. Quickly
EJ covered his mouth and realized his mistake.
A dog barked and the porch light came on with someone standing in the doorway. The boy's heart leaped into his throat, he dived into the nearby bushes just in time before being seen. Just then, he heard someone yelling in his direction. "Anyone out there? Me and old Clive here are itching for some action, George grab the scattergun, dang kids are at it again," the woman yelled. EJ thought this time for sure he was going down with no doubt in his mind this time he was done for until he heard.
"Lorain come back to bed, there's nothing out there; you are just
hearing things you old bat." A man yelled through the house.
With the porch light turned off he dived from the bush grabbed
the ladder, placed it under his arms, held on to his hat, and made a mad
dash for the empty field. Falling to the ground, dropping the ladder
on the ground, EJ rolled onto his back, his breathing was hard and
fast; sweat just poured off his forehead. EJ wiped the sweat off onto
his pants; still panting he sat up for a minute to catch his breath after
that last run.
The boy stood up. "Glad to have two bare feet right now because
shoes would have just slowed me down tonight. Not that I liked shoes in
the first place I rather go barefoot all the time. Except for winter, given
the choice. I hate shoes," he said to the wind dusting off his feet.
Thinking about the clothes he was wearing from Mr. Scarecrow
and judging by the size of his baggy clothes, which were a little hot for
this time of the year. While undoing some of the shirt buttons in the
front and looking down his pant legs and re-rolled them back up then
re-tucking in the shirt, the boy puts back on his hat, picks up the ladder,
looked towards the house where his brother is. "Let's do it, boys," he
replied while checking to see if the coast was clear.
The boy carefully crossed the road with the ladder by using the cover of darkness. EJ slowly lowered the ladder to the ground underneath the bedroom window. He decided to check to make sure the coast was clearfirst, before attempting the rescue before he climbed into the window. His body tense as he flattened it against the house. EJ slowly glides along the side of the house. His eyes and ears listened for anything, any movements throughout the house as he crept along the sides, being careful not to disturb anything that would call attention to his parents.
The TV lights are still on in the living room. "They must be up
late, should be going to bed soon." He thought to himself. EJ noticed
the kitchen window was open and heard voices and decided to eavesdrop
on their conversation which could provide him some insight on what was happening. "I wonder if they are looking for me or not?" He asked in
his mind, and he listened.
"That boy! That dreadful boy! I thought you said he would never try
running off like that," his mother said in a semi-angered voice.
EJ's mother has always been strong-willed. A plump woman with
short brown hair so she would not have to fuss with it like most women
her age do. It always looked choppy and short like a boy's with a bad
haircut. Some would say fat and lazy, but she can move quickly when
she wanted to for a woman of her size just under five feet and had a nose like a bird of prey. It looked like that ever since she'd broken it in three places. For a woman, she was not considered pretty but average. She had always claimed she got this way after baring four kids and her figure never returned to what it used to be when she was younger or before she met his father.
Linda had a strange temper. One minute she could be all calm, gentle,
and collected, and the next wild anger would come out of nowhere. She
looked like a mad bull running through a China shop. Her face would
implode with red blotches as her blood rose to her face. She could be
a good mother when she wanted to, but that was only when she had
something to gain.
At least that's the way EJ thought of her most of his life. Being sent
out of the home so often, you would think he was a military brat. This
was not the case… for he was a kid like so many who bounced around
through the foster care system like a yo-yo. Only spending very little
time in either place since the age of six.
Most of the time was due to his father's hatred towards him and his
brother Danny. Other times people found out what was really going on in the home, not that the bruises were bad enough that send up red flags. And because of the bruises, he's parents did whatever it took to hide them; coming up with excuses, very believable lies that most believed them.
His father growled angrily. "Linda you are worrying over nothing.
We will deal with his disobedience as we always have. No one will be
the wiser. Trust me, who cares about such a worthless boy that nobody
wants? Stop worrying I assure you he's fine, and if isn't who cares. I know no good God damn neighbors and caseworkers breathing down our necks every time, they find a little tiny bruise or a simple scratch on him.
"I could have done so, and we will be free of him, and his God damn
brother once and for all. I promise you the next time I get the chance, he will not live to see another day. I am sick and tired of having to explain to those God damn people that have been raising hell, and causing problems, and sticking
their God damn noses where it doesn't belong. Trust me having them
dead and gone once and for all. People will stop butting in where they
don't belong, including his God damn grandmother. Now stop it. I am
tired of listening to you gripe about how worried you are about people
finding out. When the truth is people just don't give one tinkers damn
about him, and you know that. Considering when he isn't here, no one
even mentions his name."
His mother's shadow stood up as she turned around to face his father."Yes, but it's too late for that. It's been almost two days almost three, and who knows what kind of lies he is telling people. We beat him and his brother pretty good this time. Already people have been calling, and the State caseworker is coming to do an inspection to make sure what they heard wasn't happening.
His grandmother too is demanding to see him. If he is dead and
someone finds him before we do. We are going to look pretty guilty after the neighbors heard him and his brother screaming and now that boy has run off again and you have yet to find him or refuse to go looking for him. What are folks going to say when they see him like that? You know how they are about sticking their noses into other people's business."
His father said nothing not even trying to resolve the issue without
getting into another argument with her. Thinking he will come home
on his own after that. His mother started crying as he placed his arms
around her as she pushed him away said pointing in his direction.
"Even the cops will be on our doorstep if they find him all beaten
up. You know it." Her voice trembled a little as her shadow walked away
further into the house, passing the kitchen window hearing the phone
ring, his mother picked it up and said. "No. I think you have the wrong
number. If you call here again asking about that boy after I told you he
I don't… I should have killed him, if it wasn't for these damn laws, and doesn't live here anymore, we will sue you for harassment." She slammed down the phone and walked back into the living room and sat back down on the couch.
His father followed her seeing his shadow move towards her as
his mother said. "I know dear. They said he would come home when
he gets hungry; it's almost been three days. Where's he going to go
dressed only in his boxers, not even his best pair? People have begun
to talk already, as you can see the phone hasn't stopped ringing. People
are already getting suspicious about his constant disappearance," his
mother said.
"About what dear," His father asked. "It's not like he actually lives
here, as a member of our family which he and his worthless brother is
not as far as I am concerned. Trust me, the phone calls and the questions will stop, they always do once people realize that boy isn't here. We will just tell them we sent him to some Damn distant relatives or placed him with the God damn State again for obedience problems. Like I said nobody cares about a worthless boy that nobody wants and that goes for his worthless brother."
Just to say his father Jim had an anger problem when came to
his boys, and would not even come close. No. He literally hated them, why only he knows. It was worse when he came home after serving two years in the war. He served in the American Air Force as a plumber on base.
He never actually fought in the war, but somehow, he came back as a changed man, according to his grandmother.
EJ was never sure of the reason behind it unless it was because he
was not as fit as other men who served. Or was it due to his size being
four feet five inches tall, dark brown hair slightly bald on top, and cold
blue eyes that left you wondering if there was a soul behind them? His
jawline is pointed as it is drawn down his face. Jim was a muscular man in his early thirties yet was not a bodybuilder.
He had a slight limp in his right leg which showed more when he
was angered which was more often than not. He once told him. He too
would lose his hair by the time he graduated from High School. Providing
he lived long enough, providing he didn't kill him first. Yes, there was
no love lost between them. His mother said. "They are starting to ask more questions about all
the fights he gets into. The bruises on his arms, legs, and face, and why
he's never here? Always gone months at a time and years sometimes. I
do know one thing if we don't do something soon, his brother going to
be just like him. If only he would keep his mouth shut. Just look at the
girls, they are angels. They barely cause a fuss anymore."
The thought of killing him and his brother never seemed to register
with his mother, yet she never disagreed with it either… or, had she
ever tried to stop it. In fact, she had come close herself in doing so,
more so when he was a baby, and would have succeeded if it wasn't for
his grandmother stopping her from drowning him or suffocating him
with a pillow.
The boy EJ under the window nearly lost it after hearing that. "Angels,
right? Devils more like it," as he whispered to himself.
Peggy was just a year younger than EJ at age eleven. Even though
she always liked to claim she was the oldest by default, considering
EJ seldom lived at home. Therefore he was considered an unwanted
visitor, not her actual brother, blood nor genes had any bearing. She
would prefer him nonexistent, again no love lost there. She had the
same bearing as her mother. Except some would say more often than
not, considered her pretty unlike her mother she wore her dark brown
hair long, so it hung loosely at her waist.
Blue-eyed beauty like a porcelain doll. Almost four feet, three inches broad shoulder like her father button cute nose with a fair complexion. Some would say calculating as a chessboard, mean, and spoiled. Takes after her father but has her mother's disposition being strong-willed and cunning like a snake on steroids.
Her younger sister Donna, age nine. Born in the month of May
had always claimed she was the prettiest due to her dirty dishwater blond hair. Which came from her mother's side of the family; not sure if that was true or not, EJ had never met them in person but had seen pictures.
But unlike her mother's straight hair, Donna's hair curled as she kept it shoulder-length, blue-eyed dyed blond.
Pretty as a picture her mother would always say "perfection." One
of her father's favorites, just like her sister Peggy. She had the same disposition as her mother when it came to temperament. She could
be playful one minute and mean as a snake in the next second but had
always been dumb as an ox.
His mother said continuing the conversation after a moment of
silence. "Well, all I have to say is bad genes." His mother said with a
sour smirk on her face that he had pictured seeing many times, not for
the first time she had blamed him for having bad genes.
"What do you mean by that?" His father said.
"Your mother," his mother said.
"My mother! What's that got to do with it?" His father Jim turned
to face her more openly.
"She's never liked me, and you know it." His mother replies back
without pause.
"You know that's not true?"
"I've heard the stories about her, she's a real spitfire that one, part of a gang I have heard from folks and our relatives." His mother said almost sitting upright to face him.
"Don't believe everything you hear dear, but my father always did
say, life was never dull around her, I think that's why he married her. It
seems while growing up, she could control the wind out of the strongest hurricane according to my father. He used to say that all the time.
"I think I might have witnessed it once when I was very young, but it is hard to remember, which was a long time ago. She's mellowed out now after my Dad passed away, having to raise all of us on her own ever since then. I hear people say she's the salt of the earth. Nothing to fear … She is just a sweet little old lady with barely a little kick in her. Except for a little humble pie now again, other than that you have nothing to fear."
His father said slowly standing and turning off the TV.
His Grandma Stuart was a strong-willed woman in her early fifties.
At least, according to his grandfather. Who had passed away when he
was six. and soon after went into the foster care system. Not long before, his body was even cold on the ground, not more than a week if that, but with him gone, there was nothing he could do to stop them. Not anymore now that he was dead, and his grandmother, too, didn't even try to stop them, until it was too late. Thinking it was only a mere threat or perhaps the best thing for him rather than having to worry that he would end up dead lying in some
gutter. So his grandmother let them and kept tabs on him, making sure
he was well taken care of or needed to be placed in a home that would.
He and his parents where he lived would never be safe, not with all the
physical abuse from either his mother or his father.
She did everything she could to keep his brother safe, but without
his grandfather's support, she couldn't do much other than a surprise visit or a phone call. She served in the war as a nurse. Her hair was silver-white now and had warm blue eyes, while his grandfather's eyes were brown and warm. Whenever he looked into his eyes he felt at peace and at home. He was EJ's best friend and always looked up to him. His grandma would always tell him stories about him when he worked on the Pacific Railroad. Seeing the world as a train engineer, that always put a smile on his face when times were hard. EJ would always thumb through the photographs and look in the mirror standing tall on a stool next to his grandmother as they compared his likeness to him. Grandma too was short like his father Jim, barely over five feet, but
her attitude always made up for her size. She seldom talked much about herself, but when he was down and out with his parents, she always made him feel better. She would listen to his problems and sometimes provide him with good advice. Telling him every time she saw him, he reminded him of his grandfather, being able to think on his feet, by always learning new things, and keeping an open mind when comes to reasoning. He always knew without a doubt she loved him.
Yet life was hard. Even harder still ever since his grandfather died,
she seemed to hold back when it came to interfering with his parent's
choices. Telling him 'things will get better, they always do. He needed
to stop running away every time things got out of hand. And perhaps
they will if he would put in just a little more effort into things that don't
make his parents so angry.' It was always the same speech. Why could
she not see that it was tearing him apart inside as the beatings continued regardless?
Yet he loved her very much and always wondered why she
had changed so much after his grandfather died. Thoughts of the morning filled his head knowing things needed to change and if no one was going to come he would need to do it himself one way or another. He needed to make sure his brother was taken care of, he said in a low whisper. "I'll strike while they are all asleep." He whispered to himself. The boy in anticipation as he rubbed his hands together; "serves them right." EJ slowly went back to the bedroom window
with as much care as before. Looked up at the window and saw it still
left open just ajar from the last time he checked.
After a while the lights went out in the living room, he waited until
he figured they were fast asleep. EJ sat on the ground under a nearby tree watching, waiting in the darkness. All is quiet, everything except for some crickets chirping in the background. Every once in a while, you could hear a dog barking in the distance, other than that the world seemed to be in a night of rhythmic sleep.
Grabbing a nearby branch he pulled himself up. "Well boys we have work to do," he said softly. EJ went back to the open window, carefully picked up the ladder, and gently laid it against the house. Making sure that everything is still and quiet. EJ climbed the ladder and slowly opened the window and stepped inside the room. In the bedroom, he could see his brother fast asleep.
EJ looked down the hall where his sister's room was. The urge to
play a trick on them was strong, but he resisted because this night of all
nights was all about him and his little brother. He did not know how or
when, but under his breath, he whispered in the darkness. "Someday the price will be paid. I promise you that." He said with anger, eyes flashing as if they could burn holes through steel beams.
EJ stepped carefully over the windowsill into the room. On tiptoed as he crossed the room where his brother was sleeping. Carefully EJ removed his hat and then gently set it on the bed beside him, so his brother would recognize him. He gently tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Danny, Danny wake up it's your brother."
EJ's brother Danny was the spitting image of him. Mossy brown
hair, blue eyes, and the cutest six-year-old on the planet according to EJ and his grandmother whenever they visited her. He was short for his age, and too skinny unlike most kids his age. He too was picked on or bullied because of his height and sometimes the clothes he wore were mostly rags. Unlike his sister's nice dresses and well-kept hair and makeup. He did his best what he had to work with. Even though his hair was kept stub short so his mother wouldn't have to fuss with keeping his hair combed, most of all it was to humiliate him. Danny was EJ's best friend next to his grandma Stuart.
They had always done everything together. Through thick or thin, he was always there for him. EJ missed him more whenever he was away.
Danny stirred realizing it was his brother. His eyes open with excitement
and not realizing his brother wanted him to be quiet, shouted. "EJ, where have you been?" "Shush, Quiet," EJ putting his hand over his brother's mouth, whispered. "Please,
I don't want to wake anyone," Said while holding a finger to his
lips. "Keep it down." Tip toed back to the hall to check and make sure
everyone was still fast asleep.
His little brother whispered. "Sorry," rubbing the sleep out of his
eyes. "The folks are really mad."
EJ shrugged his shoulders. "That's nothing new, they are always
mad at me for something."
"Ya, I know. Me too, they thought they had you for sure. They
weren't expecting you to leave just with your skivvies on. By the way,
where did you get those cool clothes anyway?" Danny softly chuckled.
"Let's just say from an old friend," EJ said smiling back putting his
fingers to his lips.
Danny looked down at the old cowboy hat. "Can I try the hat on?"
He asked.
EJ reached down and placed the hat on his brother's head. "Looks
really good on you partner," he replied in a whisper.
Danny with a grin that lit up his entire little boy face said. "Grandma
called while you were gone, everyone got to talk to her. They are really
hush, hush about the whole thing. They said you were at a friend's house having a sleepover. They wouldn't let me talk to her very long though."
EJ sat on the side of the bed next to his brother. "I haven't wet the bed for two whole days, see? I am even wearing one of your old shirts," his brother said. "Well, that's one less thing I have to worry about," EJ said as he smiled back and carefully watched the bedroom door.
"Whys that?" Danny whispered back.
"Because we're busting out of here," EJ said putting his hand on
his brother's shoulder.
"We are?" Danny responds gleefully.
"Yep, but you got to be really quiet," EJ replied.
A few minutes later a hall light turned on. One of the girls was
coming down the hall to use the bathroom. Quickly EJ ducked into a
corner, but not soon enough before his nosey little sister Peggy poked
her head into the room and looked right at her little brother Danny still
sitting up in bed with his brother's hat on. "What are you still doing up
Danny?" Before Danny could respond, she noticed the hat on his head.
"Where did you get that hat, Danny?" His sister seeing EJ standing in
the corner flipped on the bedroom light. "Coming back to gloat have
you now? MAMA, DADDY, Eric's HOME!" She screamed at the top of
her lungs. "You are going to get it now," she said as she rubbed her two
little hands together with an evil twinkle in her eye.
"I swear Peggy someday there will be a price to pay, and I'll make
sure you pay every last penny," he said.
Peggy laughed. "Says you, but that won't be today I think," she said.
Hearing noises coming quickly down the hall from his parent's room. EJ
froze in place; his mind raced. He looked over at his little brother with
terror in his eyes; Danny began to cry. EJ looked down at his brother
and then looked at his sister with fear and anger in his eyes. He realized that he needed to leave without his brother.
He stepped out of the corner, his sister panicked and she immediately
stepped in his way. "And where do you think you're going?" And yelled.
"COME QUICKLY, HE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE!" EJ felt like a trapped
animal with nowhere to run. EJ pushed Peggy out of the way at the same time his father entered the room with his mother right behind him.
His mother gasped at the mere sight of him, almost speechless.
"How did you get in here?" She said as she stared at the open window and
then eyed him up and down. "Where did you get those awful-smelling
clothes?" She asked with a surprised tone in her voice. His father, on the other hand, was not speechless you could see the
anger building in his eyes and face and his back of his knuckles turned
white as he closed his fist. "Your mother was worried sick about you
God damn it, boy, as if she had enough to worry about. It's bad enough
having to explain to everyone and coming up with excuses for you when
you won't keep your mouth shut." He spat as his saliva dripped down his
chin and his face turned red with anger.
"These things are family matters and that's where they need to stay
boy," his father said while glaring down at EJ with heated breath. "Sooner or later you are going have to learn that boy, and I would suggest real soon. Because we can't keep telling people why you are gone all the time … and you can't keep running off as you did either. People are talking and it keeps upsetting your mother and me." His father said while his father startedto grab the belt off the wall.