Freedom

Zack looked out his window. His face was stern, but on the inside he was beaming with joy.

"Tomorrow I will finally be free." He said to himself.

But deep down fear gripped his soul. What if it didn't work out? What if he were caught and thrown back into the cage he'd come to call home? What if the outside world was no better than here? What if it was even worse? He hadn't taken a moment to consider these options, but now that he was getting closer to his freedom the doubt he'd never ever felt started to cloud his mind.

"No, no, I won't let doubt stop me." He banged his window sill frantically like he always did whenever he was nervous. Then when he regained his senses, he looked around and then stopped suddenly so as not to wake his dad up from his usual evening naps on the parlour sofa.

There was a short window of opportunity to speed up the plans and leave now, but he'd felt the morning was the best time to get away.

The plan was simple, he'd wake up super early, and wait for him to come wake him up. When he comes he'd overpower him and lock him in, which gives him enough time to carry his bags which he'd stashed in the farmhouse. He'd simply carry the car keys and drive off into the sunset.

He hadn't actually planned where he'd go, all he knew was he was going to go far far away. Heck, he'd never even driven a car, but he felt he had watched enough YouTube to be able to pull it. If he couldn't do it, he'd be a disappointment. He'd spent almost 2 years of his one hour per week internet time learning how to drive and all the inner workings of the car. Also, he'd watch closely from the window the exact steps his dad would take when he would drive out to work and into the garage at night.

Why did he want to run? He was tired. He wasn't so sure what a real family was supposed to feel like, but he was so sure what he and his father had did not resemble what he'd seen on the YouTube videos he'd watched. Even the ones with single parents like him.

"Perhaps I'd find a better family when I finally go outside. One with a father and a mother. Or even if it's only a mother. Maybe it'll be different." He said to his toy panda Maury. Maury was his only friend and the only one he could tell his feelings to. Of course, there was his father, but after sleeping on the dirty cold floor of the dark punishment room a couple of times for telling him he couldn't see his girlfriend, Erica, he learnt his lesson about speaking his mind.

He pulled off his t-shirt slowly not touching the injuries on his back. Then he opened the window and just let the fresh air caress his sweaty face. He silenced his fears and doubts and just looked into the void. He wasn't looking at anything in particular but he was looking at everything.

He could barely sleep all night, but somehow he was able to get the rest he needed, and sure enough he woke up before his father. He sat behind the door, holding a rolling pin. He was hoping it wouldn't result in that, but he had to prepare for the worst case. His father was a strong man. Even though he was only 18 years of age he was quite muscular thanks to all the physical activities he engaged in, but the thought of matching the strength of the hands that had beaten him several times terrified him, so the pin made him feel safer. A mild concussion is nowhere near what he'd endured anyway.

He heard the footsteps approaching and his heart started racing. It was show time, no time for hesitation.

The keyhole made a sound and the door opened slowly. He quickly jumped out from behind the door and shoved his father in an attempt to run out, but his father grabbed him by the collar of his shirt he struggled to break loose, but he couldn't his father was pulling him back in.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He couldn't give up.

"Not this time, I can't go back in there." He thought to himself.

He swung the rolling pin and hit his father clean across the face. He winced and let go momentarily. Zack didn't expect the sudden release and fell forward. Next thing he knew his father had grabbed his legs.

"Don't leave me alone with Erica, boy. She's gotten crazier these last few weeks."

Tears started rolling down Zack's face.

"She's not real Dad, she's not real." He screamed

He looked back and his gaze was met with a pistol.

"You probably think I'm crazy, but I'm not crazy son, I'm just training you well. You can't leave me son. You can't leave me."

The adrenaline in his veins didn't give him time to doubt himself. He smacked the gun out of his father's hand. And in a split second, they both rushed to get the gun. He got there just a split second earlier and the next thing a loud sound was heard.

He opened his eyes and there lay his dad bleeding.

"call Erica" he muttered as his life essence left him.

Zack sat in front of his dad, tears in his eyes. He was finally free, but at what cost?

What is freedom?

~THANKS FOR READING~

_{Cover Image is Ai art generated by me using Gencraft}