03

It was that Thursday of her third week in the hospital that a name fastened itself to the faceless man that haunted her dreams.

Danny.

She paled markedly as it slipped seemingly effortless from an aimless compartment of her mind, the name prompting a tremor to coil its way down her spine as it unleashed a flurry of snapshots, all of which disclosed five, terrifying years of absolute violence.

She cast a wary eye to the door, alarmingly aware of her vulnerability.

Was he looking for her?

Did he know of the baby? He couldn't have possibly known if she hadn't?

Tossing her linen aside she stood onto shaky legs, gripping the railing to steady her swaying frame.

She had wasted enough precious time.

As her memory came flooding back, along with every horrifying recollection of Danny Horner's abuse, she recalled most prominently and painfully, the many temperamental stages that brought on immeasurable rage.

She shivered, closing her eyes as she pictured it now, storming her in a blind haze of red, fueled by jealousy and fury, pummeling all the anger that which fed his violent monstrosity into whatever he deemed fit.

Flee! Her mind beseeched.

He could already be in the hall, crouching, waiting to snatch and cast her back under his iron command. At that shuddering thought she glanced fearfully at the door, her heart accelerating rapidly against her breast.

He hadn't known about her great aunt and certainly wouldn't know to look for her in Asheville, North Carolina.

Tears nearly choked her as her fingers tentatively brushed the hollow at her throat, daunting recognition settling on just how close he'd come to actually killing her.

Asheville was her only means of survival.

And now was the time to run.

Kate left her past in that Albany hospital and fled from one Greyhound to another, traveling those 690 miles of paved blacktop. The framework of Albany's finest fading unto the ashen sky.

Her thoughts remained heavy, constant with an impending fear that he would find her. Her memory was all but restored, not a single, painful moment left obscured.

She sank deeper into her suede seat, her sub consciousness retrieving those infinitely frightening moments to remind her all too well of just what she was fleeing from.

Danny Horner.

The cause of her every waking fears.

He'd been charming, chivalrous even after the tragic death of her parents. He wooed her hopelessly off her feet and she'd fallen head over heels in love, believing him her valiant knight.

She rebuked that unsettling thought.

What she thought was a knight in shining armor was merely a sly wolf cloaked in sheep's skin.

He'd beaten her senseless.

His word was law, which meant certain clothes and make-up were prohibited. If she appeared desirable to another man or caught a wandering eye, she paid a dire price that left her unconscious and badly beaten to every inch of her life.

Five painstaking years of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of a man she had loved wholeheartedly and for what?

Just to awaken in a hospital bed with no recollection of the events prior to it?

And childless. A tiny part of her added somberly.

She bit down on her lip, immediately wincing and releasing it as she struggled against unbridled tears.

You need a good cry. Her sound mind proclaimed of its own accord.

Her eyes swept briefly over the other passengers and she knew now was not the time to give way to the bombardment of emotions that brimmed beneath her unstable composure.

Her last thought before drifting asleep was that of her unborn child and the disheartening notion of never cradling her baby.

Asheville, North Carolina appeared very much a city but nestled within was BlackMountain, the very solace she sought, located just fifteen miles from downtown Asheville and where her late Aunt Mae had lived a seemingly peaceful life of solitude.

BlackMountain was a quaint small-town tucked within flourishing foliage that expanded beautifully in a green spread of grass, dotted with blossoming colors of various flowers. Tall mountain ranges and dangerous peaks beckoned to those daring, giving way to strenuous, narrowing trails and thickening vegetation. Meandering rivers divided steep, rolling hills, eventually finding its way to a fall.

Somewhere beyond those fringes of forestry was her freedom.

The bus rolled to a jarring halt and the suddenness of it brought her injuries to the forefront of her mind.

Gritting her teeth against the slight pain that came with jostling about, she made her way steadily off the Greyhound, avoiding the many unwanted stares.

Once afoot, she unraveled the wad of papers Mr. Danton had given her, noticing particularly her poor manner of keeping confidential paperwork tucked safely away.

Eying the terribly rumbled papers for the address scribbled there, she raised her head and peered questionably around.

Finding her great aunt's estate was proving to be a bit more problematic amongst this grain of a town.

She noticed a diner just on the corner of the walkway and opted to ask for directions despite her unwillingness to do so.

She quite liked BlackMountain. She noticed discernibly that no one in particular watched her.

She crossed the road and entered 'Cook's Diner', a waft of chilly ventilation air catching her on the way in as a little bell chimed above her unsuspecting head, drawing a few collected stares.

Feelingly slightly uneasy, she started for the counter, hoping to deter their curiosity with haste.

Two old-timers with equally matching fedoras lined the counter, one skimming a newspaper and the other sipping gingerly on hot, black coffee.

At her presence they barely nudged in what appeared a daily regimen.

"What can I do you for, honey?" a giddy voice coaxed from across the counter.

Kate peered up and in spite of her defenses, returned the girl's beaming smile with one of her own, "Could you point me in the direction of Mae Channing's residence?" she asked a bit softly beneath her breath.

The girl who appeared no older than Kate's age of twenty-five seemed a bit startled at first by her somewhat disheveled appearance. She had attempted at concealing what bruises were visible but felt in that moment that perhaps she'd failed considerably in doing so.

Bright, cerulean eyes peeked out from beneath blonde hair, all the while popping and snapping gum in a mouth coated with pink lipstick. "You uh, a relative?" the girl asked a bit curiously.

Kate, certainly not wanting to reveal more than necessary, hesitated.

Another popping and snapping of her gum and a few pointed stares from the two fedoras, she asked a bit more gently, "Mae Channing passed away a few weeks ago." She added with a tinge of sadness, "She was well liked among the community."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable as more stares turned her way, she shifted from one foot to the other.

Her eyes settled on the tag pinned to the girl's uniform which read 'Julie'.

"She was my great aunt." She blurted inadvertently, realizing her first mistake.

Julie beamed another perfectly white smile, "Oh how rude of me! I did not know that Mae had any relatives. She never spoke of any."

"Were you two acquainted?" Kate asked curiously.

Julie's smile broadened all the more, "Oh yes, she frequented the diner often, always ordered the special. She was a pleasant woman." And then, her smile dissipating all at once and saying in a tone Kate believed so unlike this lively girl, "I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

Kate managed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say to that so she said nothing.

Julie stepped away from the corner, her eyes surveying the clock propped on the opposite wall, "My shift is over, I can take you there myself if you'd like?"

Sensing some panic rising at the girl's obtuseness she hastened to say, "Oh no, that's not necessary-"

"Please, I insist." She waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss her objection. Unraveling her apron from about her curvy waist she tossed it aimlessly to the counter, "I'll see you tomorrow, Larry." She called to a man in the back, presumably the manager.

And she was ushered outside.

Julie's straightforwardness was a bit unnerving but aside from that the girl appeared very much harmless and all the more likeable.

Kate settled a bit reluctantly into the leather seat of Julie's Jeep Wrangler as they treaded the trails that led them further from town and deeper into the forestry that lengthened before them.

"So tell me-" Julie started, blonde curls bouncing freely about her oval face, "-are you here to stay?"

Kate clutched tightly onto the side of the door, every sudden jarring causing her injuries some discomfort. She attempted to conceal her pain with a grim smile.

"I inherited my great aunt's home."

Too much, Kate. Her rational mind scolded silently.

Julie dodged fallen branches as they climbed the mountain as if it were a sport she excelled marvelously at, her Jeep bouncing precariously all the way.

"I'm at a disadvantage, you know?"

The random question through Kate for a loop and her brows knitted with uncertainty.

Julie's smile which was becoming infectious brought down some of Kate's defenses, "I wear my name on my sleeve, just like my emotions." She flicked the little tag still attached to her uniform. "You have a name?"

"Kate." She blurted rather shakily as they hit a rough patch of protruding rocks.

Second mistake! Her wary mind exclaimed in a chiding manner. She was revealing too much to this overzealous, blue-eyed, gum-favoring Julie.

"What happened to ya?"

And brash, she added mindfully as Julie surveyed the visible coloring of bruises that marked her face.

Falling silent, her thoughts hastened for a logical excuse to explain the obvious signs of tragedy written all over her.

"Car accident." She disclosed a bit unconvincingly.

For the first time since meeting the peppy waitress, Julie settled into a silence that made her uneasy. She could see her weighing that possibility around in her pretty blonde head, questioning it, but then she asked, "How are you enjoying the southern hospitality so far?"

Kate smiled tentatively, grateful for the change of topic. "Southern?"

Julie chuckled, it was a pleasant sound, "Eh, not so southern I suppose with a neighboring city but we small-town folks like to think so." She said this with a delightful wink.

Kate confirmed in that moment that she quite liked Julie.

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