Chapter 7 - The Greyhound to Freedom
I walked three miles to a busy commercial shopping center, completely avoiding the main roads where Liam's friends or coworkers might accidentally see me.
I paid cash for a cheap taxi ride directly to the downtown Greyhound bus station, keeping my face turned completely away from the driver.
The station was loud, incredibly crowded, and perfectly anonymous, offering me the exact kind of chaotic camouflage I desperately needed today.
I purchased a one-way ticket entirely under the fake name "Sarah Jenkins" to a small, sleepy town in northern Washington state.
The shelter advocate had strongly advised me to put as much physical distance between myself and Portland as humanly possible.
I sat in the very back row of the massive bus, clutching my small duffel bag tightly against my rapidly heaving chest.
Every time the heavy bus doors hissed open at a random stop, my heart stopped, absolutely terrified that Liam would somehow walk on board.
But as the long hours passed and the lush Oregon scenery blurred past the dirty window, the crushing weight of my fear began to lift.
I watched the heavy rain streak across the glass, realizing that for the first time in years, I was completely alone and completely safe.
I wasn't waiting for a heavy hand to strike me, or carefully monitoring my words to strictly avoid triggering a violent explosion.
I ate a stale vending machine sandwich and drank a warm bottle of water, and it was honestly the best meal I had ever had.
By the time the sun began to slowly set, my phone-less pocket felt incredibly light, permanently severing my last digital tie to my abuser.
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I was officially a ghost, completely untraceable and entirely free to rebuild the shattered pieces of my broken, miserable life.
The bus finally pulled into the dark station in Washington, marking the absolute beginning of my terrifying, beautiful new chapter.
