Dark winter

Title: Dark Winter
Author: Jenna Raven Rose
Rating: mature for sexual content and abuse
Summery: The Dreadnoks take in a stray and turn their world upside down
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Angel sat down on a rock to catch her breath. It had been seven days since she had left the compound. This attempt at escaping her fathers “church”, had so far been successful. Unlike her last efforts. She had learned from her mistakes all right. This time she steered away from town and her father’s contacts there.

For the most part Angel’s existence had been pretty good at the compound. She always had plenty to eat and the people treated her with respect. Even though the women’s lot in the compound consisted of drudgery. The only break was the daily prayer meetings. Really all they were was hate mongering, a little white supremacy with Jesus thrown in. The only divine thing about them is when she was called upon to heal someone.

Then after her father's propaganda she retired back to the house. It wasn’t proper for a young unmarried female to be in the presence of so many men. Keep yourself covered and clean, maybe even some cooking. No time for any of the things she enjoyed, no music, no books. Other than the bible, or her father’s pamphlets. She sighed if only he hadn’t done that, maybe she would’ve stayed.

No time for what ifs, he had and that was it. Gone were all her secret treasures. The books, tapes pictures, even the jewelry. All of it he threw to the flames, in the great big bonfire in the center of the compound. As an example to the others, of how the devil can easily gain sway. Even over the most pure at heart. He just stood there going on and on while everything she cared about went up in smoke.

That night she made her decision to leave, this time for good. Yeah she had run before, but those times were different. Those had really been about stretching her wings. All of them had of course resulted in her being dragged home like a stray puppy. This time was different she had no intention of going back, ever.

The night of the fire she had lain in her bed for hours, so upset she couldn’t sleep. She had gotten up in the middle of the night, partly to pray and because she also couldn’t close her eyes. The compound had been so quiet. The perfect time to leave something had urged. She found herself acting in silence; she grabbed her jacket and a change of clothes. She pulled the granola bars she had hid out from under her mattress. She climbed out the window. Walked the length of the ledge. Jumped the fence by grabbing a tree limb, and then shimmying down the tree.

She headed for the woods surrounding the compound. Figuring that they would try the town first. All she had to do, if she remembered correctly was head due north. Through the woods till she came to the river then follow it to the interstate. Of course she hadn’t counted on brambles or the cold night air. For some reason the animals left her alone, good thing cause she could have sworn she heard a wolf howl last night.

The highway would take her right out of Texas, it was a major interstate. So all she had to do was hitchhike from there. Since going west would put her closer to her father's compound, she opted for east. She made it to the highway eight days from the time she had started, through about eighty miles of woods and rough terrain. In a dress and sandals no less. Sure the dress was a little worse for wear .The hem was all torn and it had gotten a great deal shorter, but she made it.

The first one who picked her up was a trucker, a nice man really. Asked no questions took her almost to Mississippi before he had to let her off. Even gave her twenty bucks so she could eat. After her first taste of fast food, she managed to flag down another trucker. This one was a bit too friendly. He seemed a bit perverted to her. He did however take her across the state line and almost to Montgomery. At least before he asked to see her chest. He frightened her so she obliged. Then he tried for more and she had no choice. It’s a good thing they were already stopped at a rest area she thought.