The Chase, by Robyn Wegleitner 8th grade

My heart pounded in my chest as I ran faster and faster I couldn’t look back. I knew he was getting closer. I knew I had to get away. But how? It was a rainy, hot, Monday afternoon in southern Florida. I kept tripping over root and ditches as I ran through the forest. Just keep running I repeatedly was telling my self. You can do it. I was starting to get tired and my breathing was coming very fast and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep running this fast much longer. I needed to find a place to stop. That’s when I found a little cottage up ahead. It looked as if it was 100 years old. I was made of thousands of different colored grey stones. It was open so I made my way inside to hide for a little bit and catch my breath. I herd his footsteps get close. I was sure my breathing was loud enough that he would here it, but he ran past the little cottage. I herd his foot steps get very loud and I knew he was by the door but they kept going and gradually got softer and softer. I let out a huge sigh of relief. I knew I couldn’t stay here forever. It was getting dark and I needed to find my way out of this forest before dark because who knew what would be lurking in the shadows of the thick woods at night. I crawled to the door and opened it just a crack to make sure he wasn’t out there. The coast was clear so I got up and went to start running again. I had been running for about 20 minutes when I knew I needed a rest. I stopped by a giant bright green palm tree. I must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is that awful morning that this chase started. My dad left my mom when I was very young. Like only 1 or 2 years old. But he’s not the reason my mom’s ex-boyfriend is chasing me. Jeff and my mom had been dating for about 2 months when she found out he was a criminal. I had always guessed this because he had a tattoo of a knife on his arm and was always wearing dirty ripped up clothes and grease stained shirts. My mom thought he was wonderful until she found out he had abused all of his three ex-wives. She didn’t want him around me so one day while he was off at his mysterious daytime activities she changed all the locks and threw all of his stuff in the front yard. When she saw him approach the house she had me go to my room. Even in my room I could here him yelling from outside. My mom and me went on with our lives that night until he eventually left. The next morning was a typical morning, no sign of Jeff. I walked to school like every other day. By the time I saw him there standing on the side walk right in from of my school it was to late. He grabbed my arm. “ It’s all your fault your mom left me,” he hissed in my ear. “ She didn’t want some criminal by her precious little girl.” But I knew this was a lie. The real reason my mom left his is because she was terrified of Jeff. I could see it in her eyes every time he was near. She was afraid he would hurt her like he did his last three wives. I felt his grip loosen a tinny bit and I knew this is when I had to get away. I pulled so quickly and so hard that he was startled and let go. I ran into the woods by my school with him still following me. I woke up from the dream expecting it to be a nightmare and my mom was down stairs yelling at me to get up for school. But it wasn’t a dream. I was panting hard and still leaning by the tree when I heard his nasty snake like voice calling my name.” May, I know you’re around here” Jeff called. I jumped to my feet and sprinted toward the lightest part of the forest hoping it would lead me to an opening where I could call the police. I passed the last tree of the forest and came to a small little city. I looked at the sign that showed the name of this city. It said I was in Halim, Florida. This couldn’t be right. I lived in Miami Florida. I haven't even heard of Halim. How long have I been running I asked my self, and which way was I running? North? East? I needed to find a police station to call my mom. It was 5:00 she would be worried. I should’ve been home having dinner in our little light blue corner house. I felt arms grab me. I knew it was him. I didn’t even have to look. I smelt his awful fish like order and I wondered what my mom ever saw in him. I screamed, ”help” as loud as I could hoping someone would here me. Everything else happened so fast it felt like someone pushed the fast-forward button on the remote that controlled my life. Someone must’ve herd me because a police car came around the corner and another one came from behind me and more came on all sides of Jeff and me. Jeff was cornered. Police officers hopped out of the car and ran towards me. Jeff was so shocked that he just let go of me and I fell tom the ground. Before I even got back up he was in hand cuffs and police officers where all around me asking if I was all right. Then my mom stepped out of a police car. She ran and hugged me and told me that when I didn’t come home from school, she automatically knew Jeff had me. They had police officers all over southern Florida looking for him. Jeff got put in jail for life and my mom promised me she would never date a guy again that I didn’t approve of.