By Claire Bijou
CSMS Magazine
Running; sprinting; falling; and getting back up. I couldn’t see in front of me. The forest was so dark, no moon. I couldn’t see and every time I fell, I could feel my skin ripping apart. Blazing through the evergreen trees, you couldn’t imagine how many cuts I consumed along the way. My feet sored, my body was tired, but all I knew was that I had to keep running. I couldn’t stop. For if I did, they’d have caught me. I couldn’t let them. I couldn’t go back to the bottomless pit I was in. I just couldn’t. No matter how tired I was, I had to keep running. I HAD TO.
I could hear them, including their feet running like stampede of elephants, shouting like roaring lions. All I knew, I had to get away. I ran like my life depended on it, well technically it did!
I didn’t want to stop, because if I did, The Lord knew what would have happened. So I pushed forward, tapping onto the reserve of my strength. Then, out of nowhere it came!
The sound of horns. In feverish spook, my heart leaped, my reserve strengthened. I knew I was not far, just a bit more, I told my body—just a bit more and I would be free. I prayed with all the might of my body to GOD, begging HIM to help me make it. My sanity depended upon it.
My enemies were behind me now, not too far. They were fast approaching, tears sprang out of my eyes, streaming down my ebony cheeks. But I continued pushing.
Suddenly, I saw the cars, I saw the lights. Relief spread through my body. But my happiness was short lived. I felt the hands before it even touched me. I was pushed into a tree, a hand clamped my mouth. In my head, I screamed, nooooo, this couldn’t be happening. Am-not-going-back.
I started struggling against my captor. He was saying something, but to preserve my surge of bravado, I didn’t want to listen. I refused to. All I knew was that I had to fight. My life depended upon it.
As I struggled, he held on tighter. Tears ran down my eyes, harder and harder. My body was starting to lose the fight. “Lord have mercy” I cried. Then I heard it. “Julie, Julie” a renewed hope surge into me. I knew that voice! I couldn’t believe it. My husband, Larry, was there, he was going to save me. I started to struggle, struggling like a mad beast. In the midst of the struggle, my captor’s hand slightly moved. I seized the moment and bit hard. With a yelp, he let go and I stumbled forward losing my balance, falling face first and hitting my head on a rock.
“You stupid little…” said my captor, “you are going to pay for this”.
My vision blurred, my head felt like it was about to explode. Hitting my head on that rock took my breath away. My strength was slowly fading; my body was in the process of shutting down. All I could hear was Larry’s voice calling me. Then blackness came. Out of nowhere, I felt the jolt, and a peaceful feeling overtook my body. Where was I? In a trance?
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Larry hovering over me. Concern written all over his handsome face. Then my eyes shifted to my surrounding, it took me a while but I realized I was in my room, our room, our house. Then flashback of what happened came with such intensity that I feared I would lose my mind. Seeing the fear written all over my face, Larry took me in an embrace and held me like a mother would hold her child. Rocking me back and forth, whispering to me “everything is going to be ok; they can no longer hurt you. Am here and am here to stay. I would protect you, always”.
As he held me, I knew what he meant what he just said, and I believed him with all my heart. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. That they were out there waiting to strike again.
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Holding my wife was what I could do at that moment. Hadn’t we arrived in time, I would have lost her. I made sure they knew what would happen to them if they ever come after her again. But deep down I knew they wouldn’t give up that easily. Pretty soon, my wife and I will have to face the war, a war we tried to avoid; a war we could not escape. I knew I had to go to them. I didn’t want them to be involved, but the time has come. I have no doubts they will stand by us. The time has come to strike back, to send them back to hell. I will fight and fight I will.
I will protect what is dear to me. For a life without Julie will be like a life without sunshine. I was in the dark before I met her, but ever since she came into my life, things have changed. I will fight my hardest. They have no idea what they have awakened.
Note: Claire Bijou is the charming young lady who reports from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Once again she wrote this awesome piece exclusively for CSMS Magazine. She lives and works in suburban Port-au-Prince. She may be reached at [email protected]
