Excerpt from Chapter 1- RUN

Content Warning: Violence, homicide, trauma

Content Warning: Violence, homicide, trauma

*Excerpt from Chapter 1 on my very first rough draft. I am still writing, slowly but surely, but wanted to send this piece. This month was 15 years since it all happened. If you’re interested in seeing more writings from me please consider joining my patreon for $1 a month at www.HiMeganAshley.com

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When I get home, I park my car, go inside, lock the door, walk to the left, through the hallway, through my own room, finally to my mother's room. She is sitting on her yoga mat. She is obsessed with working out and trying to lose weight, and must have just finished a workout.

She asks me how my night went and I tell her fine. I know she's relieved I made it home safely, and so am I, honestly. Those freeways are scary! She gets into bed with a book, and eventually dozes off with her glasses still on and her book on her chest.

I am on my computer downloading music and putting it onto my Ipod. I send an AIM message to my best friend N. I text C again, he responds "You are the most beautiful girl!". I smile and shut my phone. Now it's about 2 am.

I start to hear noises, little creaks in my room. I look towards the door but it's closed. I wait, and hear nothing more so I go back to what I'm doing.

I am still wearing my clothes, and decide not to change since I have to wake up early to take my little cousin M, A’s little sister, to school. My light blue skinny jeans, and white t-shirt with some pink and purple design on it. I go to the bathroom to wash my face, take off my makeup, brush my teeth, and get ready to get in bed.

Normally I would take Tylenol PM if I had school the next day, or if it was earlier, because I always have trouble sleeping. Tonight I decide it's too late for that, and go back to the computer after I'm done in the bathroom. I see that my ipod is done downloading the songs onto it, and I grab my white headphones and prepare to lay down.

I sit in the bed, then lay, but for some reason, I don't put my headphones in yet. I also don't wake my mom up to tell her to take off her glasses, or get up to turn the lights off. It's like I'm waiting for something.

I am laying in bed holding my headphones, and I hear movement coming from my room again. Creaks like someone is walking toward the door. This time I'm certain someone is coming, so I look again toward the door

Someone is definitely walking into the room. I brace myself. I'm not scared yet, just confused. I assume it's my aunt. It couldn't be my grandma because she is somewhat disabled and not able to walk that quickly. I wonder what my aunt could possibly want at 2:30 am.

The door creaks open. I immediately went into shock. Later on when talking to the police I will say that I don't remember looking at her face, but I think it's a woman based on her appearance. I know it's someone I don't recognize because this person shouldn't be in my house.

She holds the knife over her head for about ten seconds, but it feels like an eternity. Again, I don't think I looked at the knife, but I know it's not how you hold a gun, and what else would this person be holding? It was straight out of a horror movie, only it was in front of my very eyes. I am panicking. I start to yell "no", which I find out later based on my aunts report.

She runs at me. I'm still on the bed under the blankets, I put the blanket up to about my eyes, and tuck my hands into my chest, like the fetal position.

She jumps onto the bed, a feeling I still remember quite well. She stabs me in the chest on the left side, right where my left upper arm is trying to block. I don't know that she's stabbed me yet, again, I assume she has, but it feels like she has only punched me. She gets me two times.

The movement and noise wakes up my mom, who still has her glasses on. Her book is still on her chest, but when she suddenly stands up it falls to the floor. She is looking at me and the woman who just stabbed me, you can see her eyes widen but she is still trying to wake up and understand what's going on.

When the woman moves off of me and walks around to my mom, I use it as an opportunity to escape. I see my mom, I see her eyes, the look in them. But I feel as though if I can get away, she will too. She is stronger than me. She is like a superhero in my eyes.

I run out of the room, looking back once. When I look back, my mom has fallen to the floor and the woman is stabbing her repeatedly.

I don't know how, but I still think my mom can get away. I don't think twice about this.

I run out through my room, down the hallway, and head towards the front door. I see my aunt sitting up on the couch, she frequently sleeps there at night.

I tell her "get out! Someone is in the house!" and keep running to the front door. I try to open it as quickly as I can, only to have it pull back the other way. I realize the latch is still locked. I have to start over. This will be an important detail later on. The door was locked. I don't have time to put this together at the moment.

I am out of the house. I see across the street from me a neighbor is outside at his camper packing for a trip. Thank goodness, I think to myself.

By the time I get to him he is already at his front door. I say "Someone is in my house! Call 911!" He points to the direction of my house and tells me "Go call 911!" and proceeds to close the door.

At this time, I still don't know if I'm stabbed or not. I think I have been, but I'm not sure. I know I don't have time to explain this to him, or even to wait around here in case the woman with the knife comes back out to find me. I feel the urge to run, So I run down the street.

I don't know why I choose a random red house to hide in front of, but it feels like the right thing to do. I run down their driveway and plop down behind their car.

The newspaper will later say that this was a spot I used to play in as a child, but that's not true. There was no reason. I was running on pure instinct.

As I sit behind the car, I feel like I'm having a nightmare. I try to wake myself up. I think about Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home". If only I could tap my red sparkly shoes and wake myself up.

At this point I begin to feel blood rushing out of the wound on the left side of my chest. It's right near my breast bone. The blood is sticky and warm. I put pressure on the wound and keep holding it tightly, but the blood is still pouring. I realize I am not in good shape. I start to feel dizzy and faint and think maybe no one was able to call 911. I realize there is a chance I may die here.

I begin to think about what I can do. I don't know if the woman is still in the house or if she came out after me. I am stuck in the corner of this person's driveway, lodged between a car and the garage. I look up to the right and see a window. I feel for stones or rocks around me and think maybe I can throw one at their window to get their attention, but I don't find anything.

I begin to pray as I realize I'm not waking up from this nightmare. I start talking to God and saying it's ok if I die here, even though I'm only 18. I think about how I've never been married, how I didn't become the teacher I wanted to be yet. It feels very unfair, but I also begin to feel calm and ready. It gets to the point where I can't open my eyes anymore, all I see is black. I feel like my time might be coming.

I start to hear sirens in the distance. I wonder if they're coming for us.

Now that I can hear them,  I have some hope. But I also feel myself start to sink into the cement and it feels quite peaceful. I am not in any pain, even though when I exhale the blood gushes out. I am covered in blood. I am cold, but the blood is so warm. I worry that any chance I have of survival could quickly be taken if the woman finds me, but I'm not scared. There's no way I can get away now. I start to feel as though there is a hand on my head.

I say to God "Ok, I guess I'm going to die here. That is fine. Please take me now. If I'm not meant to die, please tell me what to do next. Please open my eyes."

My eyes open.

I hear the sirens sound very near now, and I know they're on my street. I hear the bustling of the first responders, and then I hear them yell my mother's name.

"Yolanda, Yolanda, Stay with us Yolanda!" They say.

Based on the way they sound, I realize there is a chance my mother will die.  I quickly push that thought aside and it does not enter my mind again.

I am now sitting up with my eyes open, able to see. It feels like my chat with God has worked, and maybe he was the one with his hand on my head.

I say "Please tell me what to do next" and I hear clear as day, "Run".