Get Away

Eli had to get away. She needed somewhere to go. She needed to get out of town, out of Orilon. Urgently. People were after her. 

So, she had retreated. But not too far; she needed to be able to easily travel to her old home every so often to visit her dad and take care of business. 

Accordingly, she went to the farthest place she could manage while not too far as to abandon civilization. She ended up purchasing a 30-acre lot equipped with one home on the far outskirts of Orilon. Desolate enough to hide for a bit, but close enough to the city that she could get deliveries. 

Really, she couldn’t even remember the move. It was all such a blur. The transition had occurred so swiftly that she felt as if she had always lived in her new cabin, even though she had only been there for a few days. 

Eli started thinking about how she was going to live from now on. She wasn’t worried monetarily- she had enough money to sustain herself without needing a job for as long as she needed. She was worried that she would get lonely and go into town, and then they would find her. 

However, she had not become lonely so far. She much enjoyed the peace that the surrounding wilderness brought her. She quite liked being removed from Orilon, away from that wretched town. She liked her small little cabin, with its studio-like unseparated meld of the kitchen, bedroom, and dining/living room. She liked her singular bathroom and simple furniture. 

Eli sat with her legs crossed atop her bed, gazing outside through the home’s only window. 

She felt very fortunate to be able to wake up to the sun’s morning glow peeking through the glass, to be able to see the bees buzz around the flowers all day, and to watch the stars emerge at night. All through her window and from the comforts of her bed. 

She felt fortunate that this, along with some occasional visits to town, could be the rest of her life. She felt safe. 

Truly, the only reason she needed to go to Orilon was her father. Otherwise, she had food, groceries, and other items delivered every day. More so, she could spend her days purely inside for as long as she desired. The land she lived on was wild and had survived without her help before, so she wasn’t going to start interrupting mother nature by mowing lawns now. It was also the beginning of summer, so she didn’t need to worry about the wintertime and the cold it would bring. She never really had to leave her house. 

Which was certainly a good thing. Upon buying this property, Eli had decided that she no longer wanted to try to make new friends or make peace with old enemies. She was done interacting with anyone, except for those who delivered her items or possessed the title of her father. 

So, staying inside most of the time was exactly what she did. She had a bit of a routine every day: sitting on her bed in the morning hours to meditate, walking a short trail she had paved around the cabin’s perimeter, eating all of her meals and tending to her heart’s desire. 

Today, she was nearing the end of her meditation. She opened her eyes and rose. She ate her usual breakfast, slowly, of course, and wanted to take her walk when she heard a noise. 

Laughing, outside her home. Two or three people walking up her steps. 

Fiddlesticks. They found her. 

Eli was confronted with the quick reality of what really chased her out of Orilon. What she always feared but couldn’t face. 

Before the strangers had the chance to open her door, she jammed her one and only chair underneath the handle. That should give her a few extra seconds. 

She thought about what she could do. Her front door was the only obvious escape route. She would have to climb out the window. 

She pulled open the glass hatch just as a loud pounding on her front door began. 

“Elizabeth, can we come in?” one voice taunted. 

She shimmied her torso through the window’s narrow opening and considered how she could escape from the people. 

She would have to follow the walking trail to the main road, where she could make a run for it. But Eli would have to be stealthy enough to escape unnoticed by whoever lurked outside. 

After some work, she was able to shimmy out of the window and onto the grass. Eli could hear the people on the opposite side of the cabin, still pounding at the door and trying to get in. 

She was so afraid. She knew what those people would do to her. How they would restrain her forcefully, torture her with needles and water and other cruel devices. 

However, this fear gave her power; it drove her to run faster. To run as far away as she could. 

↞↠

She made it to a fairly open pasture. It was so beautiful. 

She didn’t hear anyone behind her. It looked like she was in the clear. 

Eli found a tall oak tree and cowered underneath it. She needed a bit of rest since she was growing very tired. After all, she ran a long way. Miles, probably. 

She huddled against the tree’s bark when she heard rustling coming from behind her. They found her. 

Eli tried to get up but was overcome with exhaustion. She heard the strangers fast approaching but didn’t have the energy to get away. 

Then she heard a voice call out to her, a familiar voice. “Elizabeth!”  

“Poppa!” she called out. She could hear him running over. 

Her eyesight got strangely blurry, all of a sudden. Her own father looked like nothing but a faint and shadowy outline. She really needed to get in shape. 

“Eli!” her father yelled as he caught a glimpse of her underneath the tree. “Hang in there honey, okay? I got you.” He put his arms around her. 

She didn't know why he was here or how he found her. Nonetheless, she liked the comfort his embrace brought. But it was interrupted by the startling presence of others rushing forward. 

“Get away from her!” her father commanded the others. 

She could hear other voices but couldn’t make sense of them. She was sure they were here for her, though. 

The others tore her father away from her side. All Eli could hear was his screaming, and her vision got progressively worse. She couldn’t see what was going on. 

She then felt what she always knew was coming: the restraints, the torture, and the needles. 

And just like that, it was over. 

↞↠

“We have the right house, right?” Jason asked. 

“Yes, #30,” the orderly stated while flipping through her clipboard and then gesturing to the ‘30’ plaque on the door. 

Jason didn’t like this. “Then why isn’t she answering? Why can’t we go in?” 

“Mr. Jules, please be patient. We will enter after the mandatory 1-minute grace period. It makes them feel more at home, like they are choosing to accept visitors.” She knocked on the door again. 

“Well it’s been long enough, hasn’t it? I want to see her.” 

“All right Mr. Jules. You remember what to do in case of an emergency?” 

“Yes of course, but don’t be ridiculous,” Jason shamed. He couldn’t believe he had to go through that drill in the first place. 

He climbed the stairs and reached forward for the handle. He tried to open the door, but couldn’t. “Why is it locked?” he asked, frustrated. He stepped back down onto the pathway. 

“None of our doors have locks on them, for the safety of the patients,” the orderly said, almost as if Jason were an idiot. “Allow me.” She tried to open the door and the same happened. It seemed locked. 

She sighed heavily and pulled out a walkie-talkie. She turned to the side, away from Jason, to quietly say, “Sir, we have a code purple on house #30. Elizabeth Jules. Can I get some help?” 

A garbled response returned from the person on the other end. “We’ll send someone over.” 

“Code purple? What does that mean?” Jason asked, hearing no explanation in turn after a few moments. “Look, that’s my daughter in there. Tell me what’s going on,” he forcefully directed. 

“Mr. Jules, please return to the waiting room. Do you remember where that is or do you need an escort?” the woman calmly asked. She knocked on the door again while she spoke. 

“No, I won’t. I am not leaving until you unlock the door and I can see Elizabeth.” 

“Sir, the door is not locked. She has likely barricaded herself inside. It happens when our patients reach the advanced stages of the illness.” 

“Advanced?” Jason was dumbfounded. “You people told me she had a whole year before then!” he fumed. 

“I do apologize for that, Mr. Jules, but that was only a prediction. Sometimes, when people don’t want to fight anymore, it takes over quicker,” she explained. 

Jason felt not only his stomach drop but his heart too. “I have to see her,” he quivered. 

“We are working on that as fast as we can. But you have to know that she won’t be herself. At this stage, she’ll be confused, angry, scared. She won’t be the person you remember.” 

In that moment, Jason had to mourn the loss of the little girl he had raised. The kid he taught life lessons to. The woman little Eli came to be. All gone, because of an illness. 

The orderly’s radio started buzzing with a different voice. “Hey, we’ve got a tall blonde female on the front lawn. Can I get security over here?” 

“That’s my daughter,” Jason exclaimed. “What’s going on? I thought she lived here,” he stated while pointing to house #30.  

The orderly took a deep breath before telling him, “Mr. Jules, if that is her and she escaped from the house, I’m afraid she’s farther along than we expected. It means she is in the final stage, Mr. Jules. You know what has to happen now.” 

“No.” It couldn't be. Not already. 

Jason promptly left #30, abandoning its small appearance, its flowers and its buzzing bees, and headed to the front lawn. He would find Elizabeth himself. He could help her. He could save her. 

↞↠

Jason sprinted past the large welcome sign, “Orilon Center for Diseased Patients,” as he approached the front lawn. 

“Elizabeth!” he called out. 

“Poppa!” came a distant response. He didn’t know where she was. She didn’t seem to be anywhere on the front lawn. And then something in him told him to retrace his steps. 

There she was, underneath the welcome sign. She had always been slightly taller than he was, but right now she looked so small. 

“Eli!” Jason screeched as he ran to her side. “Hang in there honey, okay? I got you.” He put his arms around her and held her tightly. 

He heard others rushing over. He knew who they were. He didn’t even have to look. 

“Get away from her!” he said while turning to face the men. 

“Mr. Jules, you know what we have to do.” The security guards grew ever closer. 

“No! No, please!” Jason begged. 

“She’s gone now. You have to know that. Look in her eyes,” they gently told him. 

They were right. In her eyes he did not see his daughter. 

But that didn’t stop Jason. 

“Please, there has to be something we can do!” 

“Mr. Jules, I’m going to need you to step away now.” 

One of the men tore Jason away from her frail body. They were so strong that he couldn’t do anything to stop them. 

“Don’t hurt her!” Jason screamed at the other men. They ignored him completely and walked over to Eli. 

Jason turned to Eli and told her, “It’s going to be okay. Just close your eyes, you’ll be okay.” He was wailing and screaming at the top of his lungs. Eli looked so confused and helpless. 

One man gently restrained her, one man dabbed her forehead with a wet rag to comfort her, and one injected the needle into her vein. 

And just like that, it was over.