She was running.
Not for exercise.
Not for fun.
She was running for her life.
May's lungs burned as her feet slapped against the lonely road, the sound echoing too loudly in the dead of night. Her chest rose and fell painfully, but she didn't slow down—not even for a second. She couldn't.
The bus stop came into view, dimly lit, almost mocking her with how far it still was.
Please… not now. Not today.
Her hands shook as she tightened her grip around the strap of her bag. Inside it was everything she owned—clothes, fear, and a future she hadn't figured out yet.
She glanced back.
Empty road.
Dark houses.
No footsteps.
But her heart refused to calm.
What if they've noticed I'm gone?
What if they're already looking for me?
Her pace quickened.
She had lived nineteen years in that house, and not once had it felt like home. Every wall carried a memory she wanted to forget. Every room reminded her she was unwanted.
Just one more minute, she begged silently. Let me escape.
The bus appeared like a miracle.
Its headlights cut through the darkness just as May reached the stop. Her legs gave up the moment she climbed inside, and she stumbled into the nearest seat, clutching her bag to her chest as if it were the only thing keeping her alive.
The doors shut.
The engine roared.
And just like that… the place she called hell began to fade into the night.
Her body trembled not from the cold, but from everything she had left behind.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, but for the first time, they weren't tears of defeat.
They were tears of freedom.