(Page 1 of 10) Carol 2 from Betrayed By God by Tristis WardSUMMARY: Continued from "Carol from betrayed By God." These two parts are the opening scenes of the book.It irks that she must hide and flee these hicks. Such are the limitations of being without gear or sensible allies in the middle of nowhere.
While the dreary farmer family runs to the priest's summons, she makes her escape through the field that borders the driveway. Withdrawal is not always about fear or guilt. Staying would have meant damaging at least some of them. She is angry enough with Ross to deck him, and that is never a good sign. Better to get her frustrations out on foot.
Fortunate that the first hundred yards are only about putting distance between them and her. Not that it is easy on feet that are apparently unused to shoeless sprints - in a damned nightgown! This will never do. It slows her and creates too much of a trail. There are better uses, anyway. When she turns to check, she sees the men have come out of the garage. Effort must go into slipping them in this obvious flight. The flimsy material is a dingy flower print. Without slowing, she takes the nightgown off and wraps it around her overly long dark hair to better blend in with the brown stalks of the ripe corn.
The Garnets are still inside the garage, checking every inch in case she is hiding. Father Bedford almost calls to them, but there is no time. He can no longer see her head bobbing in the distance. She is suddenly very hard to make out, and impossibly far away. They are about to find out anyway. Her brother is running back to open the garage door, shouting that he will get the truck.
With a sigh, Father Bedford heads into the standing corn. He will trail her in case she gives up, falls, or tries to slip back to the house. He does not think any of that will happen, though. Some instinct tells him she is as able as determined and she will make it to the highway. From there she will find her way out of their control and into town, or worse, the city.
It is only the first few feet of stalks that are bent as wide as he requires. They start to narrow as whatever demon riding her gained its gradual control. Small blood drops on the leaves and smeared on the ground become fewer and smaller until they are gone, too. Soon the path she made as she ran becomes too narrow for even a small girl. It is as if she twisted sideways, then even that is gone.
"She bent around the crop." He shakes his head in dismay. "The demon bent her body between stalks of corn."
***
The run has not been long, but she can feel her borrowed lungs straining; feels the soles of her feet bruising; feels her naked skin stinging from the rush past leafy blades. The road is just ahead and nobody is behind her. She has been careful to lessen the trail, but she is sure they will use the jalopy to cut her off. She had stopped short of ruining it when Priest-Ross made his way to the garage. Stupid man could have saved a lot of grief.
No matter now. (A car passes, she notes.) She quietly settles a few feet before the edge of the field. Her situation demands some costuming. A naked girl might indeed get picked up from the side of a highway, or she might be avoided like the trouble she is.
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