Out of Promises Read Online Free PDF Page B

area he’d seen earlier and desperately tried the door, pulling and pushing, even hitting it, but it didn’t budge.  Footsteps were closing in on him.  Without knowing how far away they were, he ran farther into the bowels of the home and up on to the second story where he found an empty room, slamming the door behind him.  Light headed, he used what strength he had left to block the door with some heavy tables while the world around him was spinning uncontrollably.
    The tables wouldn’t hold for long.
    He looked around; he was in an unused classroom. There was a large window.  Beyond that, the garden fed towards the road.  As he looked through, he could just about see the ground, which didn’t look too far away from here.  But the window was locked.
    There were more footsteps outside the door and he was adamant he wasn’t going to get caught and end up in the ground beside Doug.
    Grabbing a chair, he flung it at the window.  It bounced off leaving a smudge on the glass.
    The man at the door banged his fist against it and tried the handle.  ‘Open this door.  Now!’ he shouted as more people joined the effort.
    Freddie picked up the chair again, summoning up some strength and really went for it this time.  The chair smashed through the window shattering the glass and disappearing in the undergrowth below.
    The chaotic battering continued.  ‘Open this door you little shit.’
    The bitter cold surrounded him as he looked out.  He decided to jump.  He had to jump.  The door behind him inched open with each body slammed against it until an arm reached in to push away the tables.
    Doug’s dead body on the soil stayed with Freddie as he climbed on the windowsill, cutting his hands on the glass.  He still couldn’t see the ground clearly.  What did it matter?  It was jump or die.
    He jumped, landing on the soft ground and tumbling.  His escape was in sight and could feel it.  Climbing to his feet, he ran, but with the broken shards of glass digging into his feet, he was soon sent back to earth.
    Behind him, the men had gotten through the door.  At the window watching him, one of them yelled, ‘There’s no escape, boy.’
    Adrenaline flowed through his body, taking over from the pain.  Rising to his feet again, he ran along the driveway to the road where he could see the lights of the city.
     
    For almost two hours, he ran, which felt like forever to him.  He was exhausted.  His throat was a cold and dry stabbing sensation and blisters were forming on his feet with dirt getting into every cut and scrape.
    He ran to the city’s outskirts and through an industrial zone passing building after building until he couldn’t go any farther, arriving at a parking lot on a hill that belonged to Hellman’s Business Centre.
    Four feet from the door, dizziness and darkness swallowed him.

 
     
     
     
    v
     
    Opening his eyes to the glare of the hospital lights, Freddie’s pounding head sent lightning bolts through him.  Dazed and dehydrated, a drip attached to his arm gave him everything he needed.  They’d also bandaged his feet.
    Sitting beside him was man of around forty year old and a teenage girl.
    The man said, ‘My name is Mr. Matherson.  What’s yours?’
    ‘Freddie.’
    ‘You should think yourself lucky Valerie found you when she did.’
    Freddie looked at her and she winked at him with a smile.
    Matherson continued, ‘What were you doing in my parking lot?’
    Even at this young age, Freddie sensed the hostile tone.
    ‘Tell me.’
    ‘I ran away.’
    ‘Where from?’
    He didn’t answer.
    ‘Don’t ignore me.’
    ‘Northbrook Children’s Home.’
    ‘That’s the one outside of town isn’t it?’
    He nodded.
    ‘Why did you run away?’
    Scared, but happy to be telling someone, Freddie explained about the children crying, the photo album, the loading area with the boxes, and being chased before jumping from a window.
    Matherson saw something in him, an early sense of strength and