If You Want to Live, Drive Away

The loud rain battered against the roof of her car as she braved the night. The storm signal was the greatest tonight, and yet she was out there in the streets with zero visibility. It didn’t help that she was only donning a thin red dress, her bare feet enduring the kiss of the metal pedals on her soles.

Andrea was crying inside and out. Her hands would sometimes move to clear her eyes and her nose, but her teeth were still clenched in anger… resentment… self-pity.

How hurt must a woman be before she was allowed to walk away from a relationship? Not only was she getting suspicions that her boyfriend was cheating on her, but he was also becoming more and more aggressive. She could remember it vividly, just like the previous times he made her heart jump in fright.

…

“What do you mean I can’t expect you to—? Do you know how hard the rain is falling outside?” A booming voice of an angry man made Andrea shudder in her spot. She was reheating the food she cooked earlier, not knowing that Mathias would be home late that night. However, even when he was already home, he was still on the phone with a person for work.

It was their anniversary today; she even dressed up for him. Her nails were newly done, and her blonde hair sat bouncy on her shoulders from the perm. Still, he was on the phone for work.

Andrea lowered the heat and took a teaspoon to taste her soup, making sure that it wouldn’t have the burnt taste that Mathias hated. The last time, he had thrown the pot over just because Andrea burned his meal from reheating it.

She made soft, smacking sounds, liking the sweetness of her dish. Since it was satisfactory, she turned off the heat and prepared some plates for her boyfriend. Moreover, she could just serve the dessert for her to enjoy. She had already eaten, but she wanted to join him for his late dinner.

Crash! Andrea flinched and gripped the plate tighter. She just heard something crash in the living room where Mathias was. Was it a window or the glass center table? Andrea brought down the plate she almost dropped and went to see what happened.

“Matt? Is everything okay?” Andrea still wore a sweet smile as if she could appease him with her voice. She poked her head in and saw how Mathias was looking down their window. The white rain was also getting inside their apartment, judging from the droplets that she could see jumping in from the window. “Did you see something outside?”

“That was a shoe,” Matthias answered as he walked back toward the couch where he sat previously. Andrea thought he was limping, but it was just because he was missing one of his shoes.

The girl flicked her eyes back at the broken window, the rain slowly wetting the carpet and the nearby cabinets. She then walked in a hurry past him. “I’ll patch the window—”

Andrea felt a sharp pain in her wrist. When she took a look at what snagged her, she noticed how Mathias grabbed her. His nails were even digging into her skin. 

He then said, “You get me some beer first. Deal with the window later.”

“Beer? But you haven’t eaten anything yet.” Andrea somewhat frowned at him, but his flaming dark eyes scorched her. She only whimpered and looked away. “All right.”

Andrea walked back into the kitchen to check the fridge. When the cold light hit her face, her hazel eyes didn’t even shine in joy. There was a cake inside with lettering for their anniversary, but she couldn’t even serve it because Mathias was not in the mood. She figured he had even forgotten.

As for the beer, she wondered why he was experimenting with a new taste. She had never seen this label before, only when she found one in the trash. When Mathias bought a case of it, she knew that he was getting a new favorite. “I should take note.”

With a smile, she brought the beer to him. “Hey, lighten up, okay? It’s supposed to be a special day today. Here, I got you a can. Baby, why don’t you—?”

“What the fuck is this?” Mathias wasn’t even looking or listening to her when she spoke. All he did was grab the beer and popped it open. When the taste hit his mouth, he spat it out mercilessly. He even glared at her as he got to his feet. “What did you just give me?”

“Huh, I saw that you’re buying a new—”

Piak! Andrea wasn’t even finished explaining when Mathias sent her to the ground with a strong backhand slap. Her entire body rattled as the pain crawled from her face, tears automatically dripping from her eyes. She was shocked and in pain… most importantly, terrified.

Mathias hurled the can across the room, spilling as it hit the wall. He walked toward her like a madman carrying something so heavy it could break her skull open. His dark eyes glared down at her. “You useless piece of shit. Do you want to die? Get up and get me the right one.”

At those words, Andrea didn’t even dare to stand. She crawled away from the man's reach and into the kitchen. When her shaking hands landed on the fridge’s handle, her eyes remembered a secret inside the plastic jars on top. She grabbed the plastic jar and took out a duplicate key for her car. Without thinking twice, she ran to the backdoor and out of their apartment.

Her heart pounded as much as her bare feet did against the emergency stairs. Before she fully knew of her actions, her body was submerged in freezing temperatures due to the rain. However, she still ran to her car and got inside. If she wanted to live another day, she would drive away.

So, she did.

…

Ring! Ring! Her phone on the dashboard began to ring, taking her out of her trance. She glanced at the screen and saw the wretched face of her boyfriend on the caller ID. Her lips only pursed as she decided to ignore it. There was nothing but pain in her heart when she looked back at what he was once.

The Mathias she belonged to was a decent man, with dreams and a sore spot. What was waiting for her in her apartment was nothing but a monster.

“Stop calling me. I won’t answer you. I won’t let you know that you will never… find me ever again!” Andrea screamed inside the car, but her eyes were still glancing at the vibrating phone. She then reached out to toss the phone into the seat next to her. 

However, her grip was already bad. The phone fell halfway, and she followed it with her gaze, afraid that the fall might pick up the call. It’s just that when she spied on the unclear road before her, someone ended up running across!

“Dammit!” Andrea could only see the shadow of the person, but she knew that she knocked into someone, even if her car’s brake activated just as fast as her stomp. The sudden stop caused her to be flung forward, hitting her head against the steering wheel. She was driving so fast that her seatbelt didn’t save her from injury.

Andrea didn’t pass out from the pain, however. She just slowly sat up straight and nursed her forehead. There was no blood, so she should still be safe to drive. It’s just that she had almost run over someone. She didn’t know if the person was hurt or had died; she couldn’t ultimately leave while she was aware that someone needed her help.

It’s just that… Mathias had his own car. What if he caught up with her if she decided to stop and help out the person? It was basically choosing between her misery and one that she had bestowed on another. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she made a cry in frustration.

Andrea couldn’t bring herself to move at all. “…what do I do? Oh, my God, what do I do now?”