Exit Music

Ethan climbed the trellis, hearing it creak under his weight. His heart beat faster by the second. The trellis giving out was the least of his worries.

He awkwardly opened the window – which thankfully slid up silently. He climbed through, landing in a heap on her thick carpet. He stood as quietly as he could and made his way to her bed.

Ashley lay curled in a fetal position, hugging Char, her stuffed lamb.

Seeing her calmed him, but only a little. As he leaned over her, he could see dried tears streaking her cheeks. It broke his heart to see her hurting. He softly touched his lips to her forehead.

"Ash, honey," he said. She stirred and her eyes opened. She didn't smile – she knew what he was there for. Instead, she pulled him to her and kissed him as long as she dared. Then she put Char aside, threw off her blankets, and went to her closet. Careful not to make a sound, she opened the closet door and began to dress. She didn't mind Ethan in her room while she was changing– they'd already been far more intimate.

Wake from your sleep
The drying of your tears
Today we escape
We escape

She could hear him moving around, and she turned to find him stuffing her possessions into a duffle bag he'd found. She went over to him and took the bag from his hands. He continued to gather belongings and she looked at what he'd packed.

She saw a pair of jeans, a few shirts, sets of underwear, Char, a charm her mother had given her… He definitely knew what she cared about. She took Char out and sat on the bed with a sigh.

Could she take Char with her?

It had been a gift from her father when she was tiny. Only two years old. She'd never gone a day without seeing her beloved stuffed animal since then. Her father was the reason everything was so complicated; at least, that's who she chose to blame. But she still loved him.

Ethan sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Ash?"

Her father hated when anyone shortened her name. "I named you Ashley and you will be known by your given name!" His forceful voice seemed real, and she hoped that would fade. She loved it when Ethan called her Ash.

"Baby, we should hurry," Ethan began softly, and Ashley felt her heart suddenly speed again. They should hurry. Before they were caught. Oh… Ashley didn't want to imagine what would happen if they were caught.

Pack and get dressed
Before your father hears us
Before all hell
Breaks loose

She stood and took quick strides to her desk, grabbed a pencil and scribbled a quick "I love you – All of you." She tucked it into the collar Char wore, and laid the old friend delicately on the pillow. She'd miss her. She'd miss her family, too.

Breathe, keep breathing
Don't lose your nerve

Ethan had continued packing for her, taking her smaller precious belongings as well as practicalities. When he finished, he turned to see her staring wistfully at Char.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly. She turned her tear-filled eyes on him and nodded a firm yes. She hugged him hard.

Breathe, keep breathing
I can't do this alone

He handed her the duffle bag. "I'll go first. It can't hold both of us, so wait until I'm down." She nodded.

He threw his legs out the window, and his body followed. He was down the trellis in a flash, half-falling, trying not to strain the weak wood. Ashley leaned out the window and tossed him her bag. Then she started climbing. The trellis creaked ominously.

Then snapped deafeningly.

Ashley screamed as she fell the five feet into Ethan's arms. But the fall hadn't made her scream. The noise – they'd be caught. Her throat closed as she tried to hold back panicked sobs.

"Come on," Ethan whispered, and grabbed her hand just as they heard a door slam in the house. Her father was yelling before he opened the door. She grabbed her bag and they sprinted into the street.

She could hear her father's maniacal laughter behind them. "Got'cha!" he shouted. Then they heard the shik shik of the shotgun as if it were right between their heads.

"You're okay, just run. Come on, baby. We'll be fine," Ethan was saying, but the ring of a shot cut him off. Ashley screamed and they both ducked for a millisecond.

Sing us a song
A song to keep us warm
There's such a chill
Such a chill

Ethan and Ashley sat in an alley. The sky was painted red, purple, golden, and pink. Ethan lay with his head in Ashley's lap and she continuously ran her hands through his hair. Their duffle bags lay off to the side. They'd picked his up on their way to – wherever they were now.

"Ash… sing to me?" Ethan sounded as scared and hopeless as she felt, but she knew he would always protect her. And she would always protect him.

She opened her mouth and a song she'd learned at church spilled out. It wasn't the religion that was bad, ruthless, cruel… It was how her father interpreted it. God was looking out for her – for them, now – and she felt she should thank him.

Ethan felt as if he should shiver, though the air wasn't quite cold. His fear was running though his veins and chilling him to the bone. But Ashley's golden voice warmed him.

Her voice kept him warm through their night in the alley, and he tried to keep her warm by burying her in his arms.

But her father… His strange laugh… his cruel, merciless, harsh, crazy, evil laugh… She'd never completely seen that part of him. She'd caught glimpses, but never had she experienced the full force of his insanity. For the first time, she realized he was actually insane. What kind of father would shoot at his daughter? And laugh?

But she still loved him.

Not just because she had to, because he was her father. Because there was another side to him. The side that gave her piggy-back rides, and let her ride on his shoulders when she was the baby in the family. The one who took her to the movie theater, just the two of them, so they could spend time together. The one who had given her Char. The one with the friendly, cheerful, contagious, hearty laugh.

And she began to cry.

You can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you

She remembered telling her older sister, her best friend, about her first kiss. Word had spread through the family fast, but Ashley didn't really mind; it wasn't like she was hiding it. But at dinner, her father looked straight into her eyes with strange, dark orbs that didn't seem to belong to her father. He had told her that if any other boy lay his lips – or any other appendage - on hers he would blow their brains out. He said that God frowned on any physical contact before marriage. Ashley hadn't understood then.

And she didn't understand now.

She carefully twisted into a sitting position, trying not to wake Ethan. She put his head in her lap and ran her hands through his dark, feathery hair. The shadows fell on him beautifully, and he reminded her of an angel. How could God frown upon anything this angel did?

She bent over him and pressed her lips to his forehead, lovingly.

She would give her life for him. She had given her life for him. So they could be together.

Now we are one
in everlasting peace

Looking upon the angelic features of her beloved, she realized something.

God loved her.

She had sinned and God loved her. She had sinned so much… But that was human. Jesus had given his life to provide salvation to sinners… to everyone.

He lied to her.

We hope that you choke, that you choke

He had lied.

Her father had lied to her. She would not earn an eternity in hell by loving Ethan. Her love was pure, and she knew that. If her father hadn't disapproved, she and Ethan might have already been married.

I hate you, she thought to her father with a sudden, seething anger.

We hope that you choke, that you choke

Ethan was in that place between sleep and awake. He lay pleasantly still, but his mind was a whirl.

I will always take care of you, Ashley. I love you. You are my world and I will never do anything to hurt you. I know you still love him, and I understand. I love my parents, too. And I will always be here for you, when you start missing them. Don't worry… His half-dreaming mind dragged on.

We hope that you choke, that you choke

A tear ran down Ashley's face and fell onto Ethan's. He roused from his half-sleep enough to look up to her and put his hand to her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"I love you," he whispered.

She simply cried harder.