Member-only story
LEAVING HELL BEHIND
A Bunk Bed and Stolen Bread Were All I Had
But they were more than enough, as I was free
A job and a home, in that order and right now
The cold I went to bed with two days ago is pretty much gone. The nightmares are not — the ones where I’m pursued, captured, and returned to the collective for punishment and re-assimilation. I expect those will be a part of my life for years to come.
It’s time to start a new life here in Salt Lake City. I have just a few dollars left, so I need a job and a home, in that order and right now.
It’s late summer in 1995. For the first time in my life, I am truly on my own — no parents, no roommates, no spouse. This both terrifies and exhilarates me.
I’d better get going.
I shower and dress, enjoying the tiny soap, shampoo, and conditioner provided by the motel perhaps more than I should, considering their packaging will be in a landfill by the end of the week and then forever. The thing is, personal hygiene items like this are a novelty, a treasure, and a godsend for me. I stay in the shower until my digits are pruney and the water is ice cold.
