Lockdown

I’ve meticulously planned my escape. But fate has other plans…

Today’s the day. The things I’ve packed are hidden away and I’m waiting for the go-ahead to collect the keys to the new house.

I’m so close to escaping Justin’s moods, his drinking and his violent tendencies, which are gradually getting worse. His promises of change mean nothing anymore and I’ve got to get away from him.

But a national lockdown has just been announced.

My current four walls are now my prison and my dreams of freedom lay in tatters. Pregnant, asthmatic and terrified, the danger outside feels deadlier than the danger within, so I have no choice other than to accept my current fate. After all, we’re all in this together, right?

Wrong. Justin now has me exactly where he wants me, and the three weeks of government restrictions stretch before me like a gaping void.

As my life spirals into despair, I navigate the darkest corners of my empty existence and I’m sinking fast. Justin severs my contact with family and friends and his coercive control tightens like a noose. While the outside world is in turmoil, my deadliest adversary lurks within – the person I’m forced to live with.

With concerned neighbours attempting to reach out to me, Justin’s sinister web around the two of us tightens, especially when the help that’s being offered poses a direct threat to him. The situation is unbearable, and things eventually reach a breaking point.

Either one of us could survive the inevitable confrontation.

And either one of us could die.