I could hear my oldest son’s brave attempt to muffle a cry of pain. Something just snapped inside me. The fear of the nameless men faded away into the darkness, leaving me with a clear head and determination.

I felt around the room, really felt. I searched with my handds low and high until I had touched every wall, the door, and a chair. The chair had metal legs, and the walls were all different. The wall opposite the door was corrugated sheet metal, of the side walls, one was brick and the other drywall. But the wall with the door was thinner, and most likely not insulated. The door itself was wooden and too stiff.

In one swift move I plunged the chair through the wall beside the door. The legs pierced it easier than I hoped and I fell through the space with the chair. I heard exclamations and I ran, not away, but toward my son.

I heard the voices in another room, I paused, back to the wall beside the door, slowing my breathing, listening for the perfect opportunity.