The Long Run

“You are useless, kid. Useless. Why do I have to take care of you? You just hold me back. Useless.” Travis put his hand on his stomach. He felt the bruise from his father’s blow, but what his father had said hurt more. Useless. I’m not useless. I can run. That’s one thing I can do. “I’m tired of being afraid,” Travis said. He said it softly. He said it to himself. I can’t stay here, Travis thought. The thought surprised him. But how can I leave my father? Then another thought hit him. It hit him harder than his father’s drunken fists. I have to leave. I have to run. Not tomorrow. Now! Follow Travis Hawk on a cross-country trek as he escapes a world of brutality and uncertainty and puts his trust, and even his very life, in the hands of total strangers. Travis’s story is one of struggle, survival, risk, and resilience, navigating a solo journey of hundreds of miles to seek a safe haven, far from the demons of his past.