The Screams That Echo
I’m not sure what triggered the nightmare. Sometimes there is no clear reason. But this one was vivid—horrific in the way that only the deepest fears can be.
In the dream, there were screams.
I woke up wondering: Were they mine? My sister’s? My children’s?
Or were they the cries of the children of the Survivors we have helped escape?
If you have ever heard the primal scream of a child who is truly terrified, you never forget it. It is not a sound that fades with time. It is haunting. It echoes in your memory long after the moment has passed. Those screams live in your mind, sometimes for a lifetime.
At Control Alt Delete, we have heard those echoes through the stories of Survivors. Through the fear in a mother’s voice when she finally reaches out for help. Through the trembling relief when a family makes it to safety. Through the quiet moments when someone realizes—for the first time in a long time—that they can breathe.
Survivors shouldn’t have to leave their homes, their routines, their communities, or the life they built. The person causing harm should be the one who leaves.
But in an abusive situation, leaving is often the only way to make the abuse stop.
And leaving can look different for every escape.
Sometimes it is getting into a car and driving somewhere safe.
Sometimes it is a bus ticket to another city where an abuser cannot find them.
Sometimes it is new door locks and a security camera so the abuser cannot get back into the home.
Every escape is different. But every escape begins with the same truth: safety must come first.
Abusers are often described in ways that soften what they are doing.
People say they are having a bad day.
That they are just a jerk.
That they are stressed.
That it’s the alcohol, the drugs, or even mental health.
That they are angry about work, money, or even doom scrolling through the news.
But abuse is none of those things.
Abuse is a choice.
Sometimes the abuse is physical. Bruises and injuries that cannot be hidden forever. But there is always mental and emotional abuse—control, intimidation, manipulation, and guilt that wear a person down over time.
The constant criticism.
The isolation.
The threats.
The fear.
Those are not accidents.
They are decisions.
Abuse is not something that simply happens. It is something the abuser is consciously choosing to do. Over and over again.
And because it is a choice, it is not going to stop on its own. In most cases, it escalates.
That is why leaving—no matter how difficult—is often the only path to safety.
At Control Alt Delete, we exist to help Survivors make that escape. We help remove the barriers that keep people trapped. Whether that means transportation, security, relocation support, or other critical resources, our mission is simple: make the path to safety possible.
No one should have to live with fear echoing through their home.
And no child should ever have to make that scream.
If you are in a position to help, your support makes these escapes possible. Every act of generosity helps turn terror into safety and gives Survivors the chance to rebuild their lives.
Because while fear can echo for a lifetime, so can the power of someone stepping in to help.
