CHAPTER 2 – THE BOY BENEATH THE FLOOR
The splintered floorboard crashed onto the hardwood.
Dust exploded into the air.
For one endless heartbeat, no one moved.
Then Daniel dropped to his knees and shoved the broken planks aside with his bare hands, ignoring the jagged wood slicing into his fingers.
"Leo!" he shouted.
"I'm here, buddy! Dad's here!"
A tiny voice answered again.
"So... cold..."
Mariana collapsed beside him, sobbing.
"Oh my God... Leo!"
Beneath the flooring was not solid concrete.
It was a narrow crawl space, barely large enough for a child.
Someone had built a false floor over it.
Daniel tore away another board.
Then another.
Light spilled into the darkness.
Curled against the dirt lay a frail little boy.
His blond hair had grown long and matted.
His face was painfully thin.
His lips were cracked.
His wrists were bruised where old rope marks still circled the skin.
But his eyes...
Those same warm brown eyes looked up at Daniel.
"Daddy..."
Daniel broke.
He climbed into the cramped space without caring about the nails tearing through his clothes.
He pulled Leo into his arms.
The little boy weighed almost nothing.
Leo buried his face against his father's shoulder.
"I tried to be brave."
Daniel couldn't answer.
Every word dissolved into tears.
Mariana reached down and kissed Leo's forehead over and over.
"My baby..."
"My beautiful boy..."
"We found you..."
Leo looked around weakly.
"Where's Inés?"
"I'm here!" the little girl cried, kneeling beside the opening.
"I heard you knocking."
Leo smiled faintly.
"I knew you would."
Patricia slowly backed away from the growing hole.
"No..."
"This isn't what it looks like..."
Daniel turned toward her.
His face no longer showed grief.
Only fury.
"You buried my son under your house."
Patricia shook violently.
"I never wanted this."
"You don't understand."
"No?" Daniel replied.
"Then explain."
She glanced toward the front door.
For a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Daniel understood she intended to run.
She spun around.
But before she reached the hallway, Mariana grabbed her arm.
"You're not leaving."
Patricia shoved her away.
Mariana hit the wall.
Daniel lunged forward and tackled his sister onto the polished hardwood floor.
The coffee table overturned.
A vase shattered.
Patricia screamed.
"Get off me!"
Daniel pinned her wrists.
"Tell me who helped you."
She stared at him silently.
Then...
A phone vibrated inside her purse.
The screen lit up.
UNKNOWN CALLER
Patricia's eyes filled with terror.
"Don't answer it," she whispered.
Daniel slowly picked up the phone.
The ringing stopped.
A text message appeared seconds later.
IS THE BOY STILL ALIVE?
Every person in the room went silent.
Daniel looked at Patricia.
Then back at the phone.
May you like
This nightmare was bigger than one woman.
And whoever had sent that message already knew something had gone terribly wrong.
