Chapter 2 – The Basement
The sound was so faint I almost convinced myself I'd imagined it.
A tiny cough.
Then a weak whimper.
"Dad..."
My entire body froze.
"Noah!" I shouted, taking the stairs two at a time.
The basement was colder than the rest of the house, the concrete walls damp from years of moisture. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, flickering weakly above piles of cardboard boxes and old Christmas decorations.
Then I saw him.
Curled into a ball on the bare concrete floor.
His blue hoodie was stained with vomit. His cheeks were ghostly white, and his lips had turned slightly blue from the cold. His backpack lay several feet away, its contents scattered across the floor. The emergency phone was still inside, switched off after the battery had died from my unanswered calls.
Emily screamed.
She dropped to her knees beside him, cradling his head.
"Noah... sweetheart... Mommy's here."
His eyelids fluttered.
"Dad..." he whispered again.
"I'm here, buddy."
He tried to smile.
"I wasn't... pretending."
The words hit harder than any punch.
I wrapped him in my jacket while Emily called 911 with trembling hands.
The paramedics arrived within minutes.
One of them checked Noah's temperature.
"Ninety-two degrees," he said grimly. "He's hypothermic."
Another medic gently pressed Noah's abdomen.
Noah cried out.
The medic looked at me.
"How long has he been down here?"
I turned toward the basement stairs.
Sarah stood there, arms wrapped around herself.
"I... I don't know."
The medic's expression hardened.
"You don't know?"
"I only meant to leave him for a little while."
"How long?"
Silence.
Matthew suddenly appeared behind his mother, tears streaming down his face.
"Mom..." he whispered.
"You told me not to tell."
Every head turned.
Matthew sobbed.
"Noah kept saying his tummy hurt. He was crying and banging on the door. I asked if we could let him out, but Mommy said if I opened it, I wouldn't get birthday presents."
The entire room went silent.
Sarah's face drained of color.
The lead paramedic quietly spoke into his radio.
"We're requesting police response at this address."
May you like
For the first time...
My sister looked afraid.
