Chapter 1: Behind the Basement Door
Chapter 1: Behind the Basement Door
I flew down the basement stairs two at a time.
"NOAH!"
There was no answer.
Only another weak, shaky breath.
The basement was dark except for a single pull-chain light near the washing machine.
When I turned it on, my heart stopped.
Noah was curled into a ball on the cold concrete floor.
His little jacket had been shoved beneath his head like a pillow.
His face was ghostly pale.
His lips trembled.
Beside him lay a small puddle of vomit.
"Dad..." he whispered.
I dropped to my knees.
"Oh, buddy..."
His body felt ice-cold when I picked him up.
He immediately wrapped his arms around my neck with what little strength he had left.
"I tried to call you."
I looked toward his backpack.
It sat on a shelf across the room.
The zipper was open.
The emergency phone was gone.
Emily rushed downstairs seconds later.
The moment she saw him, she burst into tears.
"My baby..."
Noah leaned weakly against her.
"Aunt Sarah took my phone."
"She said I was lying."
Every word stabbed deeper than the last.
I carried Noah upstairs without looking at my sister.
She kept talking.
"He was ruining Matthew's birthday."
"He wouldn't stop complaining."
"He just needed time to calm down."
I finally looked at her.
"You locked an eight-year-old sick child in a basement."
She folded her arms.
"I didn't lock it."
I reached back with one hand.
The basement door closed.
It clicked.
Deadbolt.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
No one said another word.
Sarah's face turned white.
May you like
She had forgotten about the lock.
And now everyone in the house knew she had lied.
