“Hey,” I said. “Everything good here?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep.”

“How did the evening go with the kids?”

“It went okay. The usual.”

“Did Zack do his homework?” I asked.

He looked at me, annoyed. “Of course. As soon as he came home from school. I even checked it, even if it is Friday and he could wait till Sunday to do it. You don’t think I can take care of the kids alone for one night?”

I shrugged. “Just checking. Zack has a tendency to forget his homework when we wait till Sunday. You know I’m grateful for you taking care of them while I work. That’s not what I meant.” He didn’t say anything. I continued. “And what about dinner? What did you have to eat?”

“I made chicken alfredo,” he said. “There’s some in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

I realized I hadn’t had dinner, but I really wasn’t hungry. I was too tired to eat. I grabbed a banana and ate it instead.

Joe glanced at his phone, scrolling through his Instagram feed. Guess we were done talking.

“So, no problems?” I asked.

He shook his head, then walked to the stairs and went up. I looked after him, feeling lonelier than ever. He didn’t even ask where I had been. I had texted him to tell him that I was working late, but he had just answered with an OK. He used to hate it when I worked late and would always say he believed they were exploiting me, and that I deserved more free time with my family. He hated it when I wasn’t home. But now he seemed almost like he no longer cared.

That happened fast.

“Good night,” I said, but he was already in the bedroom and had closed the door. I looked at Zelda with a shrug. “Guess it’s just the two of us then.”

She had become my sleeping buddy and, even if she did make a lot of noise at night, I enjoyed her company more than anything.

“Let me just go check on the kids,” I said. “Kiss them good night. Wait for me here. I’ll be right back.”

FIFTY-NINEMARISSA

Marissa had been locked away in the shed for days, helplessly watching Emma slowly grow weaker with each passing hour, no one coming to their aid.

Emma was still burning up with a high fever that refused to break, and had become so disoriented that she wouldn’t wake, only groan in her sleep. Marissa tried desperately to keep her daughter comfortable, and as cold as possible, but it was hard in the hot shed with the sun scorching outside of it during the day. She feared that, without help, it wouldn’t be long before Emma would succumb to the illness and slip away.

“Please, someone help us,” she screamed while hammering her fists on the door.

But it was no use.

She had been pounding on the door of the shed for hours at a time, till she had to rest because her hands were bleeding. Yet no one heard her cries for help. The silence was making her feel desperate. Tears streamed down her face as she pounded her fists against the metal over and over again, her last hope of finding help quickly fading away. She screamed out in despair, yet there was no sign of anyone coming to her rescue.

“My baby girl,” she said and sat on the bed with her, holding her in her arms, while struggling to keep back the tears. They had given them water to drink, in bottles, but now they were slowly running out. Emma needed water to help fight this fever. “My poor, poor baby.”

She sat with her in her arms rocking her back and forth, heart aching desperately for help.

What am I going to do?

She had nowhere to turn and was left with no other choice but to wait and hope that someone would hear her cries and come to help. Whether it be in the form of a miracle or a tragedy, Marissa didn’t care anymore.

Anything would do. Anything but this darn silence!

“Please,” she cried.

But as the hours passed, Marissa began to lose hope. She felt herself slipping into a fog of despair, her mind becoming disoriented and her thoughts a jumbled mess. She couldn’t remember how long she had been locked away, or how long Emma had been ill. All she knew was that they were trapped in this shed, alone and helpless.

Her eyes felt heavy, but she refused to close them, afraid of what might happen if she did. Emma’s breathing had become more and more labored, and Marissa knew that time was running out. She sank to the ground, her back against the shed door, and prayed for a way out of this nightmare.

Late at night on the third day, she had almost dozed off, even if she didn’t dare to.

Suddenly, there was a creaking sound, and the door slowly began to open. Marissa blinked in surprise, her eyes adjusting to the sudden flood of light from a lamp outside. A figure stood in the doorway; their features obscured by the bright light behind them.

Startled, she scrambled to her feet, not daring to hope too much. Her heart leapt with desperation as she tried to make out the features of this person.

Friend or foe. It didn’t matter at this point.

“Please,” she pleaded, her voice hoarse from hours of screaming. “Emma is sick. She needs help. You are the only one who can help her.”

SIXTYBILLIE ANN

I slowly climbed the stairs, my body feeling the exhaustion from a very long day as I passed by Zack’s room. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see his small figure curled up in bed, blankets pulled up to his chin.

I snuck into the room, cautious to not make a sound and wake him up. I gently brushed his hair away from his forehead and pressed a featherlight kiss to his temple. He stirred slightly, and I froze, holding my breath. After a few moments he settled back down, and I exhaled with relief.

“Sleep tight, my love,” I whispered and closed the door as I left.

I continued down the hall to William’s room, expecting to find him passed out with his phone still in his hand. Sure enough, as I pushed the door open, I saw his phone lying on the floor next to the bed. William had gone to sleep without putting it away, a habit of his that I had been trying to break. I smiled fondly as I watched him sleeping, his chest rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm.

The next stop was Charlene’s room. I pushed open the door slowly, expecting to see her in her bed. But much to my surprise her room was empty.

My heart sank.

She wasn’t there.

“Charlene?” I called.

I walked inside of the room. My heart beat wildly as I stared at the empty bed in my daughter’s bedroom. Then I saw the curtain move and realized the window was open. I stuck my head out and looked down.

Yup, she had definitely crawled out the window, there was no doubt in my mind. There was a ladder leaning up against the side of the house. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. But where had she gone? Could she be in some kind of trouble?

With a sudden urgency, and rising anger, I rushed to Joe’s bedroom. He was fast asleep. I shook him awake. My mind was a flurry of panic and anger.

“Where is Charlene?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion. “Joe.”

He groggily stared at me, still not fully conscious of the situation. He blinked his eyes.

“W-what?”