“Get out of my office.”
Behind the door, Trish smiled.
Now Daniel screeched to a stop outside the abandoned house on Orange Grove Lane.
The back door was forced open.
“Alma!” he shouted, voice shaking more than he wanted. “What are you doing?!”
He stepped inside. Dust and damp wood hit him like a punch.
And then he saw it.
Two tiny silhouettes standing in the middle of the living room.
Noah, wobbling stiff-legged.
Lucas, lips pressed tight in concentration.
And in front of them, arms wide open, Alma whispered like it was a prayer:
“That’s it… slowly… I’m here… don’t be scared…”
The boys took a step.
Then another.
They laughed. Fell. Tried again.
Daniel froze.
It wasn’t just that they were walking.
It was that the house he’d turned into a tomb was alive.
“Why are they here?” he demanded, though his voice cracked. “You took them without permission?”
Alma’s eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t back away.
“I brought them here because there are no cameras from her. They can practice without being frightened. And…” she glanced at the wall, “Emily marked this wall when she was pregnant. I found the measuring tape. I thought… maybe this place could still be a home.”
Daniel felt his knees weaken.