Chapter 1 - The Chilling Whisper in the Living Room
The room was silent,
except for the ticking clock,
which echoed loudly,
against the pristine walls,
of Patricia's new home,
in the rich neighborhood,
of Queretaro,
where secrets were buried,
beneath layers of wealth,
and beautiful lies,
Daniel felt a shiver,
run down his spine,
as he looked at Ines,
his young daughter,
who was sitting quietly,
in the exact center,
of the polished hardwood,
her tiny hand pressed,
against the cold grain,
of the expensive oak,
she did not cry,
she did not scream,
she simply stared down,
with wide blank eyes,
and whispered words,
that shattered the peace,
daddy,
she said softly,
Leo is shivering,
underneath the house,
my brother says,
he is very cold,
the words hung there,
heavy and terrifying,
in the warm air,
Mariana gasped loudly,
her knees buckled,
and she almost collapsed,
onto the floorboards,
as the painful memories,
of her missing son,
flooded her mind,
he had vanished,
ten long months ago,
without a single trace,
leaving a void,
that never healed,
and now his name,
was spoken here,
in this strange place,
Patricia froze instantly,
her hands trembled,
causing her hot coffee,
to splash violently,
across her white dress,
and the clean rug,
she looked completely panicked,
her face turned pale,
as if she saw a ghost,
she tried to laugh,
shaking her head quickly,
telling them it was nonsense,
just a wild imagination,
of a tired child,
who needed some rest,
but her shaking voice,
and her darting eyes,
told a different story,
a dark story,
of hidden truth,
Daniel did not hesitate,
he moved forward,
dropping to his knees,
pressing his right ear,
against the hard wood,
holding his breath,
the whole world stopped,
as he listened intently,
to the dark void,
beneath his feet,
at first there was nothing,
just the sound,
of his own heartbeat,
thumping in his ears,
but then it came,
three distinct knocks,
weak and rhythmic,
hollow and desperate,
sounding from the depths,
of the dark crawlspace,
his blood ran cold,
his eyes grew wide,
he knew that knock,
it was Leo's secret signal,
the one they used,
when playing hide and seek,
he rose up quickly,
his face full of fury,
he began to move,
the heavy leather furniture,
pushing it aside,
with unnatural strength,
determined to find his boy,
Patricia grabbed his arm,
her grip was tight,
her fingernails digging deep,
into his skin,
don't do this,
she begged frantically,
don't do something stupid,
you will ruin everything,
her words were a confession,
she knew he was there,
she had always known,
Daniel shoved her away,
his eyes scanning the floor,
until he saw it,
near the edge of the wall,
a poorly sealed board,
with a small gap,
and sticking out,
from that narrow darkness,
was a tiny fingernail,
pale and dirty,
belonging to a child,
grief turned into rage,
a righteous anger,
that could not be stopped,
he grabbed a pry bar,
from his tool bag,
ignoring his sister's cries,
and jammed it deep,
into the wooden floor,
ready to tear the world apart,
to save his son,
the wood groaned,
it resisted his strength,
but Daniel pulled harder,
his muscles straining,
sweat pouring from his brow,
as Mariana screamed in hope,
and Patricia wept in terror,
the first board snapped,
the loud sound echoed,
like a gunshot in the room,
revealing the black abyss,
hiding beneath the luxury,
and a small,
faint whimper,
rose from the dirt,
May you like
confirming the miracle,
and the ultimate betrayal.
