Chapter 2 - Sirens in Sedona
Within fifteen minutes, the quiet, gated sanctuary of Crestview Lane was shattered by a cacophony of sirens. Red and blue lights painted the pristine white walls of Elena’s house in chaotic strokes.
Armed officers kicked the front door open, weapons drawn, but what they found stopped them in their tracks. A father sitting on a ruined floor, clutching a skeletal boy wrapped in a throw blanket, while a woman in a designer sweater rocked back and forth in the corner, muttering to herself.
"Get her away from us," David snarled to the lead officer, pointing a shaking finger at Elena.
Two officers hauled Elena to her feet. She didn't resist. She simply stared at Leo, her eyes glazed with a terrifying, delusional warmth. "Don't forget to do your reading, sweetheart," she called out as the handcuffs clicked around her wrists. "Mommy will be back soon."
David felt a surge of nausea so violent he nearly blacked out. Mommy.
Paramedics swarmed them. They tried to take Leo and place him on a stretcher, but the boy screamed—a raw, feral sound—and dug his fingernails into David’s neck.
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"He stays with me," David told the EMTs, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He doesn't leave my arms."
As they carried Leo out of the house, David looked back one last time. Crime scene investigators were already lowering flashlights into the hole in the floor. Below the beautiful, magazine-perfect living room was a nightmare: a custom-built, soundproofed concrete cell. Elena hadn't just hidden him; she had constructed a tomb.
