Chapter 1 - The Red and Blue Lights
My fingers shook so violently I could barely press the screen to end the call to 911. The dispatcher’s voice had been a steady anchor in the swirling chaos of my mind, promising officers were two minutes away. I stood pressed against the hallway wall, the plaster cool against my burning skin. Inside the bathroom, David’s voice continued—a steady, hypnotic drone that sounded like a scientist narrating an experiment.
“Hold it. Just a little longer, Lily. You’re doing so well. Just five more seconds. Four. Three...”
I couldn't wait for the police. The maternal instinct that had been screaming at me for weeks finally snapped its leash. I shoved the bathroom door open so hard it cracked against the tile wall.
David whipped around. The digital timer in his hand beeped—a sharp, piercing sound. He quickly shoved the small glass vial into his pocket, but I had already seen it. The strange, blue liquid.
"What the hell are you doing to her?" I screamed, rushing past him to grab Lily. She was shivering, completely submerged up to her chin, her lips carrying a faint, terrifying bluish tint.
David stood up, his hands raised in that classic, placating gesture. "Honey, calm down. It’s just a breathing exercise. I was teaching her how to hold her breath underwater. It’s good for her lungs."
"You’re a liar!" I wrapped a towel around Lily, hauling her wet, trembling body against my chest. She buried her face in my neck, sobbing silently.
May you like
Before David could take another step toward us, the heavy pounding at the front door shattered the tension. "Police! Open up!"
I bolted past him, running down the stairs with Lily in my arms. When I threw open the front door, the sight of the two uniformed officers bathed in the flashing red and blue lights of their cruiser was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
