“Daniel?” Sophia called out from across the wet tarmac, her boots splashing through the puddles.

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t move.

The rain continued to beat down on the metal roof of the truck, a steady, relentless drumming that seemed to fill the silence.

I looked back at the baby in the rear seat.

Leo was quiet, his eyes closed now, breathing softly.

The blue lights of the police cruisers flickered against his face.

My hand was shaking as I slipped the phone back into my pocket.

I turned the key in the ignition.

The engine roared to life, its headlights cutting through the dark rain toward the empty road ahead.

I knew I had to leave this town.

But as I looked in the rearview mirror, I realized the darkness wasn’t just behind me.

It was waiting for me.

The road stretched out into the black night, and I shifted the truck into drive.

The tires spun briefly in the mud before gripping the gravel, and we began the long drive back.

The phone in my pocket vibrated once more.

I didn’t look at it.