Chapter 2

The voice came from the very last car leaving the town.

I squinted hard. It was hard to see in the chaos of wind and rain outside.

A hunched figure stood behind an open car door as she waved her hands at me.

It was Grandma Zaborski who lived next door. She had no children, and her husband died a long time ago. She had been living in this town for practically her entire lifetime.

She had treated me like her very own grandson for as long as I could remember.

When Mom punished me by denying me food, Grandma Zaborski would secretly pass me a bowl of piping hot porridge through the back door when Mom wasn’t noticing.

She would give my brother and I some gift money over the new year, but stuff an extra ten in mine without fail each time.

She made some space in her own seat and shouted to me, “My child, come in, quick! There’s some space here!”

I ran into her car without a second thought.

Grandma Zaborski’s arm was stretched out as she reached for me.

Right before my fingertips touched hers, someone yelled, “Zaborski is trying to abduct my son!”

Mom’s voice came from the vehicle right in front.

She had wound down the window and poked her torso out. Pointing at Grandma Zaborski, she continued yelling at the top of her voice, “She’s abducting my son! Don’t let him get in her car!”

My hands froze in midair.

Grandma Zaborski stood stunned for three seconds.

She had lived on this earth, in this village, for 72 years. No one had ever accused her of something like this.

“Mrs…Mrs. Sheppard, what did you just say?”

Grandma Zaborski’s voice was shaking.

“I’m Shelly Zaborski! How many years have I lived next door to your house? Your husband’s father saw me as an older sister when he was still alive, for goodness’ sake!”

“I don’t care who you are! A lonely old widow like you, caring so much for a little boy. Who knows what tricks you have up your sleeves?”

Everyone in the car exploded.

“Mrs. Sheppard, are you mad? Mrs. Zaborski literally saw your husband grow up!”

“Exactly! The cheek of you to accuse her of that!”

A middle-aged man stood up and yelled at her, “We’re faced with a super hurricane that can blow your house away in an instant! Are you trying to get your son killed?”

Grandma Zaborski’s face turned purple with anger. She pointed a finger shakily at Mom and said, “I…I treat Charles well because he’s such a pitiful boy! Everyone in this town knows how you treat him!”

“He’s my son! It’s none of your business how I discipline him!” Mom went on without batting an eyelid. “My son can stay right at home where it’s safest!”

I stood in the rain, staring at Mom’s vehicle.

Dad was seated in the front passenger seat. I saw his hand rest on the door handle.

The next second, Mom’s head turned slowly as she glared at him.

“Open that door if you dare and I’ll bring both sons back to my mother’s home tomorrow. You can forget about ever seeing both of them for the rest of your life!”

Dad slowly released his hold over the handle, finger by finger.

He turned the other way, not wanting to look at me anymore.

I stood right there, raindrops tricking down my head into my eyes. I didn’t know if it was tears or raindrops falling down my cheeks.

The head of the rescue team jumped out of the first vehicle and looked up at the darkening sky, his face looking solemn.

“Final call! The core of the hurricane will be crossing the border in an hour! If we don’t leave now, all of us will be stuck here!”

Two other townspeople grabbed Grandma Zaborski and dragged her back into the vehicle.

She leaned out the open door and yelled, “My child, run! Run to the church at the very end of the town! It’s made of stone and should withstand the hurricane! Do you hear me? Run to the church…”

Someone shut the door forcefully, and the engine revved.

I stood where I was, watching the rear lights of the vehicles disappear one by one.

The final vehicle vanished into the distance.

The entire Lovelle Town was dark.

I turned and ran to the end of the town.

The church Grandma Zaborski was talking about was at the innermost corner of the town. I had to run through the entire length of an old street to get there.

The wind was so strong that I could hardly move. With each step I took, I had to cling on tightly to the wall.

The tiles on the roofs above me were blown loose by the wind, and they crashed on the ground into millions of pieces.

The wind even uprooted the huge tree right in the middle of the old street. The entire tree landed across the street, effectively blocking the way ahead.

I had no choice but to retreat home.

Back at home, the roof was already half damaged by the wind.

Rain poured in, flooding the floorboards.

I hid in a corner below the stove.

The stove was constructed out of stone walls with a cement board on top. It was barely enough to cover me from head to toe.

Rainwater seeped in through the gaps in the walls.

It covered my heels, then my calves.

I hugged my knees and curled up into a ball, my body shivering and my teeth chattering.

Just then, my phone rang in my pocket.