Chapter 3 - The Search
Panic gripped my chest like a vise.
I ran to the shattered window and peered out into the pitch-black alleyway.
"Leo!" I screamed into the darkness, but the howling wind swallowed my voice.
The other children woke up and started crying, terrified by the noise and the cold air blowing into the room.
I quickly grabbed my heavy coat and used it to barricade the broken window.
"Stay right here and do not move," I instructed the second oldest, a brave eight-year-old girl named Mia.
I grabbed a flashlight and sprinted out the front door into the freezing rain.
I searched the perimeter of the building, shining the beam into every dark corner and dumpster.
My mind raced with horrifying thoughts of the landlord returning or someone breaking in to steal the kids.
I ran two blocks down the street, calling his name until my throat burned.
Just as I was about to dial the police, I saw a tiny figure huddled under a streetlamp near a hardware store.
It was Leo, soaked to the bone and shivering uncontrollably.
He was desperately trying to drag a massive, discarded wooden pallet down the sidewalk.
"Leo, what are you doing?" I asked, falling to my knees and wrapping him in my arms.
"I was trying to find wood," he sobbed, burying his face in my shoulder.
"I heard the man say he was going to tear the house down, so I thought if I fixed it, we could stay."
Tears streamed down my face as I picked up the brave little boy.
He was willing to wander into the freezing night just to keep his siblings from being separated.
I carried him back to the workshop, my heart breaking for the trauma this child carried.
When we walked through the front door, my relief instantly turned to horror.
The landlord had returned early while I was out searching.
He was standing in the middle of the room, looking at the other four crying children.
And right beside him was Mrs. Gable, the social worker, holding a clipboard.
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"Mr. Carter, leaving minors unattended in an illegal, unheated workshop is a direct violation of your temporary custody," she said sternly.
"I am taking the children immediately."
