Her mom had told her to run to her room. To lock the door. To call someone.
Lily didn’t know who to call.
So she typed the first number that came into her head.
And somehow, someone answered.
Finding the House
Crow rode slowly through neighborhoods, eyes scanning driveways. Black truck. Blue house. Porch lights flicking on and off. Curtains twitching.
He stopped at a gas station and asked the clerk if he’d heard yelling nearby. The kid pointed east without asking questions.
Ten minutes later, Crow saw it.
A faded blue house on a quiet street. A black pickup parked crooked in the driveway. The front door slammed hard enough to rattle the windows.
Crow pulled over.
He didn’t rush in. He never rushed. He texted again.
“I see the house. Are you safe right now?”
Three dots.
“Im in my room. Door locked. Hes shouting at mum.”
Crow closed his eyes for half a second.
Then he got off the bike.
The Knock
Rick was mid-rant when the knock came.
Not a polite knock.
Not a neighborly knock.
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