Chapter 4 - The Hidden Nightmare
The next morning, after making sure Lily was safely asleep under the watchful eye of his trusted sister, Rachel, Daniel drove back to the house.
Sarah’s car was gone. The house was empty, though the remnants of the party were still scattered across the backyard. Daniel didn't care about the mess. He walked straight up the stairs and into Lily’s bedroom.
He needed to pack her clothes, her toys, everything she loved. But as he started pulling clothes from her dresser, he noticed something strange. The bottom drawer, where Lily usually kept her sweaters, was slightly jammed.
Daniel pulled it hard, pulling the drawer entirely out of its tracks. Behind the drawer, tucked into the dark space of the dresser frame, was a small, locked metal box. It looked like an old cash box.
Daniel went to his garage, retrieved a screwdriver, and forced the lock open.
Inside were items that made Daniel’s blood run cold.
There was a collection of Lily’s favorite things—a silver locket from her late mother, her favorite stuffed bear, and her prized spelling bee ribbon. All of them were ruined. The locket was scratched deeply. The bear had its eyes ripped out.
Beneath the destroyed items was a small, spiral-bound notebook. Daniel opened it. It was Lily’s diary.
June 12: Mom made me stand in the corner for three hours today because I dropped a spoon. She said my real dad doesn't want to look at me. July 4: Dad called! I wanted to tell him about the closet, but Mom was standing right behind me. She squeezed my shoulder really hard. I can't tell him. He'll send me away. August 10: Mom and Grandma told me I have to be a dog today. I had to eat my dinner on the floor. If I cry, they take away my blanket.
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Daniel closed the notebook, his hands shaking so violently he almost dropped it. The ribbon and the chain weren't a one-time party game. They were the climax of a systematic torture campaign designed to break a child's spirit.
And hidden at the very bottom of the box was an old smartphone. One of Sarah's old upgrades. Daniel powered it on. It wasn't password-protected. He opened the photo gallery, and what he saw made him reach for his phone and dial 911.
