“—Leo? ... Leo! Where are you?! ——e out! It’s okay!”

  A feminine voice echoed through a trash-strewn, seemingly abandoned home. She sounded gentle, but there was enough huskiness and an edge to her voice that upon hearing it, one could easily imagine how tough she was.

  Hearing nothing in respoo her call, her lips curled downward and her anger fred. Not at Leo. him! The object of her anger was his worthless father.

  When the sileretched on, the woman began to search through the cluttered se with a ed and sorrow-filled expression. She rooted through the trash-filled living room with purposeful i.

  Eschewing stepping in the worst patches of filth, she lifted her dress’ skirt as she carefully searched behind the Walker residence’s rundown furniture. The pce had signifitly deteriorated since her st visit, which had been years ago.

  Thwarted, she moved on, her shoes thumping against the occluded, stained hardwood floor. Oep resulted in a g sound as she tread on what looked like stale crackers ht be hiding is, the brought forth a kling and the a disgustingly wet squishing sound, apanied by foul odors. She could practically taste whatever it was in the air. Fog her thoughts on Leo she ignored her distaste, not wanting to think about what might have produced such wet, squelg noises. Su ungodly stenbsp;

  What had that man doo their home?

  Damn it, Albert! This isn’t any pce to raise a child! Her fist ched righteously, angrily, trembling.

  Shaking her head, she sighed in annoyance. I ’t keep being distracted like this. Yvette’s - her sister’s - little boy’s life… My nephew’s life is in danger! Move it, Laguna!

  Despite her resolve, she idly wondered where her own little girl, Quinn, was. Her eyes flitted around the room and her mouth tightened and she sighed.

  Focus. Press on.

  Desperation tightes hold on her as she fled the living room, cluding that Leo couldn’t be hiding anywhere in the piles of refuse downstairs. Nothing was moving. No… there were faint signs of movement iritus. But those were most likely is and other creepy crawlies.

  No, never minding that, there wasn’t even the sound of a faint whimper suggesting that Leo was buried there. What might that mean? Where could he be!? Oh, God! Get a grip, me!

  With her heart hammering as she dashed through the hallway to the house’s stairway, she called out loudly, her voice shrill, carrying all of her desperation, “Leo! Please! Please answer me! I’m here for you! … It’s about time…” her voice lowered to a mutter for the st part and the . “About time I faced down that piece of…”

  “Hey, Mom… I… I’m here…”

  From the front door entrance, a you-year-old girl with dazzling green eyes like her own, though a darker shade, taking somewhat after her father’s dark eyes. She hesitantly stepped into the filthy home, tears filling her eyes, fingers going through her short cut sandy blonde hair.

  Resistance, revulsion and ay were painted on her face, but it seemed she’d early decided to help out.

  Chewing her lip as determination repced the hot tears in her eyes, the girl quiveringly said, “What should I do?— I’m sorry.” Holding her nose, she shook her head. “I shouldn’t have been so…”

  The elder woman turo her daughter and sighed, patting her on the head. “It’s okay. I know well why you didn’t want to e inside. I should have known you couldn’t sit still in the car,” she said wryly. “Please check the rest of the downstairs for me. I might have missed something down here. I had a look everywhere I could think of and that leaves only one pce. I’ll search above.” Her eyes fixed on her daughter expetly.

  “—leave it to me, Mom.” The sandy-blonde-haired girl nodded, gathering herself. She tiptoed around the living room, casting her eyes around, her nose wrinkling reflexively as the fetid odors assailed her. The sts ing from the carpet were truly eye-watering. Here and there, things were moving. She didn’t want to think about what was going on uhose semi-soggy, greasy paper bags with rotting things stuffed inside and assorted scraps. Things had gotten very, very bad, totally out of trol. Landfills probably smelled better, being open-air.

  Quinn peered behind the stained and cluttered sofa that her mother had wrestled away from the wall with effort.

  “Not there, Quinn—. Look iher rooms. It’s not likely that he’d be anywhere in here. I mean, if he was…” Her eyes filled with tears a moment and she violently dashed them from her dewy cheeks. Worried, she vaulted her the stairs. By some miracle, they were somewhat clear. Perhaps Albert had kicked some of the detritus downstairs. Climbing up to the floor, she found more unbagged garbage ying in piles. She had to take a moment to catch her breath.

  Something about the enviro in this house was breaking her down. The miasma - the oppressive aura the pce had - bined with her stress had far more to do with her erratic breathing than the exertion of such a simple ast. She was certainly in good shape, given her diet and hands-on line of work, she’d happily turned her pent for cookihy food into her job. She was a sworarian, though she sometimes made exceptions for Quinn, not wanting to make all her choices for her. Just a few of the important ones. She ran a somewhat lucrative café in town for a living, although it had a ways to go before it could properly support her and her family.

  With anh, she wiped her forehead. “Leo! Please! Auntie Goonie is here for you!” She despaired, hearing nothing as she peered around, stepping around clutter and junk. She passed a bathroom in the upstairs hallway, holding her nose. Leo’s bedroom was adjat to it. Turning that way, she was amazed that his room was much tidier, but she stopped abruptly before entering.

  A small he fai of sounds, had gottetention. Where did it e from? It must have been from further down the hallway. That way y Yvonne and Albert’s bedroom. Was it a mouse or a rat running through the trash heaps?

  Was it truly Leo? What was that sound? Her heart leapt into her throat as she hurried over. Anxiously swallowing saliva, she kicked paper and bottles aside to push forcefully through ankle-deep discards towards the master bedroom door… no, it was just Albert’s bedroom now.

  Yvette was gone now. She had been gone for a while now. Her funeral was truly sad. Laguna had forted Leo all the while, taking care of him while Albert grieved. She had believed that he would move on, not that it was easy for any of them. And after all was said and done, Albert actually had seemed to have gotteer, taking responsibility for his son, but it was now blindingly obvious he simply hidden any evidence of his mental health deterioration.

  More of that same unpleasant squishing sort of noise and more fetid odors arose from her feet as she reached the door, attrag her attention. Examining it, the door appeared to be sturdy enough, firmly shut. Grabbing the knob, she gave it a quick push and discovered that it was actually locked!

  WHY?! What was he hiding in here?

  Her tension rose to new heights as she stood there futilely in front of the door. What could she do? Examining the knob, she shook her head. It didn’t seem to be the kind that could be picked with a screwdriver or a card. There was trimming that would keep anything from being finagled in to force the tch open.

  Smming her fists on the solid wood door, she cursed. The bsted thing wouldn’t budge! “Damn it!” she muttered before raising her voice to deliver yet another desperate call, “LEO! ARE YOU THERE? YOUR AUNTIE GOONIE IS HERE!”

  Receiving no immediate response, Laguna grunted, setting herself against the door more firmly. She would have to somehow force it open. There wasn’t any choice. But would she have the strength? She had a gut feeling that the object of her worry was hidden behind this door. And she always trusted her gut feelings.

  “Auntie— uhnn… Auntieeeeee!" a weak voice came from the other side. Leo was there! He was g! She could hear him. THANK GOD! He’s alive! Fug Albert. I will… She gritted her teeth, energy filling her, born of her desperation and the motivation that his voice had gifted her.

  Abruptly, she smmed her shoulder against the ohing that now stood between her and her little Leo. No one would ever harm him ever again if she had any say. Rebounding, she wihe backsh and blow was going to leave a terribly dark bruise, but Laguna would not admit defeat so quickly. She had just gotten started. She would wreck her shoulder for life befiving up on Leo!

  Repeatedly, she smmed her shoulder into the door and as she struck it over and over, it started to creak and groan under her determined onsught… but it still held firm. How frustrating! If only she had some kind of a superpower to use like that mohat had sin her sister in cold blood, she’d have been able to shatter this damned door with a si!

  “Uw—aaaaaaaa!” Leo cried, his voice seemingly weaker. He sounded like he was in a critical dition. Being as Yvette had been a talented EMT worker, talking about her work and experiences with her each week, Laguna khe signs. He was surely malnourished and had been mistreated.

  Laguna cursed loudly, her eyes burning, “DAMN YOU, ALBERT! Quinn! e to me! I’m upstairs! Leo is here! Be careful on your . I might have knocked some things down off the nding.”

  “ing!!!” Quinn yelled. With a ctter, Laguna could hear the girl sending trash flying as she bouowards and then up the stairs.

  tinuing to ram her body against the door, Laguna’s body ag already, she willed the door to vanish on the spot. Damn it! After all this effort, she’d only made some token progress, but the wood was crag some. She could hear it groan each time she hit it and the door moved somewhat more each time, but not nearly fast enough to satisfy her.

  Although a logical voiside her said that it might be wise to take a break so that she might marshal her energies and not colpse in exhaustion, but she also khat she couldn’t stop for even a moment. The situation was truly desperate. Whatever she might be doing to her shoulder couldn’t possibly match what had already happeo Leo at Albert’s hands.

  Albert had beeing belligerent and angry the st several times she’d tacted him. He’d been too defensive, withdrawn, pretending that nothing was going on and she’d dared to believe in him. He’d cimed that Leo was just fiheir lives were better thahough he missed Yvette something fierd anyway it wasn’t any of her business. Then he would hang up ohat should have been enough sign that he was lying.

  Frustrated and sore, Laguna muttered. Despite her determinatioe how Leo was doing, exhaustion and resignation was slowly winning. “We might have to call the police at this rate…” Laguna muttered.

  At that moment, Quinn finally crested the top of the stairs, huffing and puffing.

  “I thought this would be simpler.” Laguna pressed her forehead against the door, sweaty and achy. “Just pick him up, take him home, put a good meal in his belly, in a few days get a good wyer and…”

  “Shouldn’t we?” Quinn heaved a heavy breath, pg her hand on her mother’s back.

  “Hm… what?” Laguna asked, rubbing her ag shoulder as she straightened.

  “Call the police, I mean. They could maybe break this door dower than us.” Stepping close to her mother, Quinn shook her head numbly. “You’re hurt, Mom. We…”

  “We may have to do that,” Laguna nodded. “But not yet—” her mother responded. Her determination solidified again.

  Sighing, Quinn nodded. “I’ll help, Mom. Let’s do this!” She fshed her teeth at her mother with a bold little grin. She was going to grow up to be a truly remarkable girl.

  Apparently kig this door’s ass appealed to her daughter as much as her mother. Turning quickly, Quinn threw herself against the seemingly immovable door on her own. Naturally, it didn’t move, but it did creak some.

  Laguna smiled warmly. “Good girl. Let’s do this together!” Despite the pain in her parably aged and ag shoulder, her back hurting now, she wouldn’t allow herself to quit. She was already sweating profusely. Rubbing the sore spot and cirg her arm to shirk off the pain long enough for another crack, she stepped forward. “Let’s hit the dether on three. That should be more effective.”

  Nodding as she examihe door, Quinn tilted her head thoughtfully. “Is he really oher side? I haven’t heard anything…”

  Goonie replied, “Definitely. He is. His dition is critical as your aunt would have said. If she was here, she’d have already khis door down single-handed. Anyway, time is of the essence, Quinn. We have to do this. No excuses. Don’t hold back. Let’s hurry!”

  Quinn squinted and nodded, steadying her breathing as she set herself.

  “Owo——THREE!” The mother-daughter duo threw themselves at the dether with renewed vi.

  Goonie was a highly determined woman who led a healthy lifestyle, so she ersevering beyond what some might expect of someone her age. As for Quinn, while o years old, she followed in her mother’s footsteps on top of being more fit, showing off in sports at school, though she resented all the healthy food she put oable.

  Although their initial charge hadn’t fully wrested the door open, the two were happy to hear their inanimate foe screech sharply in near-capitution. The weight of their bined bodies was enough to speed things up. Maybe the door was in as bad dition as much of the rest of the house after all. “Again!”

  During their battering attempt, Quinn finally heard the frail voice of her cousin on the opposite side. He was g softly, sounding faraway. Her eyes widened and she ched her teeth. Believing in her mother, she’d givehing, a on hearing her cousin’s voice, Quinn somehow doubled her efforts, filled with fiery determination.

  They ran at the dain together. They repeated without any pause. The moment they collided with the solid door on their fifth attempt in their refreshed assault on the door, it finally relehe frame splintering visibly on this side from the force of their st charge.The part between the knob and the doorframe was tearing apart!

  With yet anhty sm together, the door swung open so hard and fast that the knob embedded into the nearby drywall as the mother and daughter duo helplessly tumbled into the rubbish ying beyond. It smelled just as bad in here as it had downstairs, maybe worse. But that didn’t matter now. Where was Leo?

  The two took a moment to gather themselves, shaking their heads and witnessed tless cockroaches skittering away, their distinctive glistening bs crawling through the mess towards new shelter.

  Goonie had immediately stumbled inside, colpsing into the semi-rotten trash, among mostly empty liquor bottles and the remnants of eaten microwavable dirays. Somehow Quinn had nded in the zone cleared by the door’s swing on her hands and knees. Her nding was thankfully geears poured from both of their eyes as they looked at each other, sharing a silent moment of victory. Now oher side of that bsted, infuriating door, their goal was near.

  Laguna cast her eyes around carefully, rubbing ah the back of her hand. Leo, however, still wasn’t ao be seen. They’d both definitely heard him call out to them from somewhere inside here.

  Quinn, being the first to recover, spotted a rge chest in the ter of the room and hurried to it. There adlock through the csp! Her heart nearly stopped as she looked at it, but after fiddling with it a bit, she noticed that her uncle hadn’t the wherewithal to csp it shut.

  “H-help—please —"

  Leo’s void his sobbing reverberated from within the chest.

  Snarling, Goonie forced herself to her feet. Quinn tossed a quice to her mother, cheg if she was doing alright. Laguna o her daughter, nursing her arm and shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. Get Leo.”

  Nodding, Quinn wrenched off the lod threw the lid away furiously.

  Shock filled Quinn’s expression as she id eyes on the poor state of her cousin. He was twitg and there were fluids and crud in his eyes, his breathing bored. Her heart trembled with a mixture of joy for having gotten to him, hopefully in time, guilt for holding back too long, relief that he was alive, a herself and her uncle and pity for poor cousin Leo. She reached down and touched his wan face.

  Goonie rushed to Quinn's side, gasping at the sight of Leo and the shog state he was in. The odors, worse than anything she’d smelled in the house, wafted from the fines of the chest. He’d soiled his undies multiple times, and the rest was a mix of body odor and urine. Leo was in a sad state.

  That inhuman bastard!

  Despite her anger, with supernatural gentleness and surprising strength, not minding any of that, Goonie lifted out the soiled child from within. ing her arms around him tightly, she started sobbing all ain, giving his cheek a sound kiss. Opening his bleary eyes to look at his Goonie, Leo joined her, bawling with her, putting what he had left into his g.

  “Everything will be okay now, Leo! Are you…?” He was hurt. It was hard to tell how hurt he hysically, but he was exhausted, hungry, thirsty and malnourished. Goonie embraced the boy tightly, but with great care. “We’re leaving this dump right now.”

  Quinn looked up, her tears dripping onto the cluttered and filthy carpet. “Cousin!” Reag up to him, she patted his back while Leo sobbed, ging to his Auntie Goohey shared a group hug for a short moment, interrupted by Leo’s stomach growling so loudly.

  “Let’s get some food in yht away, Leo. Someone sounds very hungry.” Goonie held a still-g Leo, listlessly snuggling back. “But then we o get you to the hospital.”

  “ I stay with you tonight, Auntie?” Leo sniffled. “I don’t like this pce… Uaaaaa…”

  “No, Leo.”

  Leo flinched, g harder.

  “No, Leo.” Goonie rubbed Leo’s back. “If I have my way, you’ll be staying with us forever now.” The woman gred into the distance. “You’ll never have to face this kind of darkness again, Leo.”

  Stroking Leo’s hair, she swore in her heart that he would never go hungry again, hirst, never want for love.

  Goonie carefully started downstairs with the boy in her arms. Watg them go, Quinn nodded in agreement and angrily kicked ay whiskey bottle away, shattering it against a nearby wall before running after.