"We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it." - Che Guevara
Jack is alone inside the box. He has a flashlight, because he is scared of the dark. He has a blanket. He doesn't breathe. He holds it all inside his body. That's because there are scary sounds outside.
His mommy is screaming and George is laughing. Jack wants to come right out of the box and go to his mommy. He wants to fight off George and tell him to stop hurting his mom. Because when his daddy is gone, Jack takes care of Mommy. It's his job. No one tells him, but he just knows it is. He remembers how his dad told him to work the case. To hug mommy. He remembers he has to always listen to just what his mommy and daddy say, even if he doesn't want to, because that's how life is.
Jack turns off the flashlight when his mommy stops screaming. He almost gets out, because maybe George is gone now. But something inside tells him to stay there. To not come out until his daddy comes to get him.
When he hears George using his scary bad-guy voice, Jack pushes his lips together. He tries to make himself very quiet. This is like scary hide-and-seek. If George finds him, he'll do the gun on him, just like he did it to his mommy probably. When that sound happened, Jack cried, because he was afraid, but he made himself be brave.
"Hey, Jackie Boy…Come out, come out wherever you are…."
Jack closes his eyes so he can be invisible. He disappears into the air and no bad guys can find him. Except he can't cover his ears and keep the light on at the same time. So Jack has to listen to the scary sounds of his mommy breathing, and George playing a game that isn't fun at all.
Then it's very quiet. Jack shakes. When there's loud gun sounds, he jumps. Tears come out of his eyes, but he makes it so he cries very soft. He hopes somebody - not George - comes to get him soon.
When Jack hears big fighting sounds outside, he makes himself breathe. He makes himself count to ten in Spanish, but just in his mind so George doesn't hear. He does it as much as he can. It doesn't make the noises stop. It doesn't make the good guys come faster.
But they do. His daddy comes. He saves Jack from the dark.
When JJ carries him, she says to close his eyes, but he doesn't. He sees his mommy all still and scary on the ground. He wants to call her name but his voice doesn't work that good. He squeezes JJ around the neck very tight.
"It's okay," JJ says.
He trusts her usually, but not now. Now, everything is wrong.
Jack feels a part of him break off and fly away.