Chapter 2
22nd May, 2009. 1.09am
The young boy remains under the table, staring at the hand, at least where it should be, there wasn't a light on in the house and there was no way he could see much outside. The first thing he did notice however, was the sound of people moving around outside. He could hear a woman's voice reacting in surprise to the bodies lying out on the porch and a man answering;
"Is it the parents?
Two bodies…how could he have survived this ? There's no way they wouldn't have found him. No chance of us finding him alive.
He's here. We'll find him, then we'll know."
The boy backed right under the table and brought his breathing right down so as no one could hear him. The two strangers came into the house, he watched as their boots entered the kitchen and began to look around. The man spoke again;
"You start in there, I'll take upstairs. Be careful."
The kitchen went quiet as the two went their separate ways, searching the house with small flashlights guiding the way. 10 minutes passed as the boy heard movement throughout the house, opening and closing of cupboards. He sat rigid as the sounds began to move closer to the kitchen again. The man came downstairs and back into the kitchen. The boy followed the light as it panned over the work surfaces and down to the floor where the broken glass of juice lay. The man bent down to closer examining it, then made the discovery under the table.
"Hey", he whispered, "you alright? Did you go out on the porch? It's all gonna be alright now, we're here to take care of you."
He called to the other stranger with him who came rushing in.
"He's a little shy", said the man, "a bit shaken up, you wanna come out of there?" He gestured to the boy to come out, putting out a hand. The boy held back for a moment, however the man seemed sincere and the boy knew he needed help, he took the man's hand and climbed out from under the table.
"It's gonna be alright now. I promise we'll take good care of you. This will never happen to you again William."
William looked up at the woman in the torchlight, she wasn't a stranger. He recognised her from another time, he remembered her crying.
"I know this'll be difficult to understand, but William, this is your mother."