Chapter 4 - The Voice of the Innocent
Before Elias could physically force his way past them to the casket, a sound shattered the oppressive tension of the room—a sound so pure and agonizing that it made Elias’s heart stop beating. It was a child’s sob.
He tore his gaze away from the white casket to the corner of the room. There stood Mindy, his precious, seven-year-old daughter. Her fiery red hair was a stark contrast to the mourning black of her tiny dress. She was weeping with a profound, full-bodied devastation, her small hands clutching a tan teddy bear against her chest with white-knuckled intensity. The bear was her shield, but her wide, tear-soaked eyes were filled with a horror that completely transcended the simple grief of losing a mother. She was vibrating with a terrifying anxiety, her chest heaving as she stared at the adults surrounding the coffin. Mindy took a shuddering, ragged breath, finding a reservoir of terrifying courage that no child should ever have to summon.
