PART ONE – The Call That Never Came

For ten years, my phone rang every Friday evening at exactly six o’clock.

It was always my daughter, Allison.

We talked about everything—her hospital shifts, my garden, and my granddaughter Amelia. Those calls became part of the rhythm of my life.

Until last Friday.

Six o’clock came and went.

The phone stayed silent.

At first I told myself Allison must be busy. Maybe she was working late, running errands, or her phone battery had died. But after seven unanswered calls, a heavy feeling settled in my chest.

Something wasn’t right.

The next morning, I drove two and a half hours to her house.

I kept telling myself I was overreacting. But the moment I pulled into the driveway, the uneasiness grew stronger.

No car.

Curtains drawn.

The house looked still—too still.

I knocked on the door.

No answer.

Allison once showed me where she kept the spare key hidden inside a fake rock near the flowerbed. I found it, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

At first glance, everything seemed normal.

But I spent forty years working as an electrician, and I’ve learned to notice when something feels wrong even if you can’t immediately explain why.

The coffee table sat slightly out of place.

The couch cushions looked too perfectly arranged.

The floor showed overlapping vacuum marks.

It looked like someone had cleaned up quickly after something happened.

I called out, “Allison? Amelia?”

Nothing.

I headed upstairs.

That’s when I heard it.

A faint scratching sound.

It was coming from the closet in Amelia’s bedroom.

My heart began pounding as I slowly opened the door.

Inside, curled beneath a pile of winter coats, was Amelia—my ten-year-old granddaughter.

Her lips were cracked.

Her skin burned with fever.

Her eyes looked glassy with exhaustion.

She clutched a stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest.

“Grandpa…” she whispered.

I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms.

“How long have you been in here?” I asked softly.

Her answer made my heart stop.

“I stopped counting… after seven days.”