Chapter 3

I woke up in a hospital. The air smelled of antiseptic and grief. Molly was sitting by the bed, her eyes red and swollen.

"The police are holding the camp staff," she said, her voice hoarse. "Dad is on his way."

The memories came rushing back, a tidal wave of horror. The desert. The officer's words. The sonogram.

A scream clawed its way up my throat, but no sound came out. It was trapped, a burning ball of agony in my chest. I grabbed Molly' s phone. I had to call him. He had to know what he' d done.

I dialed Andrew' s number. He answered on the second ring, his voice annoyed.

"What do you want, Jocelyn? I'm busy."

"Andrew," I choked out, my voice a broken whisper. "The boys... they're dead."

There was a pause. Then, a short, humorless laugh.

"Seriously? This is your new tactic? Melodrama? I'm not falling for it. Grow up."

He hung up.

Molly had heard everything on speakerphone. Her face was a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred for her own brother.

Later, we were in the hospital morgue. I stood over two small, sheet-covered forms on metal tables. I couldn't bring myself to look. I couldn't make it real.

"Jocelyn," Molly said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I turned to her, my eyes lifeless. "I have nothing left, Molly," I whispered. "Nothing. Just let me go. Please, just let me go."

The pain was too much. It was a physical entity, a monster devouring me from the inside out. I wanted it to end. I wanted to disappear.

We went to the police station to give our statements. As we were leaving, they brought the camp staff through the lobby. Two men, their faces smug and unconcerned.

Something inside me snapped.

With a raw scream, I launched myself at them, my nails clawing for their eyes. "You killed them! You killed my babies!"

Police officers pulled me back as I fought and sobbed, a wild animal cornered and broken.

One of the men looked at me with cold, dead eyes. "They were weak," he said, a smirk on his face. "It's not our fault. They were just unlucky."

The final insult, the absolute lack of humanity, shattered the last of my control. A sharp, metallic taste filled my mouth. I spat out a mouthful of blood and my vision tunneled to black. I collapsed on the cold floor of the police station, the world finally fading away.