Chapter 4

The rain outside poured heavier and heavier. Caleb stood by the doorway, pointing at the flatbed truck loaded with coal in the yard.

Rain slammed against the black tarp, kicking up a thick mist.

"There are about three tons of coal on that truck."

"If you unload all of it into the storage shed by yourself..."

"I'll let the idiot go, and I won't pull the supplies."

"But if you haven't moved it all before sunrise, you can get ready to visit him in prison."

With a cloth stuffed into his mouth, Aaron shook his head at me frantically, muffled whimpers escaping his throat as tears washed clean streaks through the grime on his face.

I climbed onto the truck, hoisted a sack of coal onto my back, gritted my teeth, and took one agonizing step after another toward the shed.

With every single step, my legs shook violently.

One bag, two bags, three bags...

My breathing grew shallower and faster, but I didn't dare stop.

I was terrified that if I stopped, I would never be able to stand up again...

I was terrified that if I stopped, Aaron would be dragged away...

I was terrified that if I stopped, the children wouldn't have any heat tomorrow...

Caleb stood beneath the eaves smoking, his eyes locked onto the frail figure in the rain, not even noticing when the cigarette ash burned down to his fingers.

Standing beside him, Chloe felt a chill run down her spine watching this.

It looked like someone literally working themselves to death.

"Caleb... maybe just drop it?"

"Her body looks frail. What if someone actually dies..."

"Shut up! It's a guilt trip! She's putting on a show for me!"

"She just wants to soften my heart! I won't let her!"

...

I didn't know how much time had passed. I told myself: "Hold on just a little longer, Nora. You can do this."

"Almost halfway there. Almost halfway..."

Suddenly, an agonizing pain felt like a power drill boring straight into my brain. My hands and feet went numb, gradually losing all sensation.

I bit the inside of my cheek until it bled, falling to one knee in the dirt, trying to use the pain to stay conscious.

I tried to crawl back up, but my limbs completely stopped responding.

My consciousness slipped away rapidly, and a boundless darkness swallowed my vision.

My entire body, along with the heavy coal sack, slammed violently into the freezing mud.

Right before I lost consciousness completely, all I heard was Aaron's heart-wrenching wails.

...

"Nora! Get the hell up!" Caleb threw his cigarette aside and sprinted into the downpour.

He cursed under his breath, demanding she stop playing dead, but his feet moved faster than anyone's.

He dropped beside me. Seeing my deathly pale face and purple lips, his hands shook uncontrollably.

"Nora! Nora!"

He patted my cheeks; they were terrifyingly cold.

Without caring about the filthy mud covering me, he scooped me up into his arms.

The moment he lifted me, several white, unlabeled prescription bottles rolled out of my soaked coat pocket.