Chapter 14

Nothing. Nobody was there. At least not anymore.

The shadows must be playing tricks on me, Carlos thought. That was the only explanation. He decided to keep the light on a few minutes longer, though that didn’t help ease his mind one bit. He needed to leave his room, and he had to do it right now.

* * * *

One of the things Carlos remembered from his childhood was sneaking downstairs to get a snack anytime he couldn’t sleep. Sometimes his mother would hear him, and they would sit together for a while and drink warm milk or eat a snack together. He figured he might as well give it a try once more, even though his mother wouldn’t be there with him.

He went to the fridge and looked to see if there was anything he could munch on. He saw a jar of pickles, some ham and cheese, and decided to make himself a sandwich.

He found his mom’s old bread box, which had plenty left inside. Just the fact that some things never changed gave him a sense of comfort.