the last cry

Chapter 1: The Stormy Night

The main character of Chapter 1 is Daniel Reed. He is a troubled man who has killed a boy (Ethan Carter) and is struggling with guilt and paranoia. The chapter focuses on his fear, the haunting memory of the boy’s last scream, and his desperate attempt to convince himself that no one knows what he did.

The rain pounded against the window of a lonely cabin on the outskirts of town. Daniel Reed sat in the dimly lit room, his hands trembling as he gripped a glass of whiskey. His heartbeat was erratic, his mind clouded with thoughts he could no longer control. His clothes were damp from the storm, but that wasn’t what made his skin feel cold.

It was the boy.

The last thing Daniel had heard before silence filled the woods was the child’s scream—the last cry. And now, that sound echoed in his ears, refusing to leave him.

He took another sip of whiskey, but it did nothing to drown the guilt gnawing at his insides. He told himself it was an accident. It had to be. He hadn’t meant to kill the boy. But the body was still out there in the woods, buried beneath the wet earth, and no excuse could undo that.

A loud crack of thunder rattled the cabin. Daniel flinched, his fingers tightening around the glass. He needed to stay calm. He had been careful. No one had seen him. No one knew.

Or so he thought.