AFTER I RAN OUT OF my car, I darted into the woods, yelling Issy’s name. The night was cold, dark, and damp. I was shivering and I could see my breath coming in a white fog in front of my body. There was no way she could survive this for long; I was in a heavy jacket and I could already feel my toes and fingers going numb. Cold sweat ran down my sides as I ran through the woods, yelling for my wife, praying that she was okay.
Please, God, let Issy be safe and alive, I thought desperately. Please. I don’t even care that much about Rico and Jake, I just need to find her. You know how much I need her; you know I can’t raise a kid by myself. A kid’s got to have a mother, and Issy’s the only mother I want for my own flesh and blood.
I stumbled over a fallen limb, falling down and blocking my
