Chương 6
The night air was colder now.
The garden was quiet.
The same place where the children had arrived hours earlier now felt like the beginning of something much bigger.
Daniel led them toward an older vehicle parked behind the house.
It was not the expensive car most people expected him to drive.
It was the one he trusted.
The one he kept hidden.
Ethan noticed.
"Why do you have that car?"
Daniel opened the door.
"Because sometimes old things still work when new things fail."
The boy seemed to understand more than he should.
They drove away from the house without turning on the main lights.
The road was empty.
The city slept around them.
But inside the vehicle, nobody relaxed.
Daniel kept checking the mirrors.
Ethan held Lily's hand.
The little girl eventually fell asleep against his shoulder.
Seeing that made Daniel feel a strange sadness.
She trusted them enough to sleep.
After everything she had been through, that was a powerful thing.
"How long were you running?" Daniel asked quietly.
Ethan looked out the window.
"Since yesterday."
Daniel frowned.
"Yesterday?"
The boy nodded.
"We stayed in places where nobody would look."
"Where?"
"Abandoned buildings."
Daniel tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"You should never have had to do that."
Ethan shrugged slightly.
"We didn't have a choice."
Daniel looked at him through the mirror.
"You do now."
Ethan looked away.
Those words were new to him.
Having a choice.
Having someone else carry part of the weight.
After twenty minutes, they reached a quiet neighborhood outside the city.
Daniel parked several streets away from the address Ethan had given him.
He turned off the engine.
"Stay here."
Ethan immediately shook his head.
"No."
Daniel looked back.
"You are not coming inside."
"I know where things are."
Daniel studied him.
The boy was scared.
But he was also determined.
Finally, Daniel nodded.
"You stay close to me."
Ethan agreed.
Lily remained in the car with the doors locked.
Daniel had brought a small communication device from the glove compartment and gave it to her.
"If anything happens, press this button."
The girl nodded seriously.
She was young, but she understood the importance.
Daniel and Ethan walked toward the old house.
The place looked abandoned.
The windows were dark.
The yard was overgrown.
But Daniel immediately noticed something.
The front door was slightly open.
He stopped.
Ethan noticed too.
"They've been here."
Daniel nodded.
They entered carefully.
The inside smelled like dust and old wood.
But beneath that was something else.
Recent movement.
Someone had searched this place.
Drawers were open.
Papers were scattered.
Furniture had been moved.
Whoever came here was not looking for valuables.
They were looking for information.
Ethan walked toward the hallway.
"My room is upstairs."
Daniel followed.
Every step felt heavier.
The house carried memories that were not his.
But he could feel Claire everywhere.
The choices she made.
The danger she faced.
The reason she had sent the children away.
Ethan stopped near a bedroom door.
"This is where Mom kept things."
He pointed toward the floor.
Daniel looked down.
There were small scratches near the wooden boards.
Someone had already found the hidden compartment.
Ethan's face fell.
"No."
Daniel crouched beside the floor.
"What?"
"She said nobody could find it."
Daniel carefully lifted one loose board.
The space underneath was empty.
For a moment, Ethan looked devastated.
Then Daniel noticed something.
A small piece of paper had been pushed into the corner.
He reached inside and pulled it out.
It was not a document.
It was a map.
A hand-drawn map with several locations marked.
One of them was Daniel's house.
Another was a place Daniel recognized immediately.
A place from his past.
A place connected to Claire.
Ethan looked over his shoulder.
"What is that?"
Daniel folded the paper quickly.
Before he could answer, a sound came from downstairs.
A floorboard creaking.
Someone else was inside.
Daniel immediately moved Ethan behind him.
The same protective stance.
The same promise.
But this time, the danger was closer.
A shadow moved across the doorway at the end of the hall.
Daniel's voice became low.
"Stay behind me."
The footsteps stopped.
Then a familiar voice spoke from the darkness.
"You were always good at protecting people, Daniel."
Daniel froze.
It was Marcus.
But this time, he was not alone.
Should the next segment focus on Claire's hidden past or Marcus's true motives?
"You were always good at protecting people, Daniel."
Daniel froze.
The voice carried through the darkness with the same calm confidence he remembered.
Marcus stepped slowly into the hallway, his face partially hidden by the weak light coming from the broken window.
Behind him stood another man.
Daniel did not recognize him.
But he immediately understood that he was not there to help.
Ethan moved closer behind Daniel.
The boy's hand grabbed the back of Daniel's jacket.
Marcus noticed the movement.
"You brought him here."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"You followed us."
Marcus looked around the damaged room.
"I was trying to keep you alive."
Daniel almost laughed.
"By chasing two children through the night?"
Marcus looked toward Ethan.
"You don't know what he carries."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Then explain it."
Marcus stayed silent.
Again.
That silence told Daniel more than any answer could.
"You always do this," Daniel said.
"You always act like you are protecting people while hiding the truth."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"You think the truth is simple."
"No."
Daniel looked at Ethan.
"I think these children deserve to know why their lives were destroyed."
For the first time, Marcus looked away.
The reaction was small.
But Daniel saw it.
There was guilt there.
Real guilt.
"Who is he?" Ethan whispered.
Daniel did not take his eyes off Marcus.
"I don't know yet."
Marcus looked at the boy.
"My name is Marcus."
Ethan immediately stepped back.
"You were there."
Marcus stopped.
"What?"
Ethan's breathing became uneven.
"That night."
Daniel looked at him.
May you like
"What night?"
Ethan looked confused, like he had said something he was not supposed to reveal.
