Chapter 2 The Empty playground

The school looked different at night.

Willow Creek Elementary stood under the ghostly wash of moonlight like a slumbering beast, silent and still. Its familiar playground cast eerie shadows across the cracked asphalt. Swings hung motionless like hanged men, the monkey bars stretched across the darkness like skeletal fingers. The flag by the entrance flapped weakly in the breeze, its metal clips clanging against the pole in an irregular rhythm that set Maya's teeth on edge. Otherwise, there was no sign of life.

Maya's car rolled to a slow stop in the staff parking lot, her headlights sweeping across the empty spaces where teachers' cars usually sat during the day. She climbed out, heart thudding so hard she could feel it in her throat, heels crunching against loose gravel as she made her way toward the building. Each step echoed in the stillness, making her feel exposed, like a trespasser in a place that belonged to daylight and children's laughter.

The front office was dark, its windows reflecting nothing but black squares. The rows of classroom windows showed only her silhouette and the faint glow from the streetlights behind her, a ghostly figure moving through the night like a lost soul. No laughter. No forgotten backpacks left by the entrance. No stray janitors cleaning up spilled crayons or wiping down whiteboards.

The silence was deafening.

Then she saw him.

A stooped figure leaned against a post near the security gate. An older man, probably in his sixties, dressed in a navy jacket with "Willow Creek Security" embroidered on the chest in faded yellow letters. A flashlight hung loosely in his left hand, and he watched her approach with quiet suspicion, his weathered face partially hidden beneath the brim of a worn baseball cap.

"Ma'am?" he called as she neared, his voice carrying the gruff tone of someone who'd spent too many years dealing with people who didn't belong. "You can't be here after hours. School's closed."

"I..." Maya stopped, forcing herself to breathe. The air felt thin, like she was at altitude. "I'm Maya Daniels. My daughter... Anna Daniels. She's a student here. She didn't come home today."

The man's brows knit together beneath his ball cap. He straightened a little, the suspicion in his posture shifting to concern. "Anna Daniels?"

"Yes. Third grade. Miss Karen's class. Room 14B." Maya's words came out in a rush, desperate to make him understand. "She has dark hair, usually in braids. She carries a pink backpack with a unicorn on it. She's eight years old."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, the sound of his stubble loud in the quiet night. "Can't say I know the name, but then again, I don't know all the kids. I just started shift at six. Haven't seen a child or parent since I clocked in. The place's been locked up and quiet all evening."

Maya's stomach sank, a cold weight settled in her chest. "Are you sure? Maybe she was hiding somewhere, or fell asleep in a classroom?"

"Ma'am, I do a full sweep when I come on duty. Every room, every hallway, every bathroom. It's procedure." He shook his head slowly. "If there was a child in this building, I would have found her."

"Are you sure?" Her voice cracked like ice under pressure. "She always takes the school bus. It drops her at the bus stop just three blocks from our apartment. She's done it every day for two years. She knows the routine."

He shrugged with a tired look, the kind that came from years of dealing with worried parents and lost children who usually turned up safe. "If she was still around here when I got in, I would have seen her. That I can promise you. You try calling her teacher or the principal's office?"

"I did," she said, voice hollow and echoing strangely in the empty space between them. "No answer. It's after hours. I left messages, but..." She trailed off, feeling foolish for stating the obvious.

The man looked at her with a little more sympathy now, perhaps recognizing the genuine fear in her voice. "Well... maybe she stopped off at a friend's? Kids do that sometimes. Get distracted, forget to call home."

But Maya shook her head firmly, more violently than necessary. "Not Anna. She's not that kind of child. She doesn't go to anyone's house. I've raised her to come straight home, no distractions. She doesn't even like going out. She'd rather watch cartoons or draw." Her voice trembled at the end, and she clenched her fists to hide it. "She's shy. Quiet. She doesn't make friends easily."

The admission hung in the air between them like a confession. Maya realized how it sounded, like she'd raised a child who was isolated, afraid of the world. But it was true. Anna preferred the safety of their small apartment, the predictability of their routines.

The man sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... maybe it's just a mix-up. You check with any neighbors? Maybe she went to the wrong apartment by mistake?"

Maya nodded slowly but said nothing.

Neighbors? She hadn't spoken to any in months. She wasn't even sure of their names. Mrs. Barnes from 3B who always smiled politely in the hallway. The college students in 2A who played music too loud on weekends. The elderly man with the walker who lived alone and collected his mail at odd hours.

How could she explain that she'd built walls around herself and Anna? That she'd thought those walls would keep them safe?

"Thanks," she murmured instead, stepping away from the security guard who was already turning back to his post.

The night swallowed her as she walked away from the school grounds. The chill brushed against her skin, raising goosebumps along her arms. She pulled her cardigan tighter, but it did nothing to warm the cold that had settled in her bones. The sky was clear, a thousand stars twinkling indifferently overhead, witnesses to her panic who offered no comfort. A dog barked faintly in the distance, sharp and lonely. Somewhere, a car rumbled past, its headlights briefly illuminating the empty street before disappearing around a corner.

But in her chest, only silence and dread.

Maya stopped on the sidewalk and hugged herself, her breath visible in small puffs in the cool night air.

Is this real? Or am I dreaming? she wondered.

She half expected to wake up in her bed, with Anna humming in the kitchen, microwaving popcorn for their evening movie. The ritual they'd established over the years, cartoons or a Disney movie, shared popcorn, Anna curled against her side on the couch. But her phone was still clenched in her hand, the display showing 9:47 PM in harsh blue light. The security guard's flashlight still glowed faintly behind her, a yellow cone cutting through the darkness. No, it was real.

Anna was gone.

And she had no one to call.

No one to turn to.

Her mind spun as she began to walk. She didn't know where her feet were leading her. Maybe home. Maybe not. But she knew one thing, she couldn't do this alone anymore. She needed to talk to someone. She needed help.

The thought terrified her almost as much as Anna's disappearance.