Chapter 3 - The Playground Incident

Earlier that sunny afternoon, David had taken little Leo to the neighborhood playground. It was supposed to be a fun, relaxing Saturday.
Leo was happily climbing on the jungle gym, completely full of bright, innocent energy. However, another older child, running far too fast without looking, violently collided with Leo near the edge of the play structure. The sheer force of the sudden impact sent the six-year-old boy tumbling off the low platform and crashing face-first into the rough, jagged gravel surrounding the swings.
Leo didn't just scrape his knee. The sharp rocks deeply scratched his cheeks, his forehead, and the bridge of his nose.
David had immediately sprinted across the playground, his heart hammering in his chest as he scooped his weeping son into his arms. The injuries weren't life-threatening, but they were incredibly painful, raw, and bleeding.
"I've got you, buddy. You're okay, Daddy's right here," David had whispered soothingly, carrying the sobbing child directly to their car to head home for proper first aid.
When they walked through the front door of their suburban house, Karen and Martha were sitting in the living room drinking coffee. The moment Karen saw her son's bleeding face and heard his loud, terrified crying, her expression didn't soften with maternal worry. It hardened into intense, toxic annoyance.
"Stop screaming, Leo," Karen had snapped immediately from the sofa. "It's just a little scratch. Stop acting like a baby."
David had glared at his wife, absolutely disgusted by her lack of empathy. "He's six years old, Karen. He fell face-first onto gravel. I'm going to the kitchen to get the gentle antibacterial soap and the soft bandages. Don't speak to him like that."
David set Leo down gently on the living room rug and rushed into the kitchen, desperately digging through the lower cabinets to find the specific pediatric first-aid supplies he knew wouldn't sting the boy's raw face.
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He thought his son was safe in the living room for exactly two minutes.
👉 Read Part 4 to witness the terrifying ambush in the hallway.