Chapter 5 - The Blue Lips
The heat from the porch hit me, but I didn't feel it.
Leo was lying on the coarse fibers of the welcome mat.
He was curled onto his side, his knees pulled up tight toward his chest.
He wasn't moving.
His small chest was completely, horrifyingly still.
"Leo!"
I dropped to my knees, the abrasive mat digging into my skin.
I grabbed his shoulder. His skin was blazing hot, his arm completely limp.
I rolled him onto his back.
His eyes were half-open, rolled upward toward the ceiling.
His lips were a dark, bruised shade of purple.
His mouth was locked open, frozen in a silent gasp for air.
"Leo! Wake up! Leo!"
I shook him frantically. His head lolled backward without any resistance.
I pressed my fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse.
Nothing. Just the frantic pounding of my own terror.
The truth hit me like a physical blow.
The dust in the basement. The pollen from the open windows.
The strange whistling sound through the mail slot.
May you like
He hadn't been throwing a tantrum. He had been suffocating.
And I had turned up the television while he begged for his life.
