Chapter 57: Charred Skeleton

Miguel's POV

I spotted the thick black smoke in the sky from half a mile away from the orphanage, and my heart twisted in my chest. It looked bad.

Perez had emphasized that on his call, but seeing the sight of the smoke made everything way more real, and my heart couldn't take it.

I thought of the children, the nuns, and the lives I had promised to make better.

Tears laced my vision, and I increased my speed, driving through multiple red lights without care.

They needed me, and I had to be there.

I wasn't one to pray. I didn't believe in anything other than death. But for the first time since my mother's death, I found myself praying again.

I prayed that the smoke was only exaggerated and no one had gotten hurt.

As I got closer, I saw that the cops blocked the entire front yard of the orphanage. I swerved my car off the road and pulled to a stop on the other side of the road, and there was no getting any closer than I already was.

The second I stepped down, I was greeted by a gut-