"Uh, hi," Abel stammered, his voice wavering slightly. "Is this where Hilsa lives? I... I'm her classmate. She didn't show up to school today, so I just wanted to check if she's okay."
The man's posture suddenly stiffened as he squeezed himself into the small door space he had opened.
He threw a nasty, scrutinizing look at Abel, as if Abel had just declared he was an alien from Mars. Abel felt his courage withering fast under the man's gaze.
"Wrong address, kid. Now get off my property," the man bellowed.
Abel took a hasty step back, caught off guard by the man's hostile response.
"Ah… alright… sorry to bother you."
A disappointed feeling crawled in his chest. He must have gotten Hilsa's address wrong. There was no way this ruffian was her father.
He was about to turn and leave when a familiar voice called from behind the man.
"Abel, is that you?"
Abel froze in place.
Was that Hilsa's voice?
The guy too appeared to have been caught off guard. Letting go of the door, he turned to face the person who had spoken.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man growled, pushing her back, but not before Abel got a brief but good look inside.
It was Hilsa, all right, but she looked nothing like the girl he had said goodbye to the previous day.
Even from the poor lighting in the house, he could see she had what looked like a black eye, and he could swear there were several bruises on her face.
That wasn't even the worst bit. her right hand appeared to be suspended in what Abel could only guess was a makeshift arm sling.'What the fuck is happening?' Abel thought to himself, his heart pounding in his chest.
Every instinct told him to do something, but he was paralyzed by shock and fear.
"Get back inside!" the man barked, shoving Hilsa further into the house. She stumbled but managed to catch herself as she winced in pain, her eyes locking with Abel's for a fleeting moment.
There was a desperate plea in her gaze, one that made Abel's stomach churn.
Hilsa shook her head vehemently as if begging him not to do anything.
Before Abel could react, the man slammed the door shut with a force that rattled the windows. Abel was left standing there on the porch, his mind reeling from what he'd just seen.
For a few seconds, he just stood there, staring at the closed door, trying to process everything.
The girl he knew was independent, tough, and fearless. Never could he have thought that Hilsa would be going through abuse.
Seeing her bruised, hurt, and clearly terrified was a look that did not fit her. Plus, who the hell was that guy?
Hilsa was clearly Asian-American, and the man he had just seen looked nothing of the sort... but then she could be mixed race or maybe even her stepfather.
Abel felt an overwhelming fear. The guy did not look or sound like someone who would hesitate to manhandle someone... even a minor. At the same time, he felt a burning resolve to do something, anything, to help Hilsa. After all, she too had risked herself when she had confronted Todd on his behalf.
But what? Should he call the police? What if Hilsa didn't want that? What if it made things worse? He had seen how she had shaken her head as if begging him not to interfere.
Abel's mind raced, running through possibilities, but no clear solution presented itself. All he knew was that the only right thing to do was call for help, and the only place that could handle that situation was the police.
Clenching his fists, he took one last look at the door before reluctantly turning to leave.
He did not react immediately, nor did he behave as if he was freaked out. As someone who had spent the best part of high school running from bullies, he had a very sharp sixth sense, and that sense was telling him that he was being watched.
He waited until he rounded a corner at the end of the block before pulling his phone out and dialing 911.
His hands were shaking, but he forced himself to stay calm as the call connected.
"911, what's your emergency?" the operator's voice crackled through the line.
"Hi, um, I'm at an address where I think someone might be in trouble," Abel said, his voice trembling. "I was just there to check on a classmate who wasn't at school today, and I saw… I saw that she's been hurt. Her father… I think he's been hurting her. She needs help."
"Can you give me the address?" the operator asked, with a reassuring tone.
Abel quickly relayed the address he had noted down earlier, his voice steadying as he spoke.
"Thank you for the information. We're sending officers to that location right away."
Abel glanced back at the house, his heart pounding. "Sure… It's just… the man… he looked angry and dangerous… Could you please hurry?"
He heard a short pause on the other end before the voice came through once more.
"I understand. We'll have someone there as soon as possible. Thank you for calling and providing the details. Please keep a safe distance and check in with us if you see anything else."
"Okay, I will. Thanks." Abel ended the call, his hands still shaking.
***
The next few minutes felt like an entire year. He kept peeking over the street toward Hilsa's house, but nothing seemed to happen. Everything appeared calm from the outside, and to anyone who had not seen what he had, they would assume the place was a haven that was just in need of a little care.
Eventually, he saw a police car pull up. A wave of relief mixed with nervous anticipation washed over him. He rushed towards them, waving his arms to catch the officers' attention as they approached the front door.
One of the officers, a female officer, noticed him and walked over. "Are you the one who called 911?" she asked in a firm voice.
"That's me, ma'am," Abel said in a shaky voice and proceeded to explain the situation.
"I saw the girl inside. Her name is Hilsa. She's one of my classmates, and I think she's in serious trouble."
The officer nodded. "Can you describe what you saw and any details you think might be important?"
Abel took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "I went to check on Hilsa because she didn't show up to school today. When I got here, a man answered the door. He looked really rough—like he was having a hard time. He tried to send me away, but then I heard Hilsa's voice from inside. I saw her for a moment before he pushed her back into the house."
Abel's eyes darted to the front door as he continued.
"She had a black eye and several bruises on her face. Her right hand was in a makeshift arm sling. She looked scared, really scared. The man was aggressive, and I think he's been hurting her."
The officer listened intently, taking notes.
"Thank you for the information. We'll need to speak with you further once we've assessed the situation inside. For now, please stay here and avoid approaching the house."
Abel nodded, his heart pounding in his chest.
The officer gave him a reassuring nod before heading back to her partner, who was preparing to knock on the door.
Abel watched as they approached the house, their expressions serious and focused. He noted, however, that both the officers' body language had changed. Both of them now had their hands on their gun belts.
'It couldn't be that serious, could it?' Abel wondered.