A'Lyric's POV

It's been three days since my baby's been missing. The police around here haven't even been looking for him. They said all that they were able to do was put him on news channels and that wasn't enough for me. I've been out driving around for the last 50 hours. I've had to refill my tank 4 times in three days. I wasn't giving up on my son. I knew "Jay" had him but there wasn't enough evidence or information to find him.

How do Maloni and Jay connect though? Were they siblings, dating, cousins? So many different scenarios ran through my mind. I looked across the street at the park and decided to walk around and hand my flyers out.

"Have you seen this lil boy? He's approximately 3 feet tall," I demonstrated to an older couple.

"No we've been keeping our eyes open and we'll continue to do so. Sorry for the pain you have to endure in this sad, unfortunate time." I nodded my head and gave a weak smile. I continued to ask people and didn't come up with any information.

"Fuckk!" I said getting back in my car, laying my head on the steering will. I felt the tears trickle down my face as my head began to hurt. I was tired of stressing, I just wanted my baby back.

I looked up at the street ahead of me and didn't know where to go next. Just as I looked up, my phone began to ring. Harmony's name came across the screen and I debated on answering it.

"Where are you?" Harmony practically screamed.

"I'm at the park. Why?" I asked with an attitude. I couldn't sit at home and wait on my baby to walk through the door.

"Lyric, momma looking for you," Harmony pleaded.

"Tell her I'm okay," I said before hanging up.

I started my car up and drove to McDonald's. There was a playground up there that Malik loved. The tears fell from my eyes as I spotted a few young boys playing on the playground. I didn't even have the strength to pass out any more flyers.

"Give me a sign son. Tell me where you are," I spoke to myself.

I looked around the playground one last time before starting up my car and heading home. This is the most painful thing I've ever had to encounter. I've been with my son since birth and for him to be anywhere in the world and I didn't have any idea, was killing me.

"Lord please just let my son be okay," I prayed while driving. "I'm sorry for all I've ever done. Sex before marriage, being disrespectful, not going to church all the time. Lord please just wrap your arms around my child and keep him safe. Amen."

"Amen," I heard a voice say. I looked up to see Harmony standing at my window. I didn't even know I made it home, my mind was so gone. "Glad I made it here safe," I thought getting out of the car.

"How— I love you," Harmony said as she followed me in the house.

"I'm doing okay. I just want my baby back. I love you too," I said sitting on the couch. "And I don't blame you no more. I know you would've died for my baby's safety. I'm sorry for accusing you of not doing nothing." I admitted as momma walked in. Aunt Teresa walked in behind her with a half pint of Quality House Vodka. I shook my head and took off my shoes. I pulled my feet into the couch and covered up with my jacket.

"Lil girl! You had my sister worried sick about you. She already doesn't know where her grandbaby at and then you just leave for days and don't call or answer her," my aunt spoke up.

"Teresa leave her alone. I understand her frustration. Being cooped up in this house waiting is only gonna eat her alive," my momma said defending me.

I stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be ages before looking around the living room. My momma and her sister were gone but Harmony sat on the other couch watching me. I looked into her eyes and felt her pain. She feels just as useless as I do. I laid my head back on the couch just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Harmony said standing up and fixing her shorts. I kept my eyes remained on a black spot on the ceiling until I heard my name being called.

"Huh?" I asked looking to see a police officer walking towards me. I started to stand up but the female officer stopped me.

"Ma'am, you might wanna sit down for this," she suggested.

"Why? What is it?" I panicked as my leg started shaking uncontrollably.

My momma and aunt Teresa walked in the house with worried looks on their faces. Harmony grabbed my hand as we waited on whatever the news was.

"Ma'am, we have a toddler burned to death. He was in a house fire alone and no one there to claim his body. Forensics haven't come back with any DNA yet. But the child's description matches your son Malik's," the male officer explained.

There was a lump in my throat and I couldn't speak. I felt the pit of my stomach bubble as I stood to my feet. I tried running to the trash can but the contents of my empty stomach spilled onto the floor. Harmony approached me and grabbed my hair and held it up. I couldn't stand any longer. I felt my legs become weak and my eyes became blurry but Harmony held me up.

"I'll go down and identify him. Harmony stay with Lyric. Help her clean herself up," Momma instructed.

"No. I'm going too. I wanna know if that's my baby," I said walking down the hallway to the bathroom.

Once I made it to the bathroom, I grabbed the mouthwash and gargled some. I got a face towel and washed my face. When I looked up, I saw my reflection in the mirror and I didn't look like myself. I looked stressed out, hungry and tired, but I couldn't eat or sleep not knowing where my son was.

I gathered myself together before heading back into the living room. I grabbed my phone and keys and silently walked out the front door. It was no point in making petty conversation when only one thing was truly on my mind. Was this my child they found dead? Did this sick person set my baby on fire?
So many questions ran through my mind as I sat in the car. I gave my momma my keys and she drove to the morgue.

The morgue was only a 30-minute drive but this 30 minutes felt like hours. My mouth had gone dry but my eyes still dripped of salty tears. I had come to the conclusion that my son was dead already. As bad as that seem, it made me feel more at peace than the thought of him being tortured or worse.

When we pulled up to the gloomy-looking building, my heart rate sped up. I hurriedly got out of the car and stepped in front of a car without looking.

"Lyric!" Harmony yelled causing me to jump out of traffic. That only triggered my heart to beat faster.

I didn't say anything as we followed the officers through the building, down a long dark hallway. We stopped at a closed door before the female officer turned around.

"Ma'am do you want to go in alone?" she asked looking into my tear soaked eyes. I shook my head no as I grabbed Harmony's hand. The male officer opened the door for us and we were greeted by an older Caucasian man.

"Hello, right this way. Keys, right?" he asked before walking to a zipped up, black body bag.

"Yes sir," Harm answered, squeezing my hand.

The man started unzipping the body bag and I felt Harmony shift her body. The grip of our hands grew tighter as the bag opened up. I closed my eyes shut, afraid of seeing my baby in this bag.

"Ladies, I'm sorry. But one of you has to open your eyes and identify the body. I have another family waiting outside," I heard the man say.

I opened my eyes and the first thing they landed on was a small hand. I felt my heart flutter. I looked at Harmony as she stood face to face with the body. I looked back at the body and shifted my eyes on the face.

"Oh my god!" Harmony and I both screamed out in unison.