The Cooling Point

Inside were stacked cases of bottled water. Only the outer row had been left visible. “They’re staging it,” Lena spat. Lin felt his stomach drop. The cooling point was not a rescue site. It was a sorting site, wrapped in the appearance of order. The administrator moved to slip away in the confusion. Daniel saw him and suddenly lunged forward, as if something in him had snapped back into place. “You know where my wife and son are, don’t you?” The administrator avoided his eyes. “I don’t know.” “You do,” Daniel said, his voice cracking. “You turned the list over to the state.” Silence. That silence was the answer. Marcus slammed the administrator against the truck side, fist coming up, but Lin grabbed his arm before it could land.