Chapter 4 - The Infiltration
Nicholas returned three days later, but he didn't come alone. He arrived with a bouquet of flowers and a smile, flanked by two men in suits—lawyers, or so he claimed. He had framed our departure as an "abduction of a vulnerable adult," claiming that Hazel was mentally unstable and I was the one manipulating her.
The manager of Serenity Pines, a sharp-eyed woman named Clara who had taken my earlier warnings to heart, intercepted us in the lobby.
"Mr. Thorne," Clara said, her voice cool and authoritative. "You are not permitted on these grounds. Your mother has filed a formal request for a restraining order, and it is currently being processed by the local precinct."
Nicholas’s smile didn't falter, but his eyes turned black, flat and empty. "My mother is experiencing a psychotic break, Clara. If you keep her here against her will, you’re looking at a massive lawsuit."
"We aren't keeping her," I stepped forward, Hazel hovering behind me, her hand gripping my sweater. "We’re hiding from you."
Nicholas looked at Hazel, and for a split second, the mask dropped. The raw, unfiltered hatred on his face was enough to make the lawyers shift uncomfortably. He realized then that he had lost the element of surprise. He wasn't in his own house anymore; he was in a building with security, cameras, and people who were starting to see him for the hollow man he was.
May you like
He turned to leave, but he stopped at the door. "The storm is coming tonight, Mom," he said softly. "The power will go out. And when the lights are off, the doors don't matter."
He was right. By evening, the sky turned a bruised purple, and the wind began to howl against the glass of our apartment. Then, with a sickening crack of thunder, the world went black.
