I remained motionless, staring at the door, holding my breath.
Then the alarm system keypad, right next to it, lit up.
A soft beep sounded.
One
two
three…
Exactly the same signal as when someone activates the system remotely .
Camille's voice came out like a sob.
— Mom… he locked us in.
But what began as a simple remote lockdown soon revealed something far more terrifying:
Antoine had never really left…
…and he wasn't alone.
Part 2…
My first reaction was to pound on the numeric keypad until my knuckles broke.
I didn't do it.
I forced myself to breathe.
"It's going to be okay," I whispered to Camille , crouching down to her level. "Listen to me. You're doing this very well. We're going to do exactly what needs to be done... and we're not going to panic."
Her eyes were enormous.
"He did it with his phone," she whispered. "I saw him do it at Grandma's house when he forgot to close the door. He laughed and said, 'Technology, my dear.'"
I slowly sat up and looked at the alarm panel.
The house had a smart security system that Antoine had insisted on installing — "for our safety," he had said.
Cameras. Smart locks. Window sensors.
At first, I liked it.
Now it looked like a cage.
I picked up my phone and called Antoine.
Directly to the messaging app.
I tried again.
Messaging.
My hands were trembling when I dialed 17 .
The tone sounded… then the line cut out.
I looked at my screen.
A network bar.
Then nothing more.
— No… — I breathed — No, no…
Camille tugged on my sleeve.
— Mom… the wifi — she whispered — Dad turned it off last night. The TV wasn’t working anymore.
My stomach churned.
He had thought of everything.
I forced myself to move.
— Upstairs — I murmured — We're going up. Quietly.
We crossed the house like thieves in our own lives.
I took Camille's shoes from near the stairs and slipped them on her without lacing them.
I didn't turn on any lights.
I didn't slam any doors.
I didn't let fear make any noise.
In our room, I locked the door behind us — old habit, old reflex.
