👉 Previous Choice: You chose Option A – Trust Deacon Silas, assume stress-induced sleep deprivation, and check home security cameras directly via phone.
I pulled my personal cell phone from my pocket. My thumb shook slightly as I navigated to the security camera app. The small screen glowed with the dark, grainy feed from my living room at 414 Cedar Ridge Lane.
“See, Evelyn?” Deacon Silas said, his voice soft, reassuring. He stood close, his hand resting on my shoulder. “Just static. The grief is playing tricks on you, child.”
But it wasn’t static. A shadow, quick and fleeting, darted across the lower corner of the living room feed. It was gone before I could make sense of it, a trick of the light or something more. My breath hitched.
I reached to zoom in, but Silas’s hand descended. His palm covered the screen, warm and dry against the cold glass. My phone screen went black.
“There’s nothing there, Evelyn,” he insisted, his tone unwavering. “Just your mind playing tricks.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. Was he right? The image had been so brief. The exhaustion of the graveyard shift, combined with Gabriel’s lingering absence, had left me vulnerable.
“My home,” I started, trying to push his hand away. “There was something—”
“A trick of the light, I assure you,” Silas cut in. He squeezed my shoulder gently. “The Lord knows you’re tired, child. You need rest. Let me see to your safety.”
He extended his hand, palm up. “Your house keys, Evelyn. I will go and personally secure your property. The Covenant takes care of its own.”
My gaze dropped to the key ring on the console beside me. The small, tarnished brass key to my front door seemed to gleam under the harsh fluorescent lights. Surrendering them meant giving him access, allowing him control.
“I can go myself,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
Silas chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. “Nonsense. You’re in no state. Your duty here is paramount.” He glanced at the blinking lights on the main dispatch board. “Think of the sanctity of your role, Evelyn. Your mind must be clear.”
He waited, his hand still outstretched, his eyes fixed on mine. The weight of his gaze felt like a physical pressure. The small dispatch room grew silent around us.
“Give me the keys,” he repeated. “For your peace of mind.”
I looked at my phone, still dark under his hand. The image of the fleeting shadow, the sound of the caller’s terrified voice. It was all so confusing, so real, yet now, so easily dismissed.
My fingers trembled as I picked up the keys.
“Good,” Silas said, taking them from me. A flicker of something, quick as the shadow on the screen, crossed his face before he smoothed his expression back to one of benevolent concern.
“I’ll ensure everything is secure,” he promised. “You finish your shift, and then I’ll escort you home for some much-needed rest.”
➡️ Read CHAPTER 3 to continue the story.
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