👉 Previous action: You continued your investigation with Maya / You escaped the police ambush.
The rain had intensified, soaking me to the bone as I clambered through the old basement window, scraping my knee on the concrete sill. I landed silently on the cold utility room floor, the faint smell of mildew and damp earth filling my nostrils.
A figure emerged from the shadows. It was Maya, her face pale in the faint light filtering from the crack under the door.
“Leo, you’re back,” she whispered, relief flooding her features. “I heard the sirens. What happened?”
“Halloway was waiting for me at Sam’s van,” I choked out, shivering. “He had Clara’s watch. Said Sam confessed.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “Julian knew. He must have.” She pulled me deeper into the utility room, gesturing to a tangle of wires hanging from the wall. “He cut the landline. And he deployed a cell-phone signal jammer. The entire house is a dead zone.”
My stomach dropped. Trapped. Cut off.
“I heard him,” Maya continued, her voice low. “He’s searching. Room by room. With Dad.” Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling. “He’s telling Dad you’re armed and dangerous, Leo. That you’re having a full-blown psychotic break.”
A heavy thud echoed from the floor above. Footsteps. Closer now.
We exchanged a terrified glance. Julian wasn’t just gaslighting our parents anymore; he was escalating to a full-blown siege, painting me as a threat to their safety.
➡️ Read CHAPTER 10 to continue the story
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