Requiem for a Love (Requiem #2) [ON HOLD]

Chapter 10: Blackout

January 19th, two months later

Ben

As soon as we pull up to the curb by our FBI-provided safehouse, I know something is off. I can't tell what's wrong exactly, but I know something isn't right. I look over to the van permanently stationed across the street, the outline of two men barely visible in the front seat. The FBI gave us a revolving patrol so that at least two agents are always out here watching the safehouse.

I look back to the house we've been living in for almost eight weeks, since the day Ana and I started working with the FBI. Nothing seems to be amiss in the dim light from the streetlamp. Still, something's off. I'm wary as I walk to the front door, eyeing the cars parked on the street, looking for something out of the ordinary. Everything's fine. But my gut says something else. I unlock the front door and open it for Ana, letting her enter first. I turn back around to give the neighborhood one more careful inspection.

"Ben." Ana's voice pulls my attention back to the house.

"What?"

"The lights won't turn on."

"What?" I reach for the light switch and flip it, but nothing happens. A cold dread settles in the pit of my stomach. "Is the lightbulb burned out?" I ask, hoping that's all it is.

"All three of them? At once? Do you know the probability of that happening?"

Ana's face says the probability isn't good. She moves to the living room and flicks another switch. Nothing.

"The power's been cut."

Ana's eyes widen and she stares at me wordlessly.

I unholster my gun in a split second, scanning the room in the dim lighting.

"Stay behind me," I bark before raising my weapon up and beginning to search the small house. Ana doesn't say a word as I clear each room. Whoever did this isn't in the house now.

"The front door was still locked. They must not have come inside," she says, her voice betraying the fear concealed by the shadows of the darkened house.

"I'm going to search around the perimeter of the house. You stay here," I say, taking her back to the living room. "If something happens, you sprint for the van and scream like hell." I walk over to the sliding glass door and unlock it in case we need to use it in a hurry. "Take this door if the front is blocked and vice versa. If both are blocked, find a window. Got it?"

She nods, moving to hide in the shadows at the corner of the room.

I close the front door on my way out before carefully walking the perimeter of the house, looking for any signs of forced entry. After seeing nothing unusual, I start to wonder if it's nothing more than a local blackout. The light shining from the neighbors' porches quickly negates that theory. Maybe there was a problem with the billing through the utility company and they shut off power in lieu of payment? That happened to us once after Isabela passed and Mama forgot to pay the bills on time.

Ana's earlier comment about probabilities echos through my mind and I switch back to the intruder theory. I head around the back of the house once more. On the opposite side, I notice the electric meter mounted to the outside wall of the house. I pull out my phone and use the flashlight to inspect it. Nothing looks wrong with it. As I lower my phone to turn off the light, my eye catches something metallic in the grass. I bend down and pick it up. It's a small padlock. It's been cut open. I raise the small lock up to the electric meter and notice the spot where the lock used to be. I pry open the metal box and shine the light inside. Cut wires dangle in the box. I can feel the adrenaline course through me as my heart rate kicks up a notch. This was intentional and whoever did this has something planned.