The feed to my camera suddenly cut off and all I could see was an empty hallway. I navigated to every camera in my house but nothing struck me as odd or out of place. I spent the next few minutes slowly going over every frame, with Axel patiently by my side.
"Is it me or is there nothing remotely different from the last seven times you checked?" He asked, somewhere between jokingly and being dead serious.
But he's right. It's like whoever was there just vanished into thin air. I went through the internal and external footage again one more time and everything seemed like it was going well.
"I'm sorry that I have to do this but can we please...."
"Yes of course! Hey, don't worry about it. You can wait in the truck, I'll pack all this up." He smiled at me and turned around to put everything back into its container.
"Thanks." Was all I had the energy to say.
I opened the door and hopped into the front seat, and I didn't realize that my body was shaking until now.
What Axel doesn't know is that I've seen that mask before. The exact same thing happened when my family was still alive. That meant..... that meant that they finally found me.
That was the last thing my mom saw before..... right before....
"Who are you?" Said Linda Powers, accidentally dropping and shattering the cooking bowl.
"Honey! Is everything ok?" Called out George Powers.
"Call your husband over here right now and don't you dare make a sound!" Said the masked guy, pointing his gun towards my twin brother Hunter.
"Hey Georgie?" She said, her voice shaking. "Can you help me out here a little?"
"Of course hun. Give me a second." He called out.
"Get on your knees now!" Whispered the hooded guy to my mom and brother.
Reluctantly, they both got on the floor, my mom scooting closer to Hunter to shield him.
"Hey Linda. Where are you?" My dad asked.
"I'm lost in the world of Neverland. Where the sun don't ever shine."
"Oh are you really? You just like messing with me don't you babe?"
"No hun. Captain Hook brought his claws but none of the ship members."
The hoodie guy was clearly confused and too irritated but that didn't last long.
Within a split second, my dad had his assault rifle pointed toward the hoodie dude, my mom pushed Hunter under the table and side-kicked the gun out of the man's hand and held it against him.
"Do you want to tell us what the hell is going on and who sent you?" Asked Dad, dragging him towards the living space.
"What do you want from us and how did you get in?" Asked mom, searching the man for any more weapons.
The man never said a word, just stared straight ahead.
"It's ok. You don't have to say anything. I found this." She said, waving a flash drive in her hand.
My dad handcuffed the hoodie guy and took off his hoodie to reveal a very young guy with blonde hair and a nasty scar that goes all across his cheek.
"So you're what exactly? The Russian mafia? Look George. They've been spying on us. There are reports on all of our past recon missions with the Air Force. They have files on each and every one of us; including my Unit Chief."
"Weren't these top secret missions that were on a need to know basis? How the hell did they manage to get their hands on them?"
"Dear God. This looks like a hit-list. Jonas Parker. Alicia Evans. Sadie Lawrence. Johnny Miller. Sean Potter. Leo Gardensky. And....." she stopped. Her voice shaking.
"What is it honey?" Asked me dad, not moving a single muscle.
"That's.... That's me. Linda Powers. I'm on that hit list George."
"You're joking. Show me."
"No look. They have a few of them crossed out...."
"And looks like they came here to cross me off that list."
"Maybe you should alert your unit and send them these files." Said dad.
"I'm on it."
"I don't think you'd want to do that." Said a man with a heavy, thick Russian accent.
They looked towards the voice to find a middle aged man with curly, black hair, holding a gun towards Hunter's temple.
"You see, I think I have the upper hand here. You give us back our flash drive and release Viktor over there and I'll give you back your son without a bullet hole in his head."
"Please. please don't hurt him. You can have me if you want please! Here's your flash, but please leave him alone." Begged my mom, throwing over the flash drive. She looked at the ceiling for a split second and back.
The man caught it and held Hunter even closer to him when he tried to wriggle free.
"You're never going to get away with this Nikolson."
"You know him?" Asked dad.
"How wouldn't I? He was one of the targets we were keeping an eye on. On the outside he was seemingly a harmless CEO of a multinational company stationed here in New York, but we suspected he was using it as a headquarters for money laundering and drug smuggling. Just as we were supposed to move in on them, my team members started dying one after the other and at the same time, any suspicious activities stopped."
"You were about to uncover something that was going to cost me millions and very valuable clients. I'm sorry Mrs. Powers but I wasn't about to let that happen."
"Then what the hell do you want with my wife? With my family?" Asked my dad.
"For an aeronautical engineer, you're asking a very dumb question Mr. Powers. I must eliminate the entire team, I can't leave behind any witnesses. Including this beautiful family. It's very smart of you though. Creating an underground tunnel connecting you to the main street so it seems like no one ever left or entered the house. I have children of my own so i appreciate the safety but you are still a liability and I am sorry I have to do this." His face clearly showed no remorse.
It all happened within seconds.
He nodded towards his men.
One shot went through my dad's head, and ricocheted off the vents and into my ears.
Another through my mom's heart, another through my ears
He took one good look at a crying Hunter, kissed his forehead and then shot him too.
I tried not to let my muffled cries be heard, so I kept my nerves calm and my breathing steady.
They didn't care about anyone hearing anything. They didn't care that my mom triggered the silent alarm that connects her with the police and her unit chief. And finally, they didn't care that I was playing in the vents and happened to witness and record everything that went on.
They came, but it was too late. My parents were dead. I was in severe psychological distress but at least Hunter had a pulse. It was weak and thready but it was there.
"Hey you ok?" Asked Axel, putting on his seatbelt and snatching me from that midday reminiscing party.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I just want to go home please."
"I don't feel comfortable letting you go home alone Sophia. Especially after what happened right now. And I don't care what you say, I'm dropping you off in front of your house, and making sure you're safe inside and then I'll leave." He looked back to reverse, then drove us back down the hill.
Knowing him, he's never going to let me in the house on my own but we need to set limits honestly. We're barely at the stage where we're best friends. So I don't really get why he has to be overprotective and unbearably nosy? Like I completely understand his point of view because if Cooper or Lara were in my shoes and they were in danger, I wouldn't have let them stay on their own. I don't want to lash at him just so I don't end up feeling bad about it and making it up to him and be seen in public with him again. It's bad enough that I have to go out tomorrow.
What if.... What if they find me?
What if someone accidentally takes a picture and I'm on the background smiling and looking completely the same as I did that day. What if they end up finding me that way? It is way too big of a gamble. I managed to stay hidden for ten years since I moved from New York to LA. I managed to stay under the radar all this time, and I can't let a little mistake like that ruin everything I've worked so hard to protect.
"It's nothing Axel. You saw the security footage - it was nothing. I'm guessing just a glitch. So please, just go. Please."
"But....."
"Please..." I hope the pleading in my body somehow finds its way to show in my eyes.
He looked at me with soft, yet stern eyes. Eyes that showed he really cared, for a reason I'll never understand. But I've come too far and worked too hard to prevent any more killings and I'll do what it takes to prevent my friends from getting hurt because of me. The last thing I need is someone else's blood on my already bloody hands.
"Fine. We'll do it your way." He replied, a little hurt I guess.
The drive back home was excruciatingly awkward and quiet. He didn't open his mouth to say anything and I didn't have the heart to say anything either. It sucks seeing him like this and knowing I was the reason, but he has to understand the basic concept of personal space and boundaries.
Forty minutes later, he pulled up by the side walk where he usually drops me off.
I didn't know what to say, but I knew that I couldn't be seen with them for the time being. At least until I find out I'm safe.
"I'm sorry Axel. For everything. And....and umm also for the fact that I can't go out with you guys again. At least not for a while."
He looked at me and smiled. Not his usual smile, not even close.
"Don't worry about it. Stay safe. And I mean it Powers. If there's any help you need, I'm just a phone call away or whatever cliché shit they say."
"Thank you. Good night."
"Hey, don't forget your food." He ushered to the back seat.
I opened the back door and took my bags and left him the ones I got him.
"I got you these hoping you'd like them. And by the way, do you mind finding someone to cover my shifts for the next couple of weeks? I just want to stay home and take care of a few things if you don't mind."
"Yeah sure, consider it done. Are you sure you're ok?" He asked.
I remembered the stuff Marina said about him and it made me want to tell him, but every time I opened up to someone - they'd end up dead. I'm not about to let that happen - not to him.
"Yeah I'm fine. Good night."
He just nodded his head and turned back to face the front of the car.
A few steps down the road, my phone rang.
"Axel Jones now calling" said Siri into my AirPods.
"Answer" I replied.
"What? Did you think I was gonna let you go without making sure you got home safe? I am walking the boundaries you set, but I'm nothing if not a gentleman."
"Does gentleman in your dictionary translate to leech?"
"Ouch. Right in the heart."
He didn't hang up until I got home, and he FaceTimed me and made sure every single door and window were shut and my alarm system was set.
"Ok. I do feel a little better, but let me know if anything changes. Or maybe call the cops too?"
"Ya ya don't worry about it Jones. I have homeland security on speed dial. Anyways I gotta rest and cook and stuff so I'll see you at work ok? And I'm sorry about cancelling all our plans - both the arcade and the restaurant. I hate canceling plans, and I still do owe you."
"Its fine seriously. Later Powers." He hung up and I went back to an empty house.
Before going to the kitchen to start making mushroom noodles, I checked my messages and realized that I haven't been texting Cooper and Lana as much anymore.
I open my messages to find them literally talking to each other with 235 unread messages.
Me: hey guys!
Lara: oh. Look who decides to show up last minute. Where the HELL were you?
Cooper: ya Soph. You never answer anymore. Everything ok?
Me; yeah yeah. How's everything going with you guys? You feeling better Cooper?
Cooper: Lara had a little fight with Martin and now he's not responsible for my food intake anymore😬
Lara: and.....
Cooper: and he gave me back my car keys because you threatened to slash his tires 😂😂😂
Lara: as I should.
Me: bro what?? LOOL that's hilarious
Lara: bro he keeps telling Cooper how he's hooked up on sugar and it'll ruin his chances of ever joining the MLB.... Like calm down buddy y'all are still kids
Cooper: im actually starting university soon so....
Lara: that translates to a kid in my dictionary
Me: and what did you do Cooper? Comply?
Cooper: bro I threw up half my body's water weight, I didn't even have the strength to keep my head up. I was in the car with her, she pulls up somewhere and I was lying down and the next thing I knew she came with my car keys....
Me: oh by the way. I won't be able to make it to the arcade. Sorry.
Lara: bro wth?? Why?
Cooper: man don't bail on us like that...
Me: I'm sorry. Something came up and I'm not feeling well and I'm also not coming to work this whole week, I just need to rest.
Cooper: what happened
Lara: dude seriously you never tell us anything..
I put down the phone because she's actually right. I can't risk telling them anything because that'll put them in danger.
I turned off the stove because my dumbass remembered that I had take out I never touched. I reheated my food, closed all the lights and made my way to the living room. I turned on Netflix and started watching CSI: Las Vegas. I was on the last episode and it was about four in the AM that I started drifting off.
Without realizing it, I slept there the whole night too comfortable and warm to ever leave. The next day, I was awoken by an annoying and constant ringing of my doorbell. That woke me up faster than any black coffee would. I ran towards the door without even checking my security camera and I just stood there.
Did they finally find me?
Did they piece together that I moved?
Yeah. Like the Russian Mafia was going to ring my doorbell ever so politely.
Dipshit.
I looked through the peephole to find three people standing outside, loaded with bags.
"What the hell."
I opened the door, to be greeted by Lara, Cooper and Landon.
"How the hell did you find out where I live?"
"Well hello to you too ma'am. No it's not cold at all and we're definitely not freezing our asses off." Said Landon, his curls literally frozen in place.
"I'm sorry where are my manners. Come in oh dear intruders."
They all came in, took off their shoes at the front and put the extensive amount of food on the kitchen countertop.
"Bro this house is amazing what!!" Said Cooper, looking around.
"Do you live in a mansion all by yourself? Cooper start cleaning the washrooms go!" Said Landon.
This is hardly a mansion.
"Hey. Show my dignity some respect." Replied Cooper, feigning hurt.
"Which dignity? The one we stepped on back there?" Lara and Landon laughed. They always seem to find the same things funny - even when no one else does. Oh well. At least they make each other laugh. I guess that's all that matters.
"You still didn't answer my question. How'd you find out where I live? Not even Axel knows."
"Ummm. Actually we might've broken an ethical workplace code. Or seven..." She smiled sheepishly and handed me a paper of sorts.
My paystub.
With my information on it.
Sophia Grace Powers
89 Holmes Street
Then it hit me. Axel was the one who took my application form after I gave it to the customer service clerk. That means that he's not only known my phone number since before I gave it to him. He also knew where I lived all along.
I am actually slow. Like there is that one sloth from Zootopia slow, and then there's me.
"Since you couldn't come to the arcade and you wouldn't answer our calls, we decided to bring the fun to you. Axel told us you weren't feeling well, so we came here because he also found someone to cover our shifts. You rest and we'll take care of everything, how does that sound? It'll also give us an opportunity to bond and get to know each other better." Said Lara, already filling my fridge with drinks and all sorts of stuff.
I mean, I couldn't be cooped up alone forever and I wasn't the one who invited them over. Seeing how much they cared really put a smile on my face.
"Okay. Let's do this."