Rachel realized she'd never been upstairs before. She didn't know where to start. What was I thinking, how am I going to find their rooms and get them out of here in time? At the second landing, Rachel dashed to the right hallway. It was long and almost ominous in the semidarkness. The carpeted hallway made her footsteps soundless, almost like she strolled on air. The right side of the landing bore the ivory-white wall with spaced out, golden-framed portraits of breath-taking landscapes. At the opposite side was line of dark-brown wooden doors with elaborate doorknobs. She went to the first door and twisted the doorknob with the elaborate designs of what must be a variety of sports equipments.
She slowly opened the door and peeked inside. The downstairs light seeped into the room, flashing the wall poster of a football player raising both his hands in victory with writing across him that Rachel couldn't read. She knew this must be Nathan's room. Inside, there were more posters, this time basketball players' posters and various sport banners. One specific, red banner slightly glowed in the darkroom. Removing her glare from the wall, the downstairs light showed Nathan enshrouded with his sport branded blanket. Rachel could only see the back of his head as he was in a deep sleep. She raced toward his bed.
"Nathan, Nathan!" she whispered into his left ear. In a hasty yet tender manner she shook him. First, he twisted and turned away from her then he finally opened his eyes. Once he did so, he flinched; surprised to see a stranger in his room. He then realized who she was and asked Rachel,
"What are you doing in my room? Why are you still here?" he said staring at her. His body was half-way up. He wore a navy blue pajama shirt. Rachel didn't know where to start; she totally understood why he behaved this way. If she was him, she would've reacted the same way.
"We need to get out of your house!" she whispered to him."Where's your sister's room?"
"What's going on?" he said loudly. Rachel then heard voices coming from downstairs. As Nathan was about to say something, she sealed his mouth with her hand. Nathan struggled to free his mouth but Rachel whispered for him to keep quiet and beckoned for him to listen to the voices downstairs. Nathan stopped struggling, although he didn't want to. Nathan assumed that Rachel might have a weapon on her, perhaps a knife, and might stab him if he didn't cooperate with her. He nodded his head at her, signaling he wouldn't utter a word.
Both Scott and Jay made it to the foyer. Their footsteps clinked against the immaculate, white marble floor. Scott kept talking to the agitated Jay,
"I told you not to give our supply without getting the money first," he said angrily. "All this is your fault and that chick paid the price. Now stop crying and let's go get whatever is in that safe."
"I'm sorry, man," Jay said, rocking his head in disbelief that all this was happening. He wholly agreed to what Scott had said.
"Sorry isn't going to keep us alive, Jay!" Scott replied, "Come on, let get this over with and then jet out." They both now arrived into the living room, heading back to the library room to open the safe.
Nathan heard bits and pieces of the two people's conversation. He knew for sure that they are about to break into his father's safe. When they could no longer hear their voices, Rachel gently let go of his mouth.
"Now, where's your sister's room?" she demanded.
"Follow me," Nathan said as he stormed out his bed but he didn't head to his bedroom door. Rather, he crawled toward the far corner of his room. Rachel watched him, an eyebrow raised, bewildered by what he was doing.
"Follow me." He signaled to Rachel to come over where he was. He opened something that was attached to the wall. Rachel went closer to see what he was doing. It was some sort of hatch that blended with the wall. Nathan entered into it and disappeared. Rachel bent down, lowering her head and was stunned.
A trapdoor, she thought. She was glad that they didn't need to go to the door and expose themselves to the killers. Rachel trailed behind him into the tunnel and it wasn't long before they were out of it. Nathan gave her his hand to help her out. Rachel's eyes squinted by the sheer pinkness of the room. Stamped on the pale pink wallpaper were a line of ballerinas holding on to a barre. Ebullient cartoon characters adorned the bedside of the wall. There were numerous wooden chests against the wall rimmed with blocks, Lego sets, and teddy bears. On top of her coral dresser was a collection of toy ponies and Barbie dolls that seemed to gaze back at Rachel like she was an uninvited guest in the room. Veering away from the toys, Rachel saw Amy asleep so innocently on her glowing twinkling star canopy bed. She wished she didn't have to wake her up to such a threatening situation but she had to. Nathan was already ahead of her, shaking his little sister to wake up. She's awaking into a nightmare, Rachel thought apprehensively, staring at them.
***
The library room looked unrecognizable as the bookshelves barely presented any books on them. The few books that remained on the shelf lay carelessly sideways, one of them about to capsize with the majority. The rest of the dreadful books that lay on the floor were now stomped on by the two men in the room. Jay gloated, watching Scott struggling with his equipment to get the safe open. The knife he used to kill Alicia was put back in the gym bag. Scott grew frustrated as he tried again—for the fourth time—to open the safe. Without warning, he shouted at Jay to give him some space. For some reason, after Jay did back away, growling at Scott's behavior from behind him, Scott gave it a go for one last time and it worked. The safe clicked open.
Scott's face brightened, goggling at what was in it. Jay went a little closer to see what Scott saw. They both stared at it in awe. There, in the safe, lay stash of fresh new cash bundled with a thin paper band, white diamonds, and ornate jewelries that most likely have a value worth more than a million dollar.
"We've more money to pay the boss tenfold," Jay said, smiling from ear to ear.
"Of course, and we'll give the boss exactly what he asked for, and keep the rest for me—I mean us." Scott smiled, never removing his avaricious gaze from the valuables.
"Man, do you know what I can—" before Jay could finish what he said they both heard the lovely lady, robotic voice as it said,
HOUSE TRAP WILL OPERATE AT TWENTY, NINETEEN...
"Who turned on the House Trap?" Scott said angrily. He faced Jay.
"I didn't switch it on," Jay replied. "Honest."
"YOU— try and stop it, while I'll pack these in the gym bag." Scott ordered him. Jay raged out of the room and ran to the living room. He went to the monitor on the wall and began to press anything to stop the countdown of the House Trap. He realized there's nothing he could do to stop it, so he yelled at Scott to hurry up. "We need to get out of this house! Pronto!" he added, sweating with unease.
***
Rachel, Nathan, and Amy remained in Amy's room. Amy was scared when she saw Rachel but got more scared when she heard a stranger warning someone to get out of the house. Rachel felt terrible as she—not a minute ago— was asked by Amy where Alicia was. Rachel didn't have the heart to reveal that she had died. She hesitated but then simply said, "I don't know," and by the look on their faces—their pitiful look that seemed so concerned for their sister's safety—struck Rachel's heart like a heart attack. She had no choice but to tell them a comfortable lie, "I think she went out of the house to get something." Her answer eased their mind.
After they all heard the robotic voice and Jay's voice, Nathan wondered, "Who would turn on the House Trap?—I mean the bad people are inside the house not outside." He turned to Rachel.
"I don't know but we need to get out of here, now!" Rachel replied. She rushed toward the hidden trapdoor that she and Nathan previous came out of.
"I have an idea!" Nathan said, "Follow me." He grabbed Amy, guiding her. Rachel followed them as they ventured out of Amy's bedroom's door. Nathan hurried into his bedroom, opened a carbon box beneath his bed and brought out something.
"A robe ladder, it's for when there is a fire emergency but I think we are in an emergency at this moment," Nathan said to Rachel. "We can escape from the hallway's window. It's too late for all three of us to run out of the main door now," he added as the robotic voice continued the countdown,
TEN, NINE...
Jay sped back to the library room, sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead after he didn't see Scott coming out of the room. He saw that Scott tried to pack all of the valuables in the safe box into the undersize gym bag.
"We have to go now!" he shouted in distress at Scott.
"Just one minute," Scott replied, irritated. He pressed the money tightly into the bag to put more in it.
SIX, FIVE...
Rachel, Nathan, and Amy ran to the double-hung window at the end of the second landing. Nathan and Rachel tried to slide it up, but it wouldn't open. It has never been open since the Hausefalles' moved in the house.
"Wait, give me the rope ladder," Rachel said to Nathan. After he handled it to her, Rachel used all her strength and smashed the hard edge of the rope against the bottom half of the glass window, shattering it into pieces. Amy watched the glass shard rain down on the hibiscus bushes outside.
"Did you hear that?" Jay said as he had just finished helping Scott get the hefty gym bag out of the library room. Jay and Scott were now in the living room, hauling the bag along the smooth carpet.
"Just forget it and let get out of here!" Scott said as they managed to get out of the living room and saw how close they were to getting out of the house.
THREE, TWO, ONE
Nathan placed the robe ladder outside the windowsill and let go of it as it unwind downwardly. Amy was about to pass through the open window when Nathan and Rachel saw a metal board from the top of the window promptly coming down. Nathan and Rachel pulled Amy from the window in the nick of time as the metal board sealed it completely. Meanwhile, at the foyer of the house, Jay was about to touch the doorknob of the main door when the metal board from the top of the door plummeted down in front of him. He backed away in time, almost getting crushed. The door was completely covered with the metal board. There was no way they could open it. Jay banged it in anger while Scott cursed, kicking the hefty gym bag with his right leg and then screamed in pain, hopping on one leg.
"No! No! No! This is not happening!" Jay said, both his palms at the temple of his head, ignoring Scott's protests of pain at his right foot. Then they heard a thud sound from upstairs. Both of their heads simultaneously tilted at the stairs, wondering what it was.
"Go check that out first," Scott demanded at Jay, "while I get the rest of the money in the bag. I might as well try now." By himself, Scott carried his bag, heading straight to the library room.
"Did you hear that? They're coming to get us," Nathan whispered to Rachel who looked really worried.
"We need to hide somewhere," Rachel whispered back and saw Amy wore a terrified look on her face. She clung onto her brother. They were still at the end of the second landing beside the sealed window. Rachel noticed a door by her right side. Footsteps thumped softly against the carpeted stairs but to Rachel they never sounded so loud in her life. Her heart raced once again. Rachel reached for the doorknob of the door.
"No," Nathan mouthed to her. "That's the gym room—Not a good place."
"Where then?" Rachel said irritated. Rachel thought they didn't have much time as it sounded like whoever it was is about to arrive at the second landing. Nathan motioned to his bedroom and without thinking about it they all raced toward that direction. Rachel gently closed the door and rotated to face the room. Rachel pondered on where to hide and her sight caught Nathan's closet. The closet isn't the best place to hide according to Rachel but now hearing the footsteps at the hallway left her without a choice. In a split second Nathan and Amy dove underneath the bed when the door burst open.
Stream of the downstairs light forced its way into the dim room and in front of it was Jay. The teenager stood there disinterested in checking the room. He took one step into the room, glancing at the wall and as if he didn't have the time to check the scenery, headed straight to the bed. It was empty. He tossed the blanket onto the floor for no reason.
Nathan and Amy gazed at his boots marching around the bed. Nathan wrapped his arms around his sister's shoulders as they prayed he wouldn't see them. Meanwhile, inside the somewhat crammed closet, Rachel watched Jay through the jalousie stepping away from the bed. Jay's sight was now at the closet, as he marched straight toward it. With every step he took, Rachel's heart beat twice as fast. Several thoughts came to her at once. What was she going to do when he opens the closet? How is she going to defend herself? What would happen to the kids if she's killed?
No... Don't think that, Rachel thought to herself, but how could I possibly hide without him seeing me? She felt vulnerable at her hiding spot. Her eyes bulged behind the jalousie as he approached slowly toward the closet like he knew she was there yet savoring this moment. He was about to touch the doorknob of the closet when a stifled sneeze sounded from somewhere on the floor. Jay veered and cautiously footed back to the bed, this time lowering his head to see what was underneath it.
Nathan and Amy stood as still and as quiet as a statue, hoping he misheard Amy's sneeze. They both closed their eyes, in a prayerful manner, as they clung onto each other. In Nathan and Amy's mind, their eyes being close somehow made them invisible for him to see them.
"What the..." Jay said once he caught a glance of the children but before he could finish what he was about to say, Amy gave a terrifying scream and Nathan tried to protect her. Jay reached for them and at first he missed because they both moved farther to the right side but the second attempt, he got Nathan's arm as he violently dragged him out from under the bed. Amy held a tight grip on her brother as she cried. Jay somehow summoned the strength to hold on to the struggling Nathan. Amy was almost out as she maintained her grip on her brother's right leg. Jay's face shot an angry gaze at him. Nathan has never felt so afraid in his life, was this guy going to kill him and his sister? He was about to straighten up when the closet door burst open. Rachel held something in both of her hands. She looked scared, but she mustered the courage to hit Jay's back twice with a baseball bat. He fell unconscious to the ground, letting go of Nathan. Rachel dropped the bat; eyes wide open about her spontaneous attack. She'd never hit anybody like that before. She remained at a standstill, shocked.
"Are you okay?" She said after she snapped out of her shock and looked at the children. She hurried toward Nathan who slowly got up from the floor.
"I'm fine," he replied. Rachel turned to Amy who was sobbing. Rachel gave her a motherly hug and tried her best to calm her down. Rachel, herself, was also scared but seeing Amy cry, forced her to put on a brave face. They don't need a feeble adult to look after them.
"We have to get out of this room." Rachel said after letting go of Amy and glaring at the motionless body of Jay. Nathan led the way. He peeked out from the open door. Rachel seized the bat from the ground and held it with her right hand while the other hand took Amy's soft hand.
"There's no one in the hallway." Nathan swerved toward Rachel and Amy.
"Where can we be safe?" Rachel asked. She didn't know the area of the house as well as she should.
"My God, why didn't I think of this earlier?" Nathan said.
"What!" Rachel replied.
"The entertainment room, that's a safe place!" Nathan said. "I think it even has a phone."
"Let's go," Rachel said in an urgent manner. He checked again before they all went out of the room. Rachel and Amy followed behind him. The entertainment room was on the other side of the landing, and they had to pass the threshold of the upstairs to get there. They tiptoed and stared at the stairs, hoping the other person wouldn't storm up them. They also glanced back to Nathan's room door, hoping Jay wouldn't wake up and come after them. Their mingled shadows elongated against the milky-white wall. Each step brought a quiet tension. The worst case scenario, Rachel thought, would be for the other guy trapping them upstairs while Jay assailed them from Nathan's room. This very thought got her heart beating against her chest. She knew they were all in a very vulnerable spot.
"Ouch!" Amy muttered. Rachel realized she squeezed Amy's little hand a bit too tight.
"Sorry," Rachel whispered back. All this tension made her forgot that she still held onto Amy's small hand. As soon as she apologized, they heard thudding noises coming from the start of the stairs. Rachel scarily turned back at Nathan's door, hoping her nightmare wasn't coming true but it remained closed—no one came out of it. But there's still the matter of someone approaching them from the stairs. Rachel saw a top, low-cut haired head of a stranger bobbing into her view from landing. Soon a face of a young, angry man was seen as he shouted, "Jay, what's the hold up?"
It was too late; Rachel knew they couldn't make it to the entertainment room in time. Also, it wasn't wise to go back to Nathan's room so she proceeded to the closest door that she saw. It was opposite from the wall their back propped against. She dragged Nathan and Amy and immediately opened the door across from them and rushed inside.
"Press the button," Nathan said to her, pointing at something. A round-reddish button jutted out of the wall, beside the door. Rachel didn't think twice. With the palm of the hand, she slammed the button. A thin metal-board from the top of the door slid down, locking the door but bared the doorknob.
***
Scott reached the second landing and heard a loud sound by his left side. He went toward the door and twisted the crystal doorknob but it wouldn't let him in. With several violent attempts, the door maintained its stand. Furious, he let go of it and remembered what room Jay entered into as he strolled across the hallway and into Nathan's Bedroom. At the doorway, he groped for the light switch and flipped it up. The brightness made him squeeze his eyes at first but he soon got use to it. Various sport posters plastered his wall. One of the posters that captured Scott's attention was the one with the footballer along with sentence, "Champions aren't born. They are made." On top of the bamboo dresser stood sporting trophies, the gaudy, gold trophies varied from soccer and football to basketball and baseball. The mirror on top of the dresser reflected the trophies; making it seemed Nathan won twice as many. But overall the display told anyone that this kid is a super kid or extraordinary, definitely not average.
Something from the ground caught Scott's sight and he shifted his attention toward it. Taken aback, he noticed Jay, lying motionless on the carpet floor. Then he noticed slight movement of his arm, a feeble effort to get himself back up.
"Man, what are you doing?" Scott said angrily. Scott saw that the closet's doors opened fully to reveal a gap between the thick-load of clothes inside. At the bottom of the clothes were disorganized shoes and sport equipments.
"I just got hit man, what do you think?" he said sluggishly, wearily getting himself up.
"By who? I thought you said no one else was at her house," Scott said.
"I thought so too, she told me over the phone that her parents were going on a weekend trip, and I assumed that it included their kids." he said shaking off the pain he felt from his back.
"Man, a kid knocked you out?" Scott said and started to laugh.
Jay scorned at Scott but then he wore a puzzling look on his face, he recalled seeing both the kids below the bed.
"Wait a minute, both of them were under the bed." he said loudly to himself.
"What do you mean, man? Did that kid knock some of your common sense out too?" Scott snickered.
"Man, someone else is in this house!" Jay said then felt a little scared.
"Man, you're crazy, now stop your nonsense and let's get out of here!"
Jay and Scott went out of the room and were on the hallway when Scott remembered the locked room. Scott went at the door again, Jay behind him. Scott twisted and jerked the crystal doorknob but it didn't open. Jay tried as well.
"Those damn kids are probably in the room," Scott said. "They might know how to get us out of the house."
Jay, with a brilliant look on his face, replied, "I know exactly how to get it open."
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