Part 126
The morning began like every other.
The soft sound of a kettle in the kitchen. Aura humming faintly down the hall. A locked door and the weight of routine pressing in on him like a second skin.
But today, something was different.
When she'd gone outside to collect the mail, Adrian had caught a sound — faint at first, then clearer: the hum of an engine idling too long at the corner. He stepped closer to the window, just far enough to peer through the smallest gap in the curtains.
Two men stood by the fence.
Not neighbors.
Uniforms.
Adrian's heart kicked hard in his chest.
He backed away before Aura could come in, forcing his breathing to steady. For weeks he had waited — sending quiet, coded messages through scraps of paper, humming a tune into the walls when he thought the cameras might pick up sound from the outside.
He hadn't known if any of it would reach anyone.
But now—
They'd found him.
He sat down quickly, forcing a calm expression as Aura entered with his tea. She smiled, distracted, setting the tray on the table.
"Good morning," she said lightly, brushing a bit of dust from his sleeve. "You slept well, didn't you?"
He nodded, his pulse still drumming behind his ribs.
"Yeah," he managed. "Better than before."
She looked pleased, turning to adjust the curtains — and Adrian saw it again.
A flicker of movement between the slats.
Someone watching the house.
He swallowed.
This was it.
The first sliver of freedom was just beyond that door.
Aura's voice floated somewhere far away. She was talking about breakfast, about how peaceful the neighborhood had become, how safe it was here. But all Adrian could hear was the faint crackle of a radio outside and the low murmur of someone saying his name.
He closed his eyes.
They knew.
They were here for him.
He just had to survive until they came through the door.