Chapter 2 - The Blackout
The men in tactical gear did not identify themselves.
They moved with military precision, fanning out across the station lobby.
Captain Landry did not draw his weapon.
None of his officers even reached for their holsters.
I realized instantly that this was a coordinated effort.
I grabbed my mother by her uninjured arm and pulled her behind a concrete pillar.
“Keep your head down and do not make a sound,” I whispered to her.
The lights in the station suddenly flickered and died.
The backup generators had been intentionally disabled.
Total darkness consumed the room, followed by the sound of a scuffle.
I heard heavy boots moving across the tile floor toward the evidence room.
They were not here to kill us.
They were here to steal something before my federal lockdown could take effect.
I drew my concealed service weapon from my ankle holster.
I crept around the pillar, using the faint moonlight coming through the front windows.
I saw the silhouette of Arthur standing perfectly still in the center of the room.
He wasn't protecting his wife anymore.
He was pointing a flashlight directly at the evidence room door.
He was guiding the mercenaries.
I raised my weapon and ordered everyone to freeze.
One of the tactical men turned and fired a suppressed shot into the ceiling.
Concrete dust rained down on my shoulders as I ducked for cover.
When the emergency lights finally flickered back on a minute later, the lobby was empty.
The mercenaries were gone.
Brooke was gone.
Arthur was sitting on the floor, bleeding from a superficial cut on his forehead.
Captain Landry was already on his radio, falsely reporting a robbery by unknown assailants.
I ran to the evidence room and looked inside.
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Every single shelf was untouched, except for one lockbox in the corner.
The lockbox had my mother's maiden name written across the top in fresh black marker.
