“Okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling despite every effort at composure. “We are leaving immediately, and you are going to stay very close to me.”
I moved through the house with mechanical precision born from panic held tightly beneath the surface, gathering my purse, identification documents, spare cash, and Sadie’s backpack while resisting the paralyzing urge to overthink possibilities that threatened to consume precious seconds.
Sadie hovered near the front door, her breathing shallow and rapid, repeatedly whispering for me to hurry, and the urgency radiating from her small frame propelled me forward with escalating dread tightening relentlessly around my chest.
I reached for the doorknob.
Then a sharp metallic click echoed through the entryway, startling both of us into stunned silence, because the deadbolt above the handle slid firmly into place without human touch, a mechanical decision executed remotely with chilling finality.
My pulse surged violently.