With only one window at either end of the hall and an overcast sky outside, it left us with so little light, I couldn’t make out anyone’s features.
I reminded myself to check the batteries in my torches when I got home.
A beat later, the sconces lit up again, and Owen frowned, tapping one of them as if it might hold all the answers.
“Better get moving in case the power goes off for good,” Tim said.
We kept the noise to a minimum and jogged down the remaining two flights, stopping on the ground floor to regroup.
Dustin’s apartment sat on the opposite side of the foyer, with a set of burgundy armchairs and a coffee table in the space in between. Rain slid down the double glass doors at the building’s front and rear entries, and a rumble of thunder stirred overhead.
“Don’t make a sound,” Owen murmured. “If he figures out what’s going on, we’ll have to kick his door down.”
“That might be fun, too,” Laura whispered back.
It took us a matter of seconds to get into position, Tim and Owen with their backs against the wall on the right side of the door, and me on the left. My heart pumped harder, and I strained my ears for sounds coming from inside.
Laura stood in front of the peephole and knocked.
My shoulders tensed as footsteps came closer, the rhythmic click-clack telling me Dustin wore formal shoes even at home.
Tension hung in the air. Dead silence surrounded us. So many people had walked through the foyer and halls over the years. Now we were down to bare bones, with a collection of memories and a common enemy between us.
A soft thud came from inside. Kerger must have been leaning in to check the peephole. Fucker had no idea he was about to lose the last of his power.
A beat later, the door opened, and before he could say a word, Owen rushed him and pushed him straight back inside.
“What are you doing?” Dustin’s arms flailed as he tried to regain his balance, but Owen grabbed his shirtfront and took control. “You can’t just force your way in here like this!” he shouted. “Who do you think you are?”
The rest of us filed in behind him and gathered in the living room, too many people crammed into a small space.
“Shut up,” Tim said as he kicked the door shut.
Owen dragged Kerger over to a black leather armchair and forced him to sit.“Stay calm,” he said, “and we’ll be gone from here in no time.”
Confident he had him under control, I stood with Laura and took in Dustin’s apartment.
The lamp on the side table eased the darkness of the morning, the light in the adjoining kitchen showcasing a clinical space so clean and white, it could have doubled as an operating theatre. The place was completely void of personality, with every surface pristine and polished, every object intentionally placed. A neat stack of books on the coffee table, a protective covering on the headrest of the armchair. If I moved something even a centimetre from its original position, he’d know.
Adrenaline pumped through me as my gaze moved to the far wall.
Instead of an entertainment unit and a TV like the rest of us, Dustin had an elaborate tech set-up. A high-backed office chair sat in front of a desk hosting a collection of monitors, where black and white images moved on the screens.
I paid closer attention, my grip tightening on the maul handle.
It took me a few seconds to register what I was seeing, and when it hit home, I froze.
Every area of the building was being monitored. The halls. The foyer. Our lounge rooms.
Even a freaky little shit like Kerger hadsomeboundaries. As far as I could tell, there were no bedrooms or bathrooms.
My pulse sped as I followed the images, and the urge came over me to fling the maul straight at his head.
“Is that... is that our lounge room?” The disbelief in Laura’s voice mirrored my own thoughts.She crept over as if afraid of discovering the truth, then bent at the waist and checked the screen.
I stared at the empty rooftop on one monitor, then at my couch, where Sadie was doubled over, coughing.
“Motherfucker,” I said, my voice a whisper.
