The screeching of the fire alarm stopped, and I was just reaching for the doorknob to the front door, when Theo shouted from behind me. “DO NOT OPEN THAT DOOR.”
Turning I saw that he and Cobb were stomping down the hallway with their guns drawn.
I was confused as they pushed me behind them and pointed their guns at the door. “What are you going to do with those? Shoot the fire?” I asked irritatedly as I held up the fire extinguisher, “you might want this instead.”
Theo shook his head, “No. I checked the camera for the elevator entrance, and we don’t know what’s out there.” He held his cellphone out to me.
What the hell did he mean by that?I looked at the screen and it was an uneven black color. The words “ENTRY HALL” were in the top corner of the screen.
“I don’t understand....” I flipped between cameras, and the rest of the house was dim and quiet. When I flipped to the living room camera I saw that Tibby and Aria were coming down the stairs, wrapped in robes. “Is the camera in the entryway broken?”
Cobb answered my question with a shake of his head, “look at how uneven the black is. That’s what happens when a camera gets spray painted over.”
The implications of his words sunk in quickly. Someone was outside and had made it so that we were blind to what was happening. Using my thumb, I scrubbed the video back until I could see the entryway again. The entrance to our apartment was dimmed during the nighttime, with the sconces on the wall spreading a golden light throughout the small room.
The light on the elevator turned on, and a person clad fully in black clothing stepped out with a duffel bag in one hand. Theo and Cobb stared at the phone over my shoulder as the figure pulled out a can of spray paint and stepped in close to the camera. Tingles of fear spread across my body as I realized that he was wearing a white full-face mask underneath his dark hoodie. We only saw that image for a moment before he sprayed the black paint onto the camera, effectively blinding us.
“Backup is on the way.” Cobb said as he continued to point his gun at the door, “but we don’t open that door until I get the all clear.”
“Theo?” Tibby’s small voice came from the end of the hallway where she stood with Aria, their hands intertwined together. They had no idea what was happening, but I could see the fear on the omega’s face.
“Aria, get her upstairs.” Theo ordered, panicked at even the thought of the omega being in danger. He turned to Cobb, “how far out is backup?”
“Two minutes,” the beta replied after checking his phone again.
“Matteo. Get her away from the door.” Theo’s order was so serious that I complied immediately. Rubbing my hands on Tibby’s shoulders, I gently turned her back towards the dining room, “come on Tibby-ribby.” I said, putting a false note of brightness into my tone as Aria and I led her into the living room. “Let’s give them some space.”
“Are we safe?” She asked, her voice cracking as we brought her into the kitchen and Aria immediately filled a glass with water and offered it to Tibby.
“Of course we are. Theo and I have this placed locked up tight, like Fort Knox. Drink.” She gently ordered and the omega robotically drained the glass.
We sat for another few minutes until a shout of: “FBI!” Could be heard on the other side of the front door.
Then, Theo began to cuss a blue streak, and I knew that whatever was on the other side of the door was worse than we could even imagine.
CHAPTER 35
