“Quick! Call your brother and tell him to come back immediately!” Marianne urged, her voice shaking.
I remained silent, eyes fixed on the door barely blocked by the wardrobe.
With trembling fingers, I dialed 911, briefly explaining our situation and address.
I couldn’t trust James to be our first line of rescue, especially since in my previous life, he had returned too late, causing my mother to miss the critical treatment window and die.
After hanging up, my heart sank.
Recent heavy snowfall had blocked the roads, and our hillside estate was quite a distance from the nearest police station.
I dreaded to imagine what might happen before the police arrived…
“BANG!” A violent crash shook the door. I instinctively pressed my body against the wardrobe as fear rushed through me.
Just then, Marianne’s call to James connected.
“James, come home quickly, there are… there are intruders in the house!” Marianne’s voice broke with tears.
James’s impatient voice came through the speaker, “Come on, Mom, stop making things up. I’m still waiting for the meteor shower with Michelle. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’m not lying! There really are intruders! Come back quickly, or you’ll be collecting our bodies!” Marianne practically screamed.
James’s tone grew even colder, “I know you don’t like Michelle, but there’s no need to make up such stories to scare me.”
