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The lights that lined the walkway were off.
They shouldn’t have been.
Even if there was a power outage, I had backup systems in place in the house.
I looked at each of the lights, decorative, but also installed with cameras to record anyone who might come and go.
And all were off.
I looked at the front door, narrowing in on the light.
A light that was on, but I somehow knew that the attached camera was not.
My instinct was to rush inside, and Amethyst took a step, probably about to do just that.
I tightened my grip on her hand, then looked at her.
Her eyes were pleading, but she didn’t speak.
I didn’t either.
Instead, I went on instinct, and it was telling me that something was very wrong.
Usually, we went through the front of the house.
This time, with Amethyst’s hand clasped in mine, I walked to the end of the street, then down the alley that ran in the back.
The house had a small garden, but the wall didn’t have a door.
I scaled it quickly, then reached for Amethyst and pulled her over.
I didn’t know what I was walking into, didn’t want to take her with me.
But I was even less willing to leave her behind.
“Keep your eyes open. Stay quiet, and stay behind me,” I said to her.
She nodded quickly, her eyes wide with panic, but I could see she was fighting to keep it at bay.
I squeezed her hand, telling her without words to trust me, and then I moved.
The garden had a small gravel and stone walkway, and I went up quickly, pleased that we didn’t make a sound.
The cameras installed in the back were also off, though I could see lights on in the house.
I turned the doorknob, cursing when the door opened with no resistance.
The locks weren’t engaged.
Yet another indication that something was terribly wrong.
The security systems and redundancies were different from the lighting in the house.
And someone had been smart enough to figure that out.
I knew that, knew it wasn’t a question that someone had been here.
The real question was what awaited me inside.
