Chapter 5: The Glass Screen in the Dark
Clara didn't reach for the keys on her belt. Instead, her left hand dropped into the pocket of her black dress and came out with a slim, dark rectangle of glass. The screen flared to life, casting a cold blue light across her sharp cheekbones and the pale bridge of her nose. Her thumb moved rapidly across the surface, swiping through notifications that popped up in rapid succession—red warning banners, small thumbnail images from security cameras mounted on the perimeter fence, and scrolling blocks of red text. A low, electronic chime began to pulse from the phone’s speaker, soft at first, then repeating every three seconds like a heartbeat. Julian stopped his advance, his hand hovering an inch from the cold iron of the cage bars. He watched her eyes track the text, saw the tiny muscles around her mouth tighten until her lips parted in a silent, jagged gasp. The horror on her face wasn't theatrical; it was the quiet, hollow realization of a trap snapping shut on the person who set it. "Lock all exits," Clara whispered, her voice losing its edge, dropping into a breathless rattle as she stared at a fresh thumbnail of a black SUV idling at the end of the long gravel drive upstairs. "No one is allowed to leave."
