Powering OFF

8

Survival Mode
——-
After the voice resounds through my entire house, something worse follows. The most powerful siren, alarm, whatever it is, attacks my ears with the utmost intensity.

It's too loud to even process. I quickly cover my ears and pray that my hearing isn't damaged.

At the same time as the siren going off, all of my lights turn off at once.

My sight is limited to only three or four items that the evening sunlight hits from outside of the patio doors.

I have to call someone, but my phone is in my room. Upstairs.

My phone hasn't been charged in a while. I'm hoping it has enough juice to at least toggle the flashlight for a few minutes.

If any more time is wasted, it's going to be pitch-black inside of the house, creating a playground for my anxiety.

I crawl up each step individually, moving my hands up the railing for support.

The first thing I do after entering my room is open the blinds so the little bit of sunlight there could come through the window. This dreadful feeling is overpowering the pain in my back and head.

My phone is still on the nightstand. Just my luck, it's at 7%. Placing the phone back down, my hands hop from one item to another until they stop on the 3ft cord plugged into the outlet.

My fingers follow the direction of the cord that leads to the USB connector. I pick my phone up and force the plug inside.

No response. It isn't lighting up nor making any sounds. No power.

I try to dial the police.

The call isn't going through. Not even a single ring. I double-check the screen. In the top corner, the words read "out of range."

My WiFi network name is nowhere to be found. I let out a stifled sob as tears form in my eyes.

But, right as I wipe my cheek, all of the lights in the house turn back on.

The phone, still in my hand, buzzes and a notification pops up saying my signal has been restored. It also shows the lightning bar at the edge of the screen which tells me the phone is now charging at 8%.

A little shaken from what just happened, I get up off of the bed carefully and return downstairs.

On the last step, it dawns on me. There are no speakers in my home; Bluetooth, nor corded.

While I remember the man telling me that an audio system was hooked up to the control panel and the decoy doorbell outside, he never mentioned sound being able to flood the entire house.

And what happened to the yard sign that he told me he would return a month ago?

So many questions popped into my mind, but I couldn't think clearly. Which reminds me, I need to hurry up and get my medicine.

Once again, I head to the door to get to the pharmacy.

Turning the handle this time, the locks all turn clockwise. Then, the same insanely loud voice blasts, followed by the lights shutting off and the siren.

I panic and shakily hold my hands over my ears. "Not again!" I yell.

I turn toward the coat rack near the front door and feel for my noise-canceling earbuds in my jacket pocket. They fall on the floor.

When I reach down to pick them up, my foot lands directly on the earpieces, causing them to separate by the wire. Shit!

I'm moving too fast. Now the only thing that could protect my ears from this screeching sound is broken. I gave my other pair of earbuds to Leah last year. I'm left with nothing.

The ringing seems to last longer than last time. But now I was able to tell where some of it was coming from.

I turn around, hands still clinging to my ears, and look at the smoke alarm above my head.

There it is. One of the answers to my questions. The smoke alarms are rigged. How did the man manage to slip this past me?

Five minutes went by before the alarm stopped. I have a strong feeling in my gut that this is not the last time it will happen.

It feels like it's getting hotter in here. It can't be a fever, I've made sure to wear double layers when going outside.

The thermostat. There's a part of me that's terrified of checking that screen. I must do it anyway.

This time...it says 83° Fahrenheit. It's gone up just a little.

As crazy as it seems, I may need a game plan. There's no way of telling how long this might go on.

How will I make it stop?

***

After dealing with this cursed security system for a month, I've come to the conclusion that I must stay in one spot.

Since the ladder's in my shed, which is outside, I can no longer do what I originally planned, which was to break the smoke alarms with a hammer.

My food supply is running out. The outage affected the refrigerator's power, so everything in it has rotten away.

If I damage the control panel, there could be a possibility that I'm never going to be able to leave the house again.

I can't even go downstairs without triggering something. The control panel must have a secret built-in motion sensor.

My bedroom floor is piled with everything I could salvage from the kitchen; water, bread, crackers, cereal, and a couple of snacks that will last me for a while.

Every window in the house has that 'smart lock,' preventing anyone from getting in. Preventing me from getting out.

I spend most of my time sitting here in my room, fantasizing about an escape plan to actually go through with.

Most of my strength has been wasted on trying to get help from a neighbor, or from a random stranger walking down the street.

No one can hear me, no matter how hard I bang on the glass. I scream to the top of my weakened lungs. Nothing. I'm just wasting my breath.

The car alarm? I've already tried that. Apparently, it's not loud enough to catch anyone's attention. It's something that I still can't wrap my head around.

There's a tiny sliver of hope that I'm clinging on to. It's only a matter of time before my parents, or Leah, come to rescue me.

They'll have to realize at some point, right? That they haven't heard from me?

They'll get worried. I have an illness for goodness sake, they've always been worried about me. Why wouldn't they be now?

But, it turns out that I was wrong. No one has come to check on me. I will be stuck in this house forever.