"Check on mom, quick!" April exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest.
Kyle, her younger brother, immediately switched to their parents' room where they had set up a camera feed to monitor their mother. She had been ill and bedridden for weeks now, and with their father out of town on a business trip, it was up to them to take care of her. As Kyle switched the camera feed, their eyes widened in horror. The stranger had entered the master bedroom, casually browsing through the drawers as if he owned the place.
"What is he looking for?" April enquired, fear lacing her voice.
"It looks like...Mom's pills?" Kyle remarked, his voice trembling.
The intruder pulled out a bottle filled with the pills and tossed them aside, his gaze fixated on a small treasure box hidden within the room. It was a family heirloom, filled with sentimental value but of little monetary worth.
"Ahhh!" let out Kyle, his voice a mixture of shock and fear.
"What?" April asked, her eyes glued to the live feed.
"Look at the screen!" Kyle pointed urgently.
April's eyes followed his finger, and her heart sank as she read the note displayed on the monitor.
**** "In case you were wondering, my name is Jake, and I came for your special item." ****
"What the hell is he talking about?" April questioned, her mind racing to understand the situation unfolding before her eyes. That same question kept coming to mind, but she didn't understand anything.
"Uhh, I think we have a bigger problem," Kyle finally managed to say, breaking the tension that hung heavy in the air.
Just as he spoke, the blaring sound of the house alarms filled their ears, sending shivers down their spines.
"What is going on?" April said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Looking worried, Kyle exclaimed, "I think the automatic house protectors are no longer online!"
"But how did he do it?" April questioned, her mind racing for answers.
"Simple, he cut the power," Kyle explained.
"But our lights haven't gone..." April was unable to finish her sentence before the electricity was abruptly cut off, plunging the house into darkness.
"Aren't we supposed to be trying to stop someone?" Kyle retorted sarcastically.
"Oh, yeah!" April snapped back, determination replacing her momentary confusion.
With a swift motion, Kyle closed his necklace system. April, on the other hand, utilized her unique power to conjure a fireball, casting an eerie glow across the room.
"This ought to solve it," April said, her voice laced with relief as she held the fireball steady.
"All right, we need to locate the power circuit so that I can power it back up," Kyle remarked, his mind already strategizing.
As they made their way through the dimly lit corridors of their home, a realization struck April. The Red Flame was a power unique to her family, passed down through generations. How did this mysterious man come into possession of her family's sacred power? "No, I can't be thinking of that right now, " she thought, pushing those questions to the back of her mind. They moved slowly through the darkened house, their hearts pounding with each step.
***CRASH!!!***
Their hearts skipped a beat as the sound echoed through the silent house.
Exasperated, April exclaimed, "Not again!! Are we ever going to catch a break?"
Her frustration and worry increased as they prepared to face the unknown and protect their family.