Chapter 10 - The Ringing Landline
The landline phone mounted on the kitchen wall buzzed with an archaic, shrill frequency that felt entirely out of place in the modern apartment. Nobody moved for three terrifying seconds. The television in the background continued to broadcast low-murmuring emergency reports about the waterfront warehouse incident, but the sound of the phone completely dominated the room. Clara stared at the white plastic receiver as if it were a venomous insect, her whole body shaking violently under the pink sweater. Arthur finally stepped forward, his heavy gray pants brushing against the counter as he reached out a trembling hand and lifted the receiver off its cradle.
“Hello?”
Arthur rasped, his voice tight with defensive apprehension.
There was a long, agonizing pause on the other end of the line, filled only with heavy, static breathing and the faint sound of city traffic in the background. Then, a voice spoke—not a gruff loan shark, not Detective Vance, but someone whose voice Arthur hadn't heard in weeks, someone who had triggered this entire nightmare.
“Dad?”
Page’s voice came through the speaker, sounding remarkably calm, detached, and utterly chilling.
“Thank God you answered. Listen to me very carefully; you need to pack a bag and leave the apartment immediately.”
Arthur’s grip on the receiver tightened so hard his knuckles turned white. A hot wave of fury surged through his frail frame, overriding his fear for the very first time in his life.
“Page?”
Arthur shouted into the mouthpiece, his voice echoing off the walls.
“Where the hell are you? You sent thugs to our home! You forged our signatures on a fraudulent collateral agreement, and right now, Ethan is in critical condition at the hospital because of your crimes!”
In the living room, Maya froze mid-step, her eyes widening in horror as she heard her father’s furious accusations. She rushed over to the kitchen counter, instinctively reaching for the secondary receiver to listen in on the conversation. Clara scrambled up from the sofa, clutching her chest as she pressed close to Arthur, straining to hear every single word her eldest daughter was saying.
“Dad, stop being dramatic,”
Page replied coldly, her tone devoid of any remorse whatsoever.
“I didn’t ask those men to go to your apartment. That was their own initiative because they’re desperate to find the offshore keys. But if you stay in that building for even one more hour, you won’t have to worry about the mortgage, because the entire place is going down.”
Maya snatched the secondary receiver out of the cradle, her voice cutting through the line with razor-sharp intensity.
“What are you talking about, Page? What did you do?”
Page let out a low, mocking laugh on the other end of the line, a sound so utterly devoid of humanity that it made Maya’s stomach churn.
“I didn’t do anything, little sister. But the syndicate installed a thermal demolition charge in the basement electrical main of your apartment complex yesterday as insurance. It’s set to detonate at noon today if they don’t get the decryption keys. You have less than twenty minutes to get out.”
The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving a harsh dial tone buzzing in their ears. Arthur dropped the receiver, the plastic clattering heavily against the wall before dangling loosely by its twisted cord. For a second, nobody breathed. The reality of the threat hung in the air, heavier than any physical weight. Maya looked at her watch; glowing digital numbers flashed 11:41 AM. They had less than twenty minutes to evacuate the entire building, save her family, and figure out how to survive a catastrophe engineered entirely by the sister they had spent their entire lives protecting. Maya grabbed her jacket, her eyes blazing with absolute fury and adrenaline as she looked at her terrified parents and sister.
“Move!”
Maya screamed, grabbing Clara by the arm.
May you like
“We are getting out of this building right now!”
---
