As dusk crept in, the house sank into a cool darkness, a tangible reminder of the isolation and secrecy that now enveloped my life. Luke's warnings echoed in my mind, a long series of text messages cautioning me against turning on anything that might hint at someone being home, including the heat pump. Despite the growing chill and my multiple temptations to succumb to the desire for warmth, I had resisted. Instead, I found a different kind of warmth in a glass of my favourite shiraz. Well, several glasses actually, I admitted to myself, draining the last dregs and placing the glass on the kitchen's island bench. Goosebumps crawled up my bare forearms as the temperature dropped, prompting me to grab my jacket from the chair beside me and quickly pull it on.

Luke had been absent all afternoon, and my patience was wearing thin. The uncertainty and the waiting were taking their toll, each passing minute stretching out endlessly. I reached for my handbag sitting on the chair, preparing to leave for a walk for some fresh air, but then my gaze landed on the empty wine glass. "Okay," I whispered to it, almost as if it were a companion in my solitude. I set the bag aside and unscrewed the cap of the wine bottle. "Just a little bit more before I go."

As I poured the wine, the red liquid sloshed gently in the glass. It's going to be a cold walk anyway, I thought, sighing softly. Each sip of the shiraz offered a brief escape, a momentary respite from the harsh reality awaiting me outside.

Tucking the half-drunk bottle of shiraz into my handbag, I moved towards the front door, taking another drink of wine as I walked. The house felt increasingly empty with each passing day, a stark reminder of the upheaval in our lives. Luke will never miss the glass, I reasoned with myself, mentally rearranging the contents of my bag. There's plenty of room for a glass.

My hand reached out for the front door handle, but I abruptly paused, frozen in place. A soft footstep on the front porch had caught my attention. My heart started to race as I stared intently at the door, every sense heightened. No Guardian would be at the front door, I told myself, as the panic rose sharply. They'd just appear randomly through a wall!

Quietly, I took another step towards the door, straining my ears for any further sounds. The silence that followed was almost deafening. Must have misheard, I thought, feeling the tension gradually leave my shoulders. The fear of being discovered, of having the police or someone else unexpected on the doorstep, was a constant source of anxiety.

A dark shadow passed across the peephole, sending a jolt of fear through me. Shit, I thought silently, my body tensing up once more. There really is someone there. Despite the obvious risks, my stubborn curiosity overrode my sense of caution. Taking a small, steadying sip of wine, I edged closer to the door. My brow furrowed in concentration as I shut one eye and pressed the other against the peephole for a clearer view.

My heart skipped a beat as I recognised the figure outside. I withdrew abruptly from the peephole, my eyes widening in surprise. Karl? The thought raced through my mind. I pressed against the peephole again for a second look, confirming my initial shock. Shit! Detective Karl Jenkins! My mind hissed internally. What the hell is he doing here!? And why the hell is he dressed in all black rather than in uniform?

This is no official visit, I realised with a sinking feeling as I slowly backed away from the door. Each careful step took me further into the safety of the house, yet my eyes remained nervously fixated on the front door. Is he going to knock? I wondered, the anticipation making my heart race.

The silence that followed only intensified my anxiety, covering my arms in cold goosebumps. My feet stumbled slightly as they transitioned from the tiles to the carpeted living room, but I managed to quietly steady myself. My handbag slipped off my shoulder, hitting the crook of my elbow, causing me to wince as I hastily readjusted it.

Unsure of Detective Jenkins' intentions and not prepared to confront him, especially given his unusual attire, I dashed across the living room. My footsteps were muffled by the soft carpet, offering me a silent retreat. Reaching the doorway that led to the stairs descending to the downstairs room, I paused, hidden from the view of the living room. I peeked around the doorframe, unsure what to expect. Karl wouldn't break-in, would he?

Startled by the sudden, loud ringing of a mobile phone on the benchtop, I froze for a moment. I remembered seeing the phone earlier but had thought nothing of it then. Luke had been collecting personal belongings of those he had taken through the Portal – their phones and money were redundant in the new world. It wasn't uncommon for Luke to leave such items scattered around the house lately.

Initially paralysed by indecision, I stared at the phone, unsure who it belonged to. A part of me wanted to dash over and answer it, or at least make it stop ringing, but another part was apprehensive – would answering the phone attract Karl's attention? Before I could make a final decision, the ringing ceased, plunging the house back into a tense and eerie silence. I exhaled deeply, hoping against hope that Karl would leave.

However, my hopes were dashed almost instantly as the loud ringing resumed. Knowing I had to silence it, I dropped my handbag on the step and, with the wine glass still in my hand, rushed towards the kitchen bench. But as I neared it, the silhouette of a tall figure loomed at the kitchen window. Panic surged through me, and I instinctively dropped to the floor, sliding across the tiles to come to a stop, concealed behind the island bench. My breath caught in my throat, held tightly as the question thundered through my brain: Had I been quick enough? The throbbing at my temples intensified with the strain of the moment.

Lying there on the cold tile floor, hidden from view, I was acutely aware of every sound in the house, every creak and whisper. The possibility that Karl or someone else might have seen me dart across the kitchen was terrifying. I was in a vulnerable position, exposed and uncertain of what might happen next.

As the side gate rattled, a surge of fear rippled through me. It had to be Karl, I thought, jumping over it and into the backyard. "Shit!" I whispered under my breath, my lips finding the rim of the empty glass, a futile gesture of comfort in the face of rising panic.

Cautiously, I peered over the top of the island bench, confirming that the shadow that had loomed at the kitchen window was no longer there. My heart pounded in my chest as I half-crouched, leaning across the bench. My fingers inched towards the now-silent mobile phone, the desire to grab it almost overwhelming. But then, a sudden realisation struck me: The broken window! The thought came with a jolt of alarm. Did Karl know about it? Yet, he was dressed in all black, a detail that nagged at the back of my mind as I tried to drain every last drop from the wine glass.

If I take the phone, I debated internally, setting down the glass, Karl will know that someone is here. I couldn't risk exposing my presence. With a heavy heart, I left the phone untouched and darted back towards the stairs.

Then came a thump and the unmistakable sound of cracking glass. He's inside! The realisation sent a shiver down my spine. My options were rapidly narrowing. The only way left was down the stairs. I waited, my mind racing. I doubted Karl would intentionally hurt me, but what if I discovered him breaking the law? Would that change his intentions?

As Karl's footsteps echoed in the living room, an eerie silence enveloped the house. My breath was heavy in my ears, the only other sound being the rapid thumping of my heart. Paralysed with fear, I didn’t dare to move, not even an inch.

But then, something familiar caught my eye. The hairs on my arms stood on end, a sensation I had come to recognise. Looking down toward the bottom of the stairs, I saw the glow of Portal colours shining across the far wall. Help has arrived, I thought, a sigh of tense relief escaping me. But the question remained: was it Luke? Or Cody?

Without further hesitation, I gathered my bag and hurried down the stairs. In my haste, my feet moved too fast for the rest of my body, causing me to stumble on the final step. To my surprise, I found myself caught in the arms of Cody as he entered the stairwell.

"Gladys!" Cody's voice was sharp. "What are you doing here? And where's Luke?"

"There's an intruder. You need to get out of here," I whispered urgently, pushing him back towards the room he had emerged from. My mind was racing, fear and confusion mixing in equal measure.

Grabbing hold of my arm, Cody pulled me along with him as he retreated.

"Do you know who it is?" he whispered, opening the door to the small storage space under the staircase.

"It's Detective Karl Jenkins," I replied, the name feeling heavy on my tongue. I wasn't sure if Cody would recognise the name, but the seriousness of the situation was clear.

In the darkness of the house, Cody's silhouette pushed me toward the cramped closet under the stairs. I glared at him, disbelieving. Is he really expecting me to hide in there?

"Wait for me in here," Cody instructed, his voice low but firm. "I'll deal with Karl."

"What do you mean, 'deal with'?" The question escaped my lips before I could stop it, my heart skipping a beat in fear. The idea of Cody as a killer was something I had never contemplated, but the dangerous life of a Guardian – one of stealing, lying, and kidnapping – made such a notion frighteningly plausible. It was one of the reasons I feared becoming a Guardian myself. I knew it would change me, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that kind of transformation.

"Just keep quiet," Cody whispered, his hands gently but firmly guiding me into the small space.

Enveloped in the thick darkness of the storage space, I struggled to steady my rapid, heavy breathing. My body was tense, every muscle coiled tight with anxiety. What the hell is going on up there? The question echoed in my mind, a reflection of the chaos unfolding just beyond my hiding place.

The sounds of a struggle reverberated through the floor above me, each loud groan and grunt making me flinch. Although I couldn't see what was happening, my imagination painted a vivid picture – a chair being thrown across the room, the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor. Instinctively, I manoeuvred around the spare bricks and plastic crates filled with forgotten CDs and DVDs, pushing myself deeper into the cramped space. I had to almost fold myself in half to fit, clutching my handbag tightly against my pounding chest.

A heavy body hit the wall directly above me with a loud crack, causing me to duck reflexively. I heard two deep voices, their words muffled but their anger palpable as they thumped their way down the enclosed staircase.

"Fuck!" a deep voice whispered, close enough to send a chill down my spine. My heart sank as I recognised the voice – it was Detective Karl Jenkins. The sound of something heavy dragging across the carpet followed, a noise that was as unsettling as it was ominous. My eyes began to sting with unshed tears, and a wave of nausea swept over me as acidic bile burned my throat.

There was a brief pause, and then Karl hissed, "Shit, this isn't Luke Smith.”

Those words sent a surge of fear through me. If Karl had come looking for Luke, what did he intend to do? And what would happen to me now that I was caught in the middle of this situation? My thoughts raced, each more frightening than the last. The realisation that I was trapped in a potentially dangerous situation with a detective who was likely armed and possibly desperate was terrifying.

The acute shock of the situation sent waves of numbness through my body. Something terrible had happened to Cody; the panic in Karl's voice was unmistakable. My trembling hands flew to my mouth, muffling any inadvertent sound, as the door under the stairs creaked open.

A sliver of moonlight, struggling through the clouded night sky, weakly illuminated the open doorway. In the dim light, the harrowing sight of Cody's limp body being carelessly shoved into the cramped space sent shivers down my spine. His head was twisted at an unnatural angle, his eyes blank and lifeless, meeting mine in a haunting gaze. Pressing my hand even harder against my mouth, hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared into Cody's lifeless eyes from my hidden corner.

The door shut with a firm click, sealing us in darkness once again. The tight grip of panic on my chest began to ease slightly, but it was replaced by an uncontrollable shaking that wracked my entire body. Numb with an unquenchable pain, the tears dried on my face, leaving a burning sensation like lava trails on my skin.

I dared to reach out towards Cody's silent form in the darkness, but quickly recoiled, choking on tears that refused to be quelled by the intense emotional turmoil. The sudden sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs above sent another wave of terror through me. Has Karl returned? Had he somehow heard or seen me? Am I going to be his next victim? These questions plagued my mind, each one more unsettling than the last.

In the engulfing darkness, my hands frantically searched for anything that could be used as a weapon, a means of defence. But they found nothing, leaving me defenceless and vulnerable.

The door opened with a swift motion, jolting me. I gasped, struggling to catch my breath as I pressed my back further into the deepest corner of the small space. Bright moonlight streamed through, casting a harsh light across Cody's body as it unceremoniously fell through the doorway. The echo of a woman's voice, panicked and high-pitched, filled the room. My heart raced.

Silently, I gasped as I recognised Sarah's distinct frame. She struggled to shove Cody's heavy, unresponsive body back under the stairs. With little care or gentleness, she slammed the door shut, and Cody's lifeless body fell against it with a heavy thud. Surprisingly, the door stayed closed. I could only imagine Sarah pressed up against it on the other side, preventing it from opening.

Terrified, I sat motionless in the darkness, enduring the silence. My body was frozen, unable to move, foolishly waiting for Cody to make the first move. The tears streaming down my face left burning trails on my skin, each sob and gasp for air making my eyelids heavy with exhaustion and despair.

As time passed, a heartbreaking realisation dawned on me: nobody was coming for me. The love that I had only just begun to acknowledge and accept was gone, snuffed out in the blink of an eye. With my knees digging painfully into the concrete floor of the cramped space, I collapsed under the weight of tragedy.