By the time I pulled up, half the exterior lights were out. One side of the house was glowing warm through huge windows, and the other side looked almost black. Then I heard the noise the second I opened my door.
Not thunder, not the rain, an alarm panel inside the house giving off the sharp broken chirp every few seconds. I grabbed my bag, ran through the front entry, and walked straight into total confusion.
Two maintenance guys were talking over each other near the hallway. A woman in a blazer was on her phone saying, « No, I already told them that. » to whoever was unlucky enough to be on the other end, somewhere deeper in the house.
Another panel let out the same ugly chirping sound. Lamps were on in one room, off in the next. Even the air felt tense, like everybody had been running in circles for the last half hour and getting nowhere.
