Upon hearing the call from downstairs, every cell in Jordan's body ceased to function. He became frozen in indecision, unable to stay where he was but also incapable of moving.

"Mroooow!" said Kiki, reminding him that it was entirely on him to solve this situation. After all, the cat's presence in the house could be explained, as members of her species always intruded where they shouldn't, but him being there wasn't as easily excused. Twenty-year-old guys weren't supposed to just materialize in the house of former classmates, especially not ones that went missing under mysterious circumstances. Jordan worried that breaking into Araminta's home could even cause him to become a suspect in the case.

But this wasn't the time to spin increasingly catastrophic scenarios in his mind. This was the time to act. Because maybe he could still get himself out of this pickle.

Prompting himself to inhale, bringing some well-needed oxygen to his panicked brain, Jordan attempted to evaluate the situation. The police were by the front door, which meant that there may still be an opportunity for him to quickly sneak out the back door, which he had left open, and make his way over to his own yard before they went around the house. It was a long shot but the only chance he had to get out of this mess without tarnishing his record.

Through the hallway. Down the stairs. Out the door. Those were the three steps he had to execute to get out of there. Just three simple steps. That's all he had to focus on.

Jordan threw one last longing look toward the puzzle box, where the intriguing cards he'd committed a burglary to find were hidden. There wasn't time to solve the puzzle all over again to extract the treasure. Nor was there time to investigate the old book and essay that lay on the bed. It would also have to be left behind because there was no way Jordan would be able to carry it during his perilous escape. His mission appeared to have been for naught, as he would walk away empty-handed. But his priority right now was to be able to walk away at all, instead of being led away in handcuffs.

After one last deep inhale, Jordan spun around and opened the door to the pitch-black hallway. Unable to use the flashlight to illuminate his route in fear of being noticed, he clambered close to the wall, prepared to escape back into Araminta's room if he heard the loud steps from police boots. Kiki was right behind, her paws swift like the wind on the carpet. She definitely embodied the expression "agile like a cat". After having made his way around the last corner, Jordan cautiously peered down the stairs, wondering if he was brave enough to make a run for it.

Another hard knock on the door worked as motivation. Brave or not, he had to go. With a determined stride, he started his descent, taking the stairs two steps at a time. Just down the stairs and out the door. That's all he had left to do. He repeated the coming actions like a mantra.

Down the stairs. Out the door. Down the stairs. Out the door. Down the st—

"We know you're in there!" a stern voice called out as Jordan reached the midpoint, instilling fear in every limb.

Perhaps it was that fear that made his feet stumble. Perhaps it was his general lack of coordination. Regardless of the reason, Jordan found himself tumbling down the last part of the stairs, with no possibility of gaining traction.

His back hurt from the rough landing on the steps. His ankle hurt from being twisted when he fell. His wrist hurt like hell when it took the brunt of the impact upon landing.

Feeling like a cartoon character seeing stars in front of their eyes upon injury, Jordan stayed on the floor for a moment, breathing through the pain and counting all his limbs to make sure they were still there. The pain was overwhelming and momentarily making him forget what he was even doing. But he couldn't stay there. He had to run. Even if he didn't know if his legs would carry.

Out the door. That's all he had to do now. Just one more step.

Taking a final deep breath, hoping it would last him all the way to safety, Jordan painstakingly rose. A jolt of pain assaulted his ankle but at least it didn't budge when he put his weight on it. The adrenaline held his joints and muscles together for now, although he would probably barely be able to get out of bed the next day.

But that was a later problem. Right now, he was in the middle of another conundrum. One that had only one solution and that was to run toward the door.

So Jordan ran. He ran through the darkness toward the open patio door, feeling brisk air filling his lungs. He'd executed the last step, but he wasn't in the clear yet. Right as he passed the threshold, he heard a click from the garage entrance, followed by rapid voices and bright beams from flashlights. The police had somehow made their way inside, perhaps by using an emergency code on the keypad.

But they hadn't noticed Jordan yet. Getting low, Jordan rolled off the deck and into the bushes below, hoping the night would assist in covering his tracks. His parents's yard was only a few feet away since only a narrow path divided the outer wall of the house from the fence. There was only one problem: the fence was about six feet high and Jordan was in no condition to beat any personal high jumping records at the moment. But maybe there was another way...

Army-crawling on his hands and feet, praying that no beams from flashlights would find his pathetic form, Jordan made his way toward the fence. In the darkness, all the boards looked the same. Desperately, Jordan tested every single one, going down the line. He could hear voices from inside approaching now.

Right in the knick of time, a board budged, swinging toward his own yard when he pushed on it. It was through this opening that he'd lured Kiki over on the night after Araminta disappeared, tempting her with some delicious canned tuna. The hole wasn't big but luckily, Jordan wasn't either. His well-meaning grandma was always on him about eating more, offering him an endless supply of cookies, candy, and cake, but right now, he was kind of glad he hadn't taken her advice. Because when turning on his side, he could just fit his torso between the boards, squeezing through to the other side, where safety lay.

Halfway there, Jordan's hips got caught. He kicked back in the dirt behind him, trying to get leverage. This had to work. It had to. Grabbing onto the grass in front of him, Jordan pulled himself forward, despite rough wood digging into his skin. Suddenly, there was a loud crack in the fence from the boards giving away which made him roll onto the lawn.

But he couldn't stay there. Voices were still behind him. The police were on the patio already. Hopefully, they hadn't seen his ungraceful escape through the fence. Jordan scurried across the yard and onto the deck, practically diving through the door, which luckily was unlocked.

He made it home, to safety. Laying on the entry mat, Jordan could finally relax slightly. However, he soon realized that was a mistake as pain from everywhere hit him at once. Every inch of his body seemed either bruised or scratched. Or both. He gasped from the onslaught, unable to move an inch further. If the police was still after him, well, then he would be unable to resist apprehension.

That's when someone cleared their throat above him, bringing ice to his veins. Someone much worse than the police.

Jordan opened his eyes to peer at Kiki who sat at his feet, having somehow teleported out of the Araminta's house and into theirs because Jordan had not seen her during his escape. But Kiki's judgemental glare was not what scared him, but rather who stood above the cat: Jordan's parents, looking at him with despair.

"Was that you in the neighbor's house?" His dad asked. "We thought we saw lights in there so we called the police to take a look."

"I... uh... no," Jordan tried, before realizing that denying the accusations was probably fruitless. "I can explain," he insisted, although he didn't know quite how yet.

"You better have a darn good explanation," his mom countered in a frosty tone. "We were worried about you not being home but it turns out you were out committing crimes. Breaking into the neighbor's house." She sighed deeply, in a way only parents could. "Haven't they been through enough without your meddling?"

Jordan had no answers, he only had regrets. Perhaps noticing his dark mood, Kiki gave his throbbing wrist an affectionate lick. The small gesture of care brought a tear to his eye, or perhaps that was from the pain.