break-in

'eh, come downstairs. Come and see this.'

I wondered what would prompt alex to call me on the phone, when he was only downstairs. First thought was: maybe the toilet sink finally got stuck.

the first thing that hit me, as I walked down the steps, was the cold.

alex was waiting at the foot of the staircase. 'Look,' he said as he pointed to the laundry room. So I looked.

the laundry room window was wide open. It had obviously been forced: the latch was bent, and there on the ledge lay a blue-coloured implement, which presumably had been used to pry open the window.

next I went to zun and ben's room. Took me a moment for it to register. Then I realized: both their laptops were gone. And the window was wide open; the curtains billowed in the breeze.

oh shit.