Karen rolled her eyes. "Safe? Of course it's safe! Do I look like an amateur? I've read the HOA safety guidelines cover to cover. I know what I'm doing."
The absurdity of it almost made me laugh out loud. The HOA safety guidelines she was quoting didn't even exist. She'd written them herself, probably while sipping boxed wine and imagining herself in a power suit.
I stayed put, letting her commit fully, because once she did, there would be no denying it: no lies, no excuses, no gaslighting the neighbors into believing her version of events. Everyone would hear; everyone would see.
As she fumbled with the final clamp, I felt a strange calm settle over me. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. Not revenge, exactly, but justice—the kind of justice you don't have to lift a finger to deliver.
I thought back to the weeks leading up to this: the flyers, the fake fines, the vandalized door, the endless harassment. Every step had been Karen trying to prove she was untouchable. But now, crouched over my generator with her greedy little hands, she was about to prove the exact opposite.
Diane muttered again, "Karen, I really think we should go. What if he comes back right now?"
Karen snapped, "Stop whining! This is bigger than him. This is about fairness, about the community. He doesn't own that power; we all do. I'm just making it official."
And with that, she clamped the line down tight.
I knew what was coming, but I still flinched when it happened.
There was a sharp crack like a whip, followed by a loud pop as the circuit completed. Karen's whole body jolted upright, her arms flailing like a ragdoll in a hurricane. A scream tore from her throat, high and piercing, echoing through the quiet night.
The generator lights flickered, then steadied, while Karen collapsed onto the grass, moaning. Diane shrieked, dropping the flashlight, which rolled across the ground and illuminated the scene in harsh white beams.
From the cabins down the road, doors slammed open. Neighbors poured out onto porches, squinting into the darkness.
"What was that?" someone shouted. "Did you hear that scream?"