VICIOUS

44.

Hayden's eyes are still open when I throw his head off of the stairs. The bloody head rolls past Thomas and he stares at it in shock. Horror can be read in his eyes. Hayden's sliced throat leaves blood on the steps. His head stops rolling when it hits the wall and it lies still on the cold ground. 

I glance at his dead body. Blood is sprayed on the walls. This is what he deserved. A painful death for everything that he caused. 

''I think.. I think we should go..'' Thomas says, breaking the silence between us. 

''Yeah..'' I eventually say, agreeing with him. ''We have to look for the others, maybe even take the main entrance.'' I change the subject to something more serious. 

''You mean.. Through the hallway?'' He asks. ''We'll end up in the destroyed building, Oblivion might be waiting for us there. I heard that that's the place where they picked up Rose.'' 

Yes, the hallway. The place where they started building all of this. A staircase at the beginning leads to the main entrance, and that entrance leads to the destroyed building. Back in 2020, when Oblivion bombed the village where we first used to live, a few of their people followed us when we were trying to get away. The only entrance we had that led to this underground place back then, was the main entrance. Oblivion's members saw which way we were heading and went back to their group, leading the rest of their people to us. A few bombs were left and they used them to hopefully kill the people who escaped. After we went underground, we were scared it would take Oblivion a few days to discover our place. But they never did. 

Just like the entrance we use now, the wooden cabin, they started building inside a house. Almost as big as a mansion. That building got destroyed and that's why we never used that entrance ever since. You could barely get in and out. But for now it might be the best option we have. 

Thomas and I run up the stairs again. 

''If we want to get everybody out on time, the main entrance is the right way,'' I explain to him. ''The cabin is way too small, plus it only has one elevator. The main entrance has a big staircase, giving us the opportunity to get more people out.''

Suddenly, the ground starts shaking and dust falls to the ground. The stairs start to crumble and fall down. The first bomb has exploded. People begin to shout, letting me know that we are close to the rest. 

It takes us three more minutes to enter the corridor that leads to the cabin. Everyone's panicking, not knowing what's happening. My eyes quickly scan through all the people, trying to find Neo, Drew or Matthew. 

''Where do you think Hayden installed the bombs?'' Thomas asks me. ''They have to be in places where they can easily destroy the place.'' 

Hayden's words immediately repeat themselves in my head.

"Good to know that we placed the bombs in different places, the biggest one somewhere dangerous. As soon as that one goes off, all of this would've been for nothing."

The biggest one somewhere dangerous.. 

We keep the gasoline and fuel on the last floor. If someone lights that up on fire, the place will explode. If it explodes, all of the other floors will collapse. So in the end, everyone will die if that happens. 

''The biggest one has to be on the floor where we keep the fuel and gasoline,'' I blurt out. 

Thomas looks at me with a shocked expression on his face. He quickly shakes his head. ''Then we have to get out. Now.'' 

He walks away in a quick pace, expecting me to follow him. I stay still, thinking about what I have to do. If that bomb explodes, we're going to die. Everyone. This would've been for nothing if that happens. Looking at the ground, I keep thinking about a possible plan. 

I know how to get to the last floor. I've seen the people who work there, and you can take them out with ease if you really have to. I look up and see how Thomas tries to get past everyone who's trying to get out. 

Eventually he gives up and turns around, searching through the crowd to find me. He spots me, standing a few feet away from him. The noises around me are so loud, that I can't hear what he says. 

"We have to destroy that bomb!" I shout.

More people come from the stairs and other elevators. Dozens of people run past us, looking for the nearest exit, panic in their eyes. Thomas stands a few feet away from me, waiting for me to come with him.

"Are you fucking insane?" He shouts back. He walks back to me and he holds my arms.

"If that bomb explodes, all of this would've been for nothing," I say. "The bomb explodes, everything here will collapse and in the end, everyone still dies."

Another explosion follows. The ground starts shaking again and dust falls to the ground. People are yelling, trying to get away. We're all adults, but it looks like we're toddlers. People are fighting, breaking things. Some of the shops have been ruined. Women and men are running around, panicked as fuck.

I begin to calculate in my head. This was the second bomb, meaning there are only two more to go before the one that'll do the most damage is going to explode. That gives us around 10 minutes.

"If we want to make it out of here alive, we should go and disable that bomb," I say. Thomas holds onto me tightly, a sad look in his eyes.

"Don't leave me here," He whispers and I'm barely able to hear him. He sounds desperate, breaking my heart a little bit. "Please. I don't want to lose you.." His hands start to tremble and his eyes are getting wet. 

"I'm sorry," I whisper back. I remove his hands from my arms and look at the ground. If he comes with me, all I'm leading him into is death. And I'm not letting that happen again.

''Lead everyone to the main entrance,'' I say. ''Try to get people out. Please.'' 

Without saying another word, I turn around and start running towards the staircase that will lead me to the weapon that is about to destroy us all. 

 Towards the staircase that will maybe lead me to my death.