Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 96

"Our plan is to assemble the bomb at the very bottom of the building so that when it goes off, the entire structure will crumble." Row explained to me, and I nodded, digesting his words. 

"When will the bomb go off? Is there a timer, or will you control it remotely?" I asked, needing more information.

"Remotely. We can't be sure how long it'll take them to reach the building and then how long it'll take you guys to put them down, so we thought it would be best to control when it goes off. Only when you and Killian are safely out of the building will we blow it to bits." Row finished explaining, and I let out a breath, running my hand through my hair. 

"Okay. I guess we're really doing this. I'll go pack my things." I gave them a short smile before leaving the room and walking to mine. As I packed my things, I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. I was a little nervous, I wouldn't lie. It was embarrassing enough to be a failure once, but to be a failure for a third time was something I didn't want to be. I had to succeed this time. Had to. 

We all met in the parking lot and got into the vehicle. Row entered the address for the building into the GPS, and soon we were on our way. It was early evening at this point, the sun still in the sky enough to give us some light but low enough to give the soft orange glow of the evening. We still had time to place the bomb and go over our strategies before Chase and Archer met up. 

"Before we get there, let's discuss entering the building." Killian interrupted the silence with his words, staring directly at me. I sighed, leaning my head against the headrest. 

"Let's. We go in together, and you go after Archer, and I'll take care of Chase." I simplified it, which had him raising his brows.

"You're giving me Archer and not fighting me for him? Color me shocked." he scoffed, leaning back into his seat. I rolled my eyes but smiled at his words. 

"I had some time to think about it, and his death by your hands would be more significant for you than by my hands. Plus, I have a deeper history with Chase anyway. He murdered my mom. He will die for that." Saying out loud that he murdered my mom had a flash of hot anger coursing through me, and I had to calm myself down. The time for revenge will come soon, and his blood will spill by my hands. I had to chuckle to myself at my thoughts. I sounded like a villain with a vendetta. Killian nodded at me and kept his curious eyes on me as if he was trying to read me. It would be easy because I wasn't trying to hide anything right now. I was an open book. 

Levi was right about the building not being far from where we were staying. In about thirty minutes, Row was driving into a large abandoned parking lot with a large building sitting in the middle of it. It was a graying structure with some black in it and was actually in better shape than I assumed it would be in. Row parked right in front of the building, and we all got out of the vehicle. I made sure that my guns and knives were strapped to my body before walking closer to the building. One could never be too careful. 

If I were to guess, I would say the building had about twenty floors. Chase and Archer were meeting on the eighteenth floor, two floors away from the top. I turned back around to see Row pulling the bomb out of the vehicle, and I flinched when I thought about it detonating right here and now. I still thought this was an insane idea. 

"Follow me." Row lead the way around the building, away from the front door. We followed him until we were on the side of the building, in front of a door. Levi opened the door, and Row entered first, and I followed right after. I turned on the flashlight I brought with me and squinted a bit to see better as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. There were white sheets over everything, making it hard to see what was in the room as we passed by. Row led us to some stairs, and we walked down three flights of stairs before we made it to what looked like a gas room. Tanks lined the walls, and the area was narrow.

"This spot is perfect." Row set the bomb down on the ground and looked around the area. "There should be a small door on the ground that has a little space for tools. I'll be placing the bomb in there."

I looked with the others for the door, and Cleo found it. It was in the corner to our right. Row picked up the bomb and walked over to the door. He yanked it open and grinned with he saw the space. It was empty and looked like it might be too small for the bomb. Row grabbed the clear part, pulling it off and exposing the actual bomb. He gently picked it up and placed it in the hole, the fit snug as if it belonged there. 

"Now what?" I asked, watching as Row closed the door on the bomb. 

"Now, we get out of here and wait for them to come." He grinned, and I nodded, smiling with him. The fun will begin soon. We all made our way back to the vehicle and waited. The sun began to fully set until darkness surrounded us. The lights around the parking lot turned on, illuminating the building. We were carefully hidden but with a clear view of the building. I glanced at the time to see that it was almost time for the meetup.

 It was happening in five minutes.