Miracles and Sins

Chapter 32

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Keenan closed his eyes as he listens to the ticking time bomb tightly strapped on his chest. At least this will be a fast painless death. He thought.

Napamulat siya ng mata ng maramdaman niya may gumagalaw sa paligid niya. Keenan might be badly injured and paralyzed, but his senses wasn't dull yet.

Gumapang ang takot sa loob ng dibdib niya ng mapagtanto kung sino iyon.

Imogen appeared before his eyes, searching for something around the basement.

Ang akala niya ay tumakas na si Imogen papalayo, pero andito siya, nasa iisang lugar kasama niya.

"Imogen! What are you doing here?!" hindi siya pinansin nito at patuloy lang sa paghahanap ng kung ano sa paligid.

"Fuck... Why can't you just listen to me?! You have to leave!" he shouted. Imogen was crying while trying to look for something that she can use to free Keenan.

"Imogen, please... please listen to me! You have to go now! Leonid might still be here!" Keenan is panicking. He doesn't know what to do. The bomb attached to his body can explode anytime. If it explodes while Imogen is still here with him, they will both die.

Nakahanap ng maliit na gunting si Imogen sa isa sa mga kahon na nakatambak sa basement. Dali-dali siyang lumapit kay Keenan para tulungan siyang tumakas.

"Imogen... just leave me here. Please... I'm begging you." Keenan rarely begged. Pero ginawa niya ngayon sa kagustuhang iligtas ang babaeng nasa harap niya. Imogen just looked at him with pure determination in her eyes, as if telling him that it's alright. That she can do it. That he can trust her.

Imogen knew that if she tried to stop the time bomb by cutting a certain wire in it, one simple mistake and it can cause both of their lives. Hindi ito tulad ng nasa pelikula na may pula at asul na kable na pwedeng pagpilian na gupitin. The bomb's wire are all black and there's nothing much to choose from right now. She even tried tinkering with the keyhole of the handcuff but it didn't even budge.

Keenan's hand and feet were repeatedly tied with stainless steel wires. Hindi pa nakuntento ang nagtali sakanya, nilagyan pa siya nito ng posas para siguraduhing hindi siya makakatakas. Napatanong nalang sa sarili niya si Imogen kung anong silbi ng maliit na gunting na nahanap niya.

She thought of looking for the softest parts of the strap of the bomb and tried to snip it with the small scissor that she found. It wasn't easy, because the strap is made of thick nylon, which also made it difficult to cut.

Habang sinusubukang gupitin ang strap ng bomba ay napansin ni Imogen ang mga natamong bugbog at sugat ni Keenan. She also noticed a deep wound in his abdomen, that caused him to continuously bleed. Seeing him in this situation makes her want to just cry. Hindi niya nanamang maiwasang sisihin ang sarili. If she wasn't abducted by that crazy man, Keenan wouldn't be here. Seige wouldn't suffer, and Yvette will not be worrying.

She wants Keenan to live. She wants it so much that she's ready to risk it all for him.

"Moya lyubov." Keenan called her. As the timer ticked down relentlessly, his heart raced with desperation. He grabbed Imogen's trembling hands, their eyes locked in a desperate plea. Imogen's eyes was filled with tears, but she decided not to stop on trying to cut the thick strap of the bomb.

2 minutes left, before the bomb explodes. Imogen gets to succesfully cut one of the four straps of the bomb. She has 3 more left to cut.

"Imogen, please, you have to go. I can't bear to lose you too..." he implored, his voice cracking with emotion. Tears welled up in Imogen's eyes as she shook her head, refusing to leave his side.

1 minute and 30 seconds left.

She continued cutting the strap until the scissor itself broke. Imogen was frustrated. Of all times that this damn scissor could break, why now?! Why does it have to be now?!

"Imogen." she heard Keenan's weak voice.

"My brave girl..." Keenan speaks again. "You have to go. Just leave me here. Please... please..." he cried.

Kahit nasira na ang gunting ay ipinagpilitan pa rin ni Imogen ang pagputol sa mga strap ng bomba. She used the blade of the scissor to cut through. Ginamit niya iyon na panglaslas sa ikalawang strap.

60 seconds left.

Two (2) straps left. Imogen's hands were hurting too. Some of her nails has been pulled out by Leonid himself, he also thought of breaking her fingers by stepping on them, pero hindi niya alam kung bakit bigla niya itong hindi itinuloy.

45 seconds left.

The time goes by faster. Napabilis ang pagputol ni Imogen sa mga natitirang strap dahil sa kalahting piraso ng nagkahiwalay na gunting.

30 seconds left.

"IMOGEN. YOU HAVE TO GO. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" asik ng nanghihina na si Keenan sa dalaga. Huli na ng mapagtanto niya ang binabalak nito.

She's cutting the straps of the bomb to take the bomb itself away with her. Imogen is going to sacrifice herself for him. That's the only way that she thought of to save him.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE, IMOGEN! I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD! STOP!" Keenan helplessly screamed as he tried his best to stop Imogen from cutting the last strap.

Imogen has finally cut all of the straps of the bomb.

20 seconds left.

"PLEASE! PLEASE... I BEG YOU! PLEASE!!!" Keenan cried as he watched the love of his life take away the bomb that supposed to kill him. Fear, pain, anger, hatred, hopelessness, he's feeling all of those emotions at once. Pakiramdam niya ay mababaliw siya.

"IMOGEN!" Imogen touched his face with her trembling hand, and gave Keenan a small peck on his lips. "Please... Please don't do this, Imogen. I can't. Moya lyubov, please..." he pleaded.

Imogen ran fast as she could towards the door going to the main manor while carrying the ticking time bomb with her. Bago pa man siya makalabas sa pinto ay muli niyang binalikan ng tingin si Keenan at ngumiti.

"I love you."

Imogen fearlessly ran towards the manor's door while hugging the ticking time bomb close to her body.

10 seconds left.

Keenan heard deafening explosion ripped through the air, causing the ground to shake beneath his body, leaving him reeling with pain and anguish, unsure if she made it out alive.