The Castle School of Self-Defense

Chapter 15 - The Bomb

0030hrs
7th November
Inside the enemy base

The cell was depressing. It felt suffocating, having 3 people cramped into a small room barely the size of a car. Charlotte took up most space, as her injuries not actually allowing her to stand or even sit up. Charlotte's ragged breaths were the only sounds William could hear over the pounding of his heart. She lay slumped in the corner, her head resting limply against the cold, unyielding wall. Her face was pale, her lips cracked, and her arm—now poorly bandaged—still bled sluggishly from the deep wounds inflicted during her torture. She had fallen asleep again as it was already in the depth of the night.

William knelt beside her, brushing strands of hair from her face. "Charlotte," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Hang in there. We'll get you out as soon as possible."

The tick-tock of the countdown of the bomb rang loudly inside the bare room, reminding them that time was indeed limited. Sam, ever so practical, inspected the cell. He tapped the walls, looking for weaknesses, his sharp mind racing. "We don't have much time," he muttered. "Usual bombs detonate in about 30 minutes from when they are set off."

"They're planning something. You don't just set off a bomb just to kill three people. There are so many better ways to do that. Besides, won't a bomb just wreck more havoc?" William agreed, his jaw tightening as he adjusted Charlotte's position to make her more comfortable.

Sam moved to the cell's door, studying its heavy lock. "We have to get out of here. If we wait, it's over."

The cell was fortified, but not impervious. Anyone with a sharp mind could see the cell's weakness quickly. Luckily, Sam was one of them. He scavenged the room, finding a discarded piece of metal—likely left behind by the careless guards. He turned to William. "Get Charlotte ready. I'll work on this lock. Once we get it open, we have to prepare to either escape, which is probably not likely as they would just shut the doors at the entrance which is impossible to get by, or diffuse the bomb. I'm banking on the second one."

William nodded, cradling Charlotte gently in his arms. She stirred faintly, her eyelids fluttering open. "William..." Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper.

"I'm here," he said, his voice steady despite the ache in his chest. "We're going to get out of this. Just stay with me."

Her lips curved into a faint smile before her eyes drifted shut again.

"The people who designed this lock weren't stupid. It's quite hard to pick. But don't fret, it's not the first time I had to do this." Sam's hands moved deftly as he worked the lock, using the makeshift tool to pick at its inner mechanisms.

"Just hurry, we don't have much time." William replied, his eyes darting between Sam and the hallway visible through the small window on the door.

After what felt like an eternity, a faint click echoed through the room. Sam grinned grimly. "Got it." William let out a sigh of relief.

The door creaked open, revealing a dim corridor bathed in the glow of red emergency lights. The metallic tang of the air was suffocating, and distant echoes hinted at activity elsewhere in the base.

William carefully lifted Charlotte, carrying her on his back. "Lead the way," he said to Sam, his tone firm despite the fatigue weighing him down.

Sam moved ahead, his posture tense, every sense on high alert. The hallway branched into multiple paths, each identical to the last. Sam paused, muttering under his breath, "We need a way to orient ourselves. This place is a maze. It's almost impossible to know where the bomb is hidden!"

"Just go somewhere," William urged, adjusting his grip on Charlotte. "We don't have time."

They took a left, their footsteps muffled against the cold floor. The oppressive silence was broken only by the sound of Charlotte's shallow breaths, the distant hum of machinery, and the tick-tock's of the bomb.

As they turned another corner, a group of guards appeared, their weapons raised. "Stop right there!" one barked.

Sam reacted instantly, lunging at the nearest guard before they could fire. His movements were precise and deadly, a testament to his years of training. He disarmed one and used the stolen weapon to neutralize another.

William, despite Charlotte's weight on his back, swung his elbow into the face of a third guard who approached him, sending the man stumbling. He used the distraction to move Charlotte to safety, setting her down gently against the wall before grabbing a baton from the fallen guard.

The fight was chaotic but swift. Sam and William moved with coordination born from necessity, taking down the remaining guards before they could call for reinforcements.

"Let's move," Sam said, wiping sweat from his brow. "They'll know we're out soon."

William nodded, lifting Charlotte back up and following Sam down the hallway.

"They're evacuating," he said suddenly, his voice grim.

"Makes sense, they wouldn't want to be killed after all, would they?" William sighed, his heart sinking.

Sam stopped in front of a reinforced door. He pressed his ear to it, his jaw tightening. "There's only one reason they'd leave this place intact. They're planning to destroy it—and everyone in it, which means us. This seems like the bomb room. Let's go."

He worked quickly to open the door, his movements urgent. When it finally slid open, the sight before them was chilling: a massive cylindrical device sat in the center of the room, its digital countdown ticking away mercilessly.

00:19:52

William stared, his blood running cold. "Nineteen minutes."

Sam approached the bomb cautiously, his sharp eyes scanning its structure. "This isn't just a bomb," he said grimly. "It's a demolition device. It'll take out the base—and everything around it for miles."

William set Charlotte down carefully, her head resting against his shoulder. "What do we do?" he asked, his voice tight with fear and determination.

Sam turned to him, his expression serious. "We have two choices: run, but we already ruled that out, or disable this thing ourselves."

William glanced at Charlotte, her face pale but peaceful in her deep slumber.

"Tell me what to do," he said, stepping forward.

Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing as he examined the bomb's intricate wiring. "We'll need to work fast."

The clock continued to tick, its relentless march forward a haunting reminder of the stakes.