The Heart of Cars

Chapter 39

I look up after ten minutes of nobody speaking. "I think this is a new record of you not talking Chase." I joke in a failing attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm waiting to hear the rest of the story, or your side of it at least." I nod and take a deep breath. "Colton basically told it. I found them when I came back from the black market. They told me that my mom went to the black market, looking for someone and they shot her when she accused them of killing her true soulmate. I thought they were lying and I asked them to tell me the truth once again, and tipped over a five gallon gas tank when they swore it was the truth. I was so scared that they really were telling the truth, that my dad had been cheated on and she was a horrible person who deserved what happened to her. So I lit a match and they once again told me that they had said the truth. They told me the guy's name and what my mom told them had happened and I panicked. I grabbed the head of the match, to put it out and walked away with the match still in my hand. I walked up the fire escape and sat on the roof. I was standing on the edge, wondering if the jump would just hurt or kill me. I had made the choice to jump but then the building started to shake violently and I fell backwards, back onto the roof and hit my head on the air conditioner vent. I was knocked out and when I came to, my dad was being held back and I was in handcuffs, being put in a vehicle set for River Run. After I was there, I had my confrontation with Denise and I found out she had a thing for bombs. I panicked when I found out and learned where she learned how to make them, when, how she made them, where she set them off, but it was never good enough for me to know that stuff. I started asking her directly about it, taunting her, that's when I met Sam. Sam and her were as together as anyone could be there, I got close to him thinking he would know everything about her, but I soon found out that he knew less than I did about her past. The closer I got to him, the more he pulled away from her. She found out we had become good friends and one night, she showed up outside the bars of where I slept. She had this crazy look and told me that she would show me everything I needed to know about her and her bombs. I thought she was crazy but then the bars opened and I followed her. She told me about how she chose her targets, when she liked to plant bombs and set them off, where she liked to plant them, how she made them, and once she was done telling me all of this, she pressed a button and several bombs went off all over the yard and where people were sleeping. It was awful. She chooses her victims by how much they hurt her and how much they look like someone who hurt her. She plants them as the sun sets and sets them off when the sun rises in the morning. She plants them as close to the main floor as she can." I take a deep, shuddering breath and wipe away the tears on my face. "She makes them with gas, rope, wax, batteries, wires, metal coffee cans, and wood screws. She fills the can with gas, wood screws, wax, and rope. She covers the rope with wax and starts it at a different location. She uses the wires and batteries to start the rope on fire so I takes time to travel to the actual bomb. She likes to start them herself, then walk away and get out just before it explodes." I look at Chase, since he knows bombs the best and he looks slightly pale. "That's why you were best equipped to help find her. You knew she already had a past with Sam and how she chose things." I nod and clear my throat. "I have a question. Who was it your mom loved?" I look at Colton in shock. "What do you mean?" I begin to fidget slightly and I can tell Jack notices. "You said those guys told you who your mom was looking for, who was it?" I open my mouth to answer but then a doctor comes in. "Hi, I'm sorry but I need to take some blood." I nod and hold out my arm to her. Colton and Jack watch me careful as if they can see the answer in my mind, while Chase is watching the blood go into the tubes. "Having fun?" I ask Chase. "Yeah, I'm just curious as to why they need to take more blood. They just took it an hour ago." The doctor clears his throat and keeps changing the tubes. "I'm not sure. I just follow orders." I glance around the room and they all start to stand up. "Whose orders?" The doctor looks up at Colton's frozen tone. "Umm, some redheaded doctor. She said she was visiting from another hospital because she was your primary doctor." He looks confused and I start to stand up and yank the needles from my arms. "You need to get everyone off the main floor, understand?" I say and hurry out the door with the boys right behind me. "Everything okay?"

"No, Dad, it isn't. Is Denise out again?" I demand and he looks around in confusion. "No, she is in custody still. They just called." I start to panic and run down the hall to the stairwell, down to the main floor. I burst through the doors to see everybody scrambling to get out. I look around for a redhead and don't see one. I sigh and kick the wall, thankful I am still in my clothes and shoes from earlier. I go back into the stairwell and look down to see if I can see anything useful. I sigh when I can't but something lightly scratches my arm and I look down to see what it was. I kneel down and pick up the wood screw from beside my boot. I look up the stairwell to see someone who looks like Denise, but with a lot shorter hair, look down at me with a smirk. "Oh no." I say and hurry up the stairs to try and get to her. I'm stopped short when I see her with a large battery and some wire. "What do you say, why we don't blow up a hospital?" She laughs and kneels down by a bit of rope. "What do you say we play a little game?"

"What kind of game?" I say softly, knowing I don't have a choice. "The very best kind. A truth game." I press my lips into a straight line. "Okay, let's play."

*edited*