Lapis Lazuli

13 - Boundary Hazard

13 - Boundary Hazard

The faint crackling sounds coming from the fireplace that blended with the silence of the night and the sound of the wind whooshing outside played in my head like a calming melody. Thankfully, it was enough to calm every part of me.

I leaned back against the chair, my eyes concentrated on the flames that danced above the burning pieces of wood, the sight of it enough to warm me despite not being that close to it. I didn't dare shut my eyes through it all, knowing that there is a huge possibility for unwanted images and thoughts to wreck my mind like a freaking plague.

I didn't dare steal a glance at the bed behind me either. I know I've already calmed down, but the thoughts are just there, threatening to invade most of my mind again and I don't know how it would end for the both of us.

A part of me screamed. Where was the calm and controlled Rainer Chaxton? The one who remains deadpan and impassive at almost anything that should've threatened his control already? The one who never feared looking at anything because he knows he can handle whatever it may be?

I heaved out a sigh. Maybe that Rainer would have to take a break. Why am I wasting time thinking about it anyway? It doesn't help us live through this maelstrom at all.

I straightened on my seat and reached for Katelyn's phone across the table. It had been 4 hours already since that whole commotion by the dead-end, but a single glimpse of the phone freshened up the memories in my head.

I turned the power off while we were still heading for the untapped part of Havenshire woods. The organization went through a lot of trouble putting trackers in our devices and even in our bodies, it wouldn't take long for anyone to guess that they would most likely not fail to put a tracker on this one too. If I hadn't remembered turning the power off earlier, Johnson's men would already be jumping through the windows of the shack by now.

I inspected the phone and tried removing the back cover. But as I've guessed, it is as durable and impenetrable as all the other devices manufactured by the organization itself. It didn't have visible screws in any corner, and one look at its hard case and I know it would have to be cracked by an explosive---a futile effort when you're trying to examine its contents. The damn thing would be already messed up by the time I get an explosive to crack the case.

I could either turn this one on here and risk giving out our location, or blow the whole thing up and not give a damn about its contents.

The faint memory of Rottmayer throwing the  phone at me played in my mind, including the words she said after. But I didn't need to remember such memory to know that this phone could be holding a lot of information, things that might be able to help Billfort and I. And if luckily, I could try to find out what Katelyn knew about the organization and what coaxed Philip to give in to the organization's commands. I am not laying to rest until I find out what my only family had to be sacrificed for.

My eyes remained still on the phone in my hand as I bombard myself with ideas on how to crack it open without blowing it up. Philip never mentioned of any other solution, but I know I needed to find a way.

I gave the bed a glance, noting the stillness of the figure underneath the white blanket. Surely if she stays in the middle of a mine-filled lawn and inside the shack, she'd be safe. And having her close to me after that event would definitely be not pleasant. I couldn't risk it.

Gripping the phone with my hand, I reached for the M4A1 on the table, trying to be as quiet as I could. The crackling of the burning wood was enough to mask what little noise I made, and I gave Billfort a glance before heading for the door.