Unchained

Chapter Twenty Six

I had to save them.

I don't know what it was in me, but when I looked around, I saw. I saw all the young children and elderly people and all the ones smiling and enjoying their lives, not aware that they would be dead in fifteen minutes. I saw the joy in the children and the peace in the elderly and I saw no pain. I saw happiness, I saw life, and I saw that these people didn't want to die.

I had to save them.

I blinked a few times, took a couple breaths, and let the vision come back to me. I looked up at the ceiling, where the bomb was. I couldn't see much about it - sort of small, like a cereal box small, dark, with several wires going through it. But I wasn't sure how to get to that floor. Was it the seocnd floor, the top floor, which was it...?

I scrambled out of the cafeteria, looking frantically around the stores and people to see if there was an elevator or some stairs. I started to run, looking around furiously and passed a security guard.

"Excuse me!" I cried, running after him. He turned around and looked at me. "Is there a second floor? Like, a way I can get to the second floor like stairs or an elevator?" I asked.

He just stared at me. He was kind of young, maybe in his mid twenties with a square jaw and a firm look that made him look a bit too concentrated for a young guy of his likings. "Excuse me?" his breath smelled of fresh coffee.

"A second floor," I repeated. "Is there a second floor?"

His thick eyebrows furrowed, coming so close together I wondered if they would touch. "A second floor? No, there's no second floor here, miss." he scratched the back of his head. "We have a penthouse, though, where we store a lot of items that get shipped in. What's with you and second floors?"

"Well..." I breathed out and then stopped. What was I going to tell him? Oh, there's just a bomb, no worries, I'll see if my powers will be able to stop it. If not, well, then, say your prayers! "It's just that..." My mind groped. 

His brows furrowed again and he pointed at me. "Wait, you're not one of those kids that snuck into the penthouse last week, right?"

"Um, I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, holding up my palms. "But I just really need to get to the second floor."

He chuckled, pulling his walkie-talkie from his pocket. "Right." and then he turned his head away from me and said, "Hey, all units, I think we got one possible suspect from that attempted robbery last week from the penthouse..."

"All right then, you don't want to help me, then fine!" I cried and took off running.

"Hey!" he called. I didn't dare turn and look at him. My legs flew beneath me, still on the ground as I passed several people and stores. I looked around frantically, for some way that would lead me to the penthouse. Where could I go? I knew that by the bathrooms, they had janitor rooms and supply rooms and stuff like that. Maybe one of those rooms lead there. Or maybe I could find where all the employee break rooms were and see if there was a map or something... No, that would take too long. Should I ask someone else? But that guy just disptached literally all the mall employees here. I couldn't dart around unoticed.

How much time had passed? I suddenly realized. I was just running around in circles. I had to do something quick or else that bomb was going to go off!

I decided to find the bathrooms. I looked at a map as I whizzed past it, and scrambled to the nearest one. I was passing a clothing store when a lady security guard walked out. Hands on her hips, looking both directions, her eyes fell onto me and she barked, "Hey!" I started to run faster, my legs not feeling tired at all.