Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 18

Adrius's POV

As soon as I return to my room after the tour, I collapse onto the bed in exhaustion, both physically and mentally. As I lay on my bed, trying to clear my head, I hear a knock on the door.

Grimacing, I walk over and open it, revealing a short, black haired girl with a slender frame. Her eyes are an icy blue, but instead of coldness, I see an intense panic in her eyes. 

"You have to listen to me," she whispers urgently. "Please, you..."

I motion for her to come inside, and she shuts the door behind her. Silently, I angle my body towards the wall, and slide open the panel on the wall behind me. Then I inch my finger along the edge until I can find a small, round button. I press down immediately, and the small red dot blinking in the camera on my ceiling goes out. 

I glance at my watch. 21:35:30. This conversation has to end at 21:38:30. The system alerts my father's office when anyone's monitor is disabled for more than 3 minutes. The monitor was installed after we got the message that the government was going to attack us. My father did this so that he could find out who was the spy. 

Anyways, I wasn't even supposed to disable the monitor in the first place. But I got so frustrated that I managed to toggle the wires behind the wall so that I could disable the monitor whenever I want. 

"What is it? Hurry, we only have a few minutes..."

"Dmitri is lying to you." The girl looks around the room nervously, as if someone will just pop up out of nowhere. 

"How? How is he lying to us?" I can feel the sweat pooling in my palms as I struggle to think clearly. That means we have an enemy in our building. Not just an enemy. An enemy that brought backup.

"He doesn't want to help you. He doesn't want to help TCD. He's just trying to get you to let your guard down. He planted bombs inside 3 of us to..."

"Wait what? 3 bombs?" Suddenly, I feel lightheaded, and I put my palm against the wall for support. "What do you mean inside..."

"Three of us, including me, has a bomb implanted inside one of our body cavities. The bomb can only be activated by swallowing a pill." She pulls back her sleeve to reveal a small metal panel on the inside of her forearm. There is a small red LED light near the top of the panel, and when she presses her thumb against the metal, the light turns green and slides to the left. Inside are three small holes, each with a white pill nesting in it. 

I swallow back bile as the girl pushes the panel back in place and rolls down her sleeve. 

"So...when does he plan to activate the bombs? I mean...when is he planning to command you three to activate the bombs?"

"Tonight. At midnight."

I glance at my watch. 21:38:03.

"I appreciate you coming forward to tell me. But you need to leave. Now. It's for your safety."

She nods and darts out the door. I lean against the wall, trying to even out my breathing. Then I reactivate the monitor, shoving the panel back into place only when I see the small red dot blinking in the center of the camera.

Then I walk slowly back my bed, sitting down on the edge in a daze. What should I do next? Should I tell my father? How do I explain how I got this information? 

I don't want to sacrifice the identity of the girl, but I need to find someone to help me. To help us. To help TCD. 

And so I sit down at my desk and start typing away on my computer, facing away from the monitor so that my father wouldn't know what I'm doing. After a few minutes, I have finished typing a long letter containing all the information that the girl has given me. 

Then I create an anonymous account, and use it to send the letter to my main account. I forward the letter to my father, and send a quick text to tell him to check his inbox.

I wish I didn't have to tell him. I wish I didn't have to risk my safety and the girl's anonymity. But the truth is, I can't do this by myself. I can't carry this burden. I can't carry the responsibility of the lives of thousands of people. 

And so I have to reach out to my father. I have to ask him for help.

We don't have much time. I glance at my watch. 21:58:53.