Not a killer

Chapter 14

It was exactly a week after my encounter with Antonio's dad when something out of the usual happened. 

I was casually in the firing range that morning when Wade walked over to me.

"Come with me" he said.

"Why?"

"Just come"

And so I followed him all the way out of the gym and up the lift, until arriving at the control room.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"You'll see"

We finally stopped at one side of the room, where Antonio and a few others were waiting.

"Ah, hello Zack" said Antonio.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked "Tie me to a spaceship and send me to the moon?"

"No, no, muchacho. Since you sneaked in here the other day with that idiot Barry and saw what happened, I am guessing you know what those men were doing."

"The guys on the screen? Yeah, they were..." I sighed "...planting a bomb."

"Precisely. And why do you think I have brought you here today?"

"Oh no"

"Yes! Zack, you are going to plant a bomb!"

"Well hurra" I muttered ironically under my breath.

"You'll finally get a chance to breathe in fresh air once more! So, what do you think?"

"That I am about to throw up" I growled "Because I know that I won't have a choice, will I?"

"Obviously not, muchacho. Remember?" he gestured toward his hand, where he was holding that cursed little red button: the detonator of the thing inside me, a bomb of my own.

"All I have to do is..." 

He pretended to press the little thing. And then he laughed out loud.

"Yes, yes, very funny" I said "How does that thing even work anyway?"

"Aha. Well, once I press this button, the device in your neck doesn't actually explode. Instead, it releases a small liquid that will start to spread through your blood stream (in other words, through your entire body). Now, the poison is so strong that in about a minute you'll have passed out completely, and then, you die. It's a devilish little thing, isn't it?"

I couldn't believe he was actually admiring it. A poison, a deadly weapon. Incredible.

"Oh, just get on with it and tell me what I have to do" I growled.

"Yes, yes, quite right."

"In fact, where am I even doing this thing?"

"In an office block"

"What?! Why?"

"I have an enemy that works there. He's the boss of a company. So once you plant the bomb, I'll phone him up and tell him that if he doesn't transfer a huge amount of money into my bank account, I'll blow up his office building. Knowing him, he'll definitely transfer it all inmediately. Of course, I'll detonate the bomb anyway"

"Oh" I said slowly, prettending to understand his logic.

"And that's all, I suppose. I'll send a couple of men with you, including Wade here, just so that you don't get up to any mischief" he said, winking "But remember Zack, we're controling your every move. Please, don't do anything stupid and just get the job done."

"When are we doing it?" I asked.

"Ah, yes. To get things done with, I say tomorrow night. Good?"

I didn't even answer.

"Right that's all" said Wade "Now let's get back downstairs"

But just as I turned to head for the lift, I saw at the corner of my eye Antonio quietly handing the button to Wade, muttering:

"When the job's finished, press it"

My heart almost skipped a beat, but I tried to remain calm and continued forward, prettending I hadn't heard anything.

***

A while later, I was back in my basement, all alone.

I walked back and forward across the room, my gaze fixed on the ground, deep in thought.

I believed my time had almost come. My chance of freedom was near. Tomorrow night, I was going to try to escape. It had to be then, for it was the closest opportunity I was going to get, and I wasn't going to miss it. I would fight them off in the office, or die trying. 

But I had to be careful. If Wade saw one false move, he surely woudn't doubt about pressing the button. The button that would cost my life. That's why I had to go for him first. I would pounce on him first, retrieve the button, then fight off the others.

It looked like I had myself a plan.