Delayed Diagnosis {Book 1 of the Rex Obasi Trilogy}

Chapter 62

I stared at the timer for what seemed like eternity, looking dumbstruck.

Where would I get the last digit from? What do I do? What? Was this the end? Was this how I was going to die? No...there had to be a way. I had to figure something out....

Beep beep!

Two short beeps brought my eyes to the timer. It read:

00:00:58

Christ! Less than a minute left. I didn't want to die! Not like this. I still had my parents. I couldn't believe I wouldn't see them again, my sisters, my nephews and nieces. I was their favourite uncle and the thought of not seeing them again, fake boxing with the older ones and throwing the younger ones in the air was a painful thought...too painful.

The worst thought was not seeing Olivia again. Being robbed off the possible future we could have together....

Get a grip of yourself! A voice scolded me and I shook the thoughts out of my head and blinked rapidly.

00:00:33

I needed to think back....

The night I had seen Mr X, he had been swift in giving me the phony code. Too swift and I had wondered if he had given me a fake one.

He had acted a bit creepy and I had been in a haste to leave his house but now I thought back to his attitude. The line about his daughter being an interior designer had seemed to get under his skin and he told me the code after that...but there was something in the way he had said it.

I looked at the timer once more;
00:00:19

What if he had given me the code and the same time withheld it from me?

"My God what am saying?" I thought aloud but the hasty countdown couldn't let me consider my mental state.

Instead I forced myself to grasp the train of thought and think back...

What if he wanted to free his conscience considering his daughters’ memories but at the same time his bitterness wouldn't let him let go easily?

I thought hard, shutting my eyes.

He had said 386...What if he meant 3-8-6…
Three eight six...
Three eight....three eight....eight in three places...then six?

Beep beep!

I opened my eyes in horror: 00:00:08

The countdown was at it’s final stage. I raised my finger slowly.

There was no other choice. If I was wrong, I was dead anyway. If I didn't risk it I was also dead.

I keyed the first two letters:
8 8 _ _
00:00:05
8 8 8 _
00:00:03
8 8 8 6

I squeezed my eyes shut expecting to hear the beep or any sound that would signal emitting of gas. When there was silence, I opened one eye first then the other.

The timer read; 00:00:02

Two breathless seconds after it still read: 00:00:02

It had worked!

My knees were suddenly weak and I melted to the floor.

I breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm my racing pulse.

Then slowly I got to my feet. I had just saved everybody in the hall, including the chief but it was time to take him down.

I brought out my phone and dialled the last called number.