Tears rolled down in rivulets down Carol's cheeks. She could hear the finality in Courtney's words and see the bloodlust in her eyes. The Blackwell heiress was eager to shed blood.
Carol tried to reason with herself. Revealing the new element's location would endanger Caesar but won't immediately kill him. However, at the moment, her family was a sliver away from death.
"Tell her what she wants to know, you stupid girl!" Martha scolded her. "What else is more important to you than your family? I'd slap you right now if I could!"
"What are you waiting for?" her father chimed in. "Will you ever forgive yourself if we die for your pigheadedness? Give it to her!"
Josh was already wailing like a pig, unable to bear the pain from his slashed cheek. The brat had always been like that, pampered and protected. Even the slightest discomfort made him spiral into a tantrum.
Carol looked from her mother to her father to her brother. There was no way out but to give in to Courtney's demand.
"Alright. I'll tell you where it is," she replied in a broken voice. "Just let my family go."
The Blackwell heiress cackled aloud. "Now, that's like a good girl!"
She snapped her fingers. One of the guards approached Carol with an iPad. She typed in the coordinates and pressed enter. It zeroed in on a specific location in the mines.
"Ooh, that's far from here," Courtney said, zooming in. "Hmm. We'll have to take a chopper."
She clapped her hands together authoritatively. "Everyone! It's a wrap! Prepare to evacuate the gas station in five minutes!"
The terrorist group began running around, packing their things. Carol exhaled slowly, repenting her actions. She had betrayed Caesar, but at least her family was safe for the time being.
Two men came around and began fixing a complicated device on Josh.
"Wait…" Carol said in confusion. "What is that? What are you doing to my brother?"
Courtney sniggered. "Monolith can't leave any traces that we were here. That device is a time bomb powerful enough to blow up the gas station. Actually, the explosion will be much larger once a spark reaches the underground fuel. The more sparkly, the better, right?"
"No!" Carol exclaimed. "You promised to let us go! Leave my brother alone!"
The Blackwell heiress threw back her head and laughed. "I promised no such thing. But to be fair, I will let everyone else escape. Even you! I won't let you think your bestie is horrible. However…. We need one of your pigs to die. You know, for aesthetic purposes."
Carol was tongue-tied. They intended to kill one of her family members from the beginning. Why did she trust the woman in the first place?
"Please… Josh is young and innocent," Martha begged. "He is my only son with a long life ahead of him. Please let him go. If you want to attach the bomb to someone, let Carol be the patsy!"
"Yes, my dear," Ronald pleaded with his daughter. "You won't let your brother die in vain, will you? It is your duty to protect him! Let them attach the bomb to you!"
"Sis, please don't let them do this to me!" Josh bawled. "Please wear the bomb instead of me! I don't want to die!"
Carol's heart sank. She bit her lip so hard that it bled. A faint ringing sounded in her ears.
What was that her parents were trying to convince her to do? To die in Josh's place? Had they forgotten she was their child too? They didn't even think twice before asking her to sacrifice her life. They were quick to push her forward to be the victim.
"What do you say, bestie?" Courtney asked with a smirk. "I'd hate for your beautiful face to disappear from the world, but I'll leave the choice to you."
Carol's eyes met Courtney's, and she nodded speechlessly. She was willing to give up her life for her family. It wasn't even a choice for her.
Courtney guffawed and snapped her fingers. The bomb engineers took the device off Josh and instead strapped it on Carol.
Ronald, Martha, and Josh's handcuffs were removed. The trio looked around in confusion, finding it hard to believe they were actually released. Once the Ateliers were convinced it was not a trick, they scampered out of the gas station like rats.
Carol watched her family escaping without even turning to look back. They didn't even bother to say goodbye to her. Fresh, warm tears filled her eyes as she knelt weeping.
The gas station was evacuated within minutes. A chopper landed outside, waiting for Courtney. The latter knelt beside Carol, who was fastened to a pipeline.
"So pretty…" she said, touching Carol's face. "I want to take something from you before I leave."
Courtney kissed her on the lips. "Now I have stolen your last kiss. Or was it the first kiss as well? It was tasty anyway. Now I have a return gift for you."
Carol cringed and eyed Courtney anxiously. What other surprise did the demoness have for her? Wasn't strapping an explosive device to her satisfactory enough?
"You know… I met your ex-husband, Victor. I thought I'd seduce him, but he acted too aloof. And why wouldn't he? You are so much prettier and holier than you—just the kind of woman he likes. Therefore, Victor has eyes for nobody else. However, I offered him a slice of the cake you had made. He gladly gobbled it up—the emotional fool."
"What have you done?" Carol exclaimed in exasperation. Courtney was ramping up to a scary revelation.
"I poisoned Victor," the girl replied, grinning ear to ear. "I was feeling bored, so I killed him. Surprisingly, you don't know that yet. What rock have you been living under? Hasn't there been a funeral? Never mind, my point was—he's dead!"
Carol shook her head in disbelief. "No. No. No. You're lying!"
"Goodbye, bestie!" Courtney said. "Your beloved ex is probably rotting somewhere. Maybe I'll return to Springfield sometime later and finish off your family too. Depends on my mood. We'll see."
The Blackwell heiress got to her feet and left the gas station cackling. The chopper took off momentarily.
Silence. The time bomb's digital meter ticked on mercilessly. It was the only sound disturbing her thoughts.
Minutes passed by, and Carol stayed unmoving. She was in a trance of denial. The young woman stared into the distance blankly, barely breathing. It couldn't be… Her life couldn't possibly have taken such a dark turn.
The timer beeped a warning tone, shattering her trance. It meant only two minutes were left before the bomb detonated.
Carol began to weep in anguish. "Am I really going to die like this? Alone and abandoned?"
"What a miserable life I have,' Carol thought. "Victor distanced himself from me to avoid my toxic family. No, actually, I was the toxic one who pushed him away. I never understood Victor and always tortured him at every step, taking my family's side. And now, I am responsible for his demise. It's time I accept that I am poison to everyone around me."
"My own flesh and blood didn't care if I lived or died. They wanted me to be patsy while they scampered away like cowards. Perhaps I deserve it."
Carol's face was soggy with tears. She wheezed and cried out aloud. Her heart felt as if it would explode at any moment. "I don't want to die! Isn't there anybody in the world who loves me? Who wants me to live!"
Crash! Something dropped from the sky and landed on the tarmac outside, causing a tremor. Carol couldn't see anything clearly because the afternoon sun cast shadows. Moreover, tears clouded her eyes, making her vision blurry.
All she could make out was a tall figure. A man. What was going on?
Carol's eyes darted to the bomb's timer.
[00:01:10]
Only about one minute was left before detonation. She had to warn the stranger to stay away. Using the final ounce of energy in her body, Carol screamed out aloud. "Run away! There's a time bomb here! It's about to explode! Run as far as you can!"
However, the man didn't heed her warnings. He briskly walked towards her instead.
The man looked like he had taken a shower over his clothes. He was dripping wet, but soot and dirt still covered his body.
Carol lowered her eyes in despair to check the time bomb's meter.
[00:45:00]
It was too late. Even if the man dashed away at an Olympic runner's speed, he wouldn't escape the explosion's range. He was destined to die with her.
Carol raised her eyes to find the mysterious man hovering above her. She thought bitterly, 'At least I won't die alone.'
Now that light illuminated the man, Carol recognized the very familiar carnival mask on his face. An anxious whimper escaped her.
"Caesar?"