"I can’t do that. She’s already in a safe place. And please, don't detonate the bomb," she said. “We’ll both die if you do.”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You don’t know me at all, but I’ll share a personal fact with you. I don't listen to what people like you say. I never have and I never will. I’m a rebel. But now, thanks to you, I’m an angry rebel, who had a failure."
"You're a terrorist," May retorted.
"Don't flatter me, lady cop. The term 'terrorist' is so overused these days, but yes, I suppose you could call me that. I'm an activist and I believe that violence is the only way to get the results I need for my personal mission, and I am prepared to bring the full force of that violence down on those who oppose me. And those who prevent me from achieving my goals," he added threateningly.
She kept her hand still at her side, knowing if she made a move, he would see. She didn’t even dare to twitch her fingers. She was pretty sure that he would follow through on his threats, and it would be the end.
A car behind them exploded. The blast reverberated through the basement and they both jumped. May felt an immediate pang of anxiety for Owen. Had he been near that car? Where was the other exit point he was hoping to find?
Would he get out okay?
She was terrified that he’d come back to find her and that his arrival would trigger the killer. This entire situation was teetering on a knife-edge of possibilities, none of them good.
“I only just got here. I don’t even know much about you,” she tried. Perhaps if she could get him talking, he might be less trigger-happy about the bomb. “Why are you doing this?”
"My problem is with society as a whole. It's corrupt. People do what they want. And innocent people get caught up in it. I just set the balance right. But I've got a lot more to do. I have many more targets in my sight. I'm nowhere near done yet. I’ve almost completed my personal hit list, but then I’m going to move on. You have no clue what an exciting time I have planned. But anyway, all this is the reason I can't let you stop me. The reason you have to let me walk away, or you die. And then I die too. So, if I were you, I’d just close my eyes. When you open them, I’ll be gone."
May felt a chill. This man had her trapped. She couldn't use her gun or she would die. He was willing to let them both die if he had to, but otherwise he was coercing her to look away so he could escape. And if she did that, then he would carry on with his deadly mission.
Could she possibly distract him enough to get to her gun? It was her only hope right now. He was egotistical, that she saw. If he kept talking, perhaps he’d get carried away with his diatribe and forget about the explosion.
"So, you're going to keep killing to get your message out?"
"You're right. You're absolutely correct."
“Do you think you’re more intelligent than most of society?” May asked, pandering to that monster ego she sensed.
“Of course I am. People are stupid and blind.”
“So you’re opening their eyes?”
“Exactly. I've ignited a fire, a big fire. I've lit a fuse that is going to cause a lot of people to pay attention to the injustices of society. I'm going to get people to consider how things could be done differently.”
“Couldn’t you do it differently?” she quizzed.
“How else would I get the message out?” he replied disparagingly.
Her talking hadn’t worked so far. His hand was still tight on the bomb. He wasn’t relaxing the way she needed him to.
May knew she had very little time left. The building was collapsing around them. The blaze was getting closer. In a matter of moments, they would both be trapped here.
She would die, and May had to force herself to accept this terrible reality. She would just have to try and be brave.
Smoke was swirling closer, reminding her of a figure, creeping in the shadows.
Only then, May saw that it actually was a figure, creeping in the shadows. It was Owen. He was sidling from behind the ruined car, creeping to the pillar a few yards to the left of Dirk. He must have arrived back and overheard her dialogue with the killer.
Now, he was maneuvering around, trying to get behind him. She dared to allow herself the faintest breath of hope. If he managed to surprise him from behind, Dirk might just let go of that bomb. She didn’t think Owen would risk a shot, knowing that if he didn’t kill Dirk outright then he would still be able to detonate the bomb. She thought he was going to go for a physical tackle, to grab his arms. Or maybe grasp his throat, to cause him to reflexively let go of that device.
May had never thought she’d be in such a risky situation in her entire life, and now, the pressure was on her. Now, she had to keep Dirk’s focus on her, or he might see Owen and then it would all be over.
"What would your father say if he saw you now?" she asked.
The question startled him. He stared at her in shock.
"My father?" he said, his eyes narrowing. "How do you know about my father?"