Chapter 2: Why me?

“SHUT UP AND MOVE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE TO SEE TOMORROW!” K moved all the hostages against the walls and to the ground, scurrying like mice. The bomb was planted with three minutes left. But something felt wrong, sudden thoughts of fear and uncertainty. Why was I doing this? I couldn’t even harm a fly let alone a person, so how am I able to threaten the lives of so many people? Was it because of my goals? Was I that desperate? Why me?

Riz grabbed me by my shoulder as if to snap me out of my daze, I hadn’t noticed it but time went by quick, quicker than I realised. With one minute left on the timer I began to panic, feelings of dread and guilt flooding my body. 

K screamed at the top of his lungs “GET A MOVE ON WE’RE LEAVING!” The sound of his voice pierced my ears and shook me to my core. 

My body as if acting on it’s own moved in the direction of the exit, however in doing so I managed to kick the explosive. Everyone paused and stared. Time felt like it stopped for me. I felt a small breeze at my ankle. 

“Where’s that air coming from?!” I asked Riz. I looked down and saw what appeared to be a green gas escaping the explosive, we all looked in shock while this gas poured out, not knowing what was happening. 

Then in a sudden uproar the gas blew to fill up the entire main hall of the bank. We all coughed profusely, blood leaving our lips, clenching our throats trying to stop it. Riz grabbed me and threw me through the bank windows to the curb just outside. Without realising the timer was almost at zero, I watched Riz in horror wondering why he didn’t follow me out, why he didn’t escape with the others. As he scrambled to cover the explosive in an act to perhaps dampen the blast; he looked back at me smiling like he always would, tears streaming down his cheeks and blood down his jaw. He said something, muttered under his breath, the noise of screaming and coughing muffling his sound. His lips moved and I could just about read them, 

“Live…” he said. 

Without a second to spare the bomb detonated, rumbling through the building, shattering the glass windows. A disgusting flame tearing the place apart. I could do nothing but stare in agony. My brother, the only one to care for me was gone, innocent people we used as hostages, gone, and all I could say to myself was 

“Why Riz? Why me?” The thoughts kept crossing my mind as a second explosion knocked me further back in to the street, my skin shredded and my hands pulsing, not with pain but something else. It was strange. 

Out of the smoke, a shape appeared to be leaving the remnants of the building.”RIZ!…R-Riz is that you?” I screamed to the blurry form as it exited the building. My brother, my kind brother walked out of the flames and on to the street facing me where I sat in a daze.

However it was not the Riz that I once knew…