Chapter 20: Explosives
The 28th floor is silent, survivors huddling close together as they watch Henrick’s and Alex’s group sit down around a table. Nobody makes the first move, still feeling awkward about what happened not too long ago. Dominic snorts softly and says nothing, but it was loud enough for Henrick to notice.
"You got something to say?" Henrick asks sharply, his fists clenched in frustration. "Yeah I do, why are we putting up with this guy, Alex?" Dominic asks, throwing his hands up into the air in annoyance, the bruise on his throat deepening and throbbing in pain.
Jen places a hand on Dominic’s shoulder, a flash of irritation in her eyes as she squeezes firmly. Dominic scoffs and crosses his arms, remaining silent as Alex gives him a glare too. Jacob wraps his arm around the earth manipulator and pulls him back from the discussion.
Alex gives Henrick an apologetic look as he shifts in his seat, unsure of what to say to the electric powerhouse. "Ok, so you clearly have a problem with Eric. I can get behind that." He leans back and crosses his arms, a frown gradually forming on his face. "What I can’t get behind is rushing into danger."
The words settle and Henrick scowls at the mention of the child killer. "Alright, I get it. Which floor is he on, and how do we get close?" Alex grins and turns to Jen, clearly waiting for her to explain.
"It’s like this, he’s on-" BOOM! An explosion shakes the Empire State Building, interrupting Jen and throwing the weaker survivors onto the floor. Everyone panics and scrambled to their office spaces, shoving others aside as they desperately find cover.
"HELP!!"
"OH GOD, WE’RE GONNA DIE!"
"I have to wake up from this nightmare. Please!!"
Screams bombard Henrick’s senses as much as the explosion did, the sounds blurring together at the soldier’s inexperience with sensory overload. Alex slams a fist on the table as he stands up, fire surrounding his body as he glares hatefully up at the ceiling.
"Damn it, he’s doing it again!!" Alex spits out, clenching his jaw so hard that you can hear his teeth grinding. Father David turns to Alex with a confused look, wondering what he’s talking about. "Who’s he? Eric?" the priest asks, taking a guess based on their earlier conversation.
Jen shakes her head, zipping by while helping people and sporadically speaking. "It’s...not...Eric...not...stupid." her words come delayed as she picks people up from the floor, but her message is clear.