Chapter Thirty-Three - Victoria
The shooting. They are shooting. More and more and more shooting.
He’s dead, Tori. And you killed him. He’s dead and you’re stuck here without him. And you’re going to die too.
No.
I stand up in the brush.
No.
I start making my way back. Fuck that. They are not getting him. I will not live the rest of my life knowing that he died to save me and I did nothing to help. Even if I have to kill them with my bare hands for revenge only, I’m going back.
I get about fifty feet when there’s a loud boom!
Instantaneously I’m on the ground, my face pressed into the wet grass and dirt.
What the hell was that?
I get up and start running again, not stopping until I reach that little clearing on the hill. I climb the tower as fast as I can, praying that these people are too busy to be looking. Too busy with their mission to notice me.
And when I get halfway up, I cling to the metal rungs, unable to believe what I’m seeing.
A tall pillar of smoke a couple miles away.
They blew up the house on the other island.
That’s what was in that box.
Explosives.
Holy shit. What the fuck is happening?
I climb down and start running again. The shouting is loud and I can hear one voice in particular giving orders.
Why does it sound familiar?
Who cares, Victoria? Just do something!
I slow down when that commanding voice gets closer. “He’s dead,” he yells. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before the whole thing explodes!”
No. No, no, no.
I stand up and rush towards the voice, making so much noise in the underbrush, I cannot believe he can’t hear me when he comes into view.
Everyone else is running away, back towards the hovering helicopter. They are lifted up, one at a time, and still that one lone man waits, the back of his head swiveling from side to side, like he’s the lookout.
When he turns his body in my direction, I duck and pray that he didn’t see me.
“Vance!” someone yells. “Vance, we gotta go! We only have one minute!”
I don’t want to think of what will happen in one minute, but I know. They are blowing up this house too.
This guy’s name is Vance. Paxton Vance.
He set us up.
“I see you,” he says, the underbrush crunching under his boots as he draws closer. “And you’re going to do exactly as I say if you want to stay alive, Victoria Arias.”
I stand up and shake my head. “I’m going to kill you, Mr. Mysterious. I’m going to kill you and get you back for what you did.”
“Vance!” the guys yell again. “Vance!”
“No,” he says calmly as he extends his hand. “You’re going to come with me and do as you’re told. Because in thirty seconds, that house is gonna explode.”
“Vance!” His friends are frantic now.
“Stop, Tori!” Weston yells.
There’s shooting in response. Not from Vance, who is standing still when Weston’s bullet hits him in the center of his chest. But from the other guys.
“Drop!” West yells. “Drop!”
I do it on instinct. My face hits the ground again as bullets fly past over my head.
He was alive.
He was alive.
And now he’s standing in the middle of a rainstorm of bullets.
The shooting stops and the helicopter whines, circling over the top of me, but the trees are too thick for them to aim.
And just as quick as all this started, it ends.
The helicopter tilts, and flies off.
I wait for the silence but it never comes.
Because that’s when the house explodes in a fireball.
I stay where I’m at for minutes, at least.
“Miss Arias?”
That motherfucker is not still alive.
“Miss Arias? Are you hurt?”
What is happening?
“Answer me, goddammit.”
“Tori,” West calls. “Tori! Where the fuck is she, dude?”
I stand up, unable to believe it. But he’s there. West is there, standing next to his friend, who has a bullet hole in his chest.
“What the fuck is going on?” I scream.
I run up to Paxton Vance and punch him in the face. He grabs hold of me by my arms, but West is there, tackling him to the ground.
I fall with them, and the three of us struggle.
I grab Vance’s rifle and pull, but he jerks back. “Tell her, asshole. Tell her before she gets us all killed!” Vance yells.
“He’s on our side, Tori. Just calm down! He’s on our side!”
I stop struggling and just lie there, panting. “What is happening? What the fuck just happened?”
“It’s OK,” West says, pulling me up off the ground. Vance gets up, pulling the barrel of his rifle out of my grip as I stand.
“I’m the fucking cavalry, Arias. So quit your bullshit and give me a fucking minute to explain.”