Chapter 9 - The Sacrifice
The sudden, terrifying beep of the accelerated timer echoed loudly in the confined space of the underground sewer tunnel.
"Get up the ladder, right now!" Damiano roared, shoving Elena and Mia violently toward the rusty iron rungs.
He knew there was absolutely no time left to argue, no time to disarm the trap, and barely enough time to breathe.
The heavy blast doors of his subterranean vault were only fifty feet behind them, offering the only chance of containment.
Without a second thought for his own survival, Damiano sprinted backward down the dark tunnel toward the reinforced steel room.
"Damiano, no!" Elena screamed from the ladder, realizing instantly what the brave man was intending to do with the bomb.
He ignored her desperate cries, his powerful legs carrying him across the damp concrete faster than he had ever run in his life.
The digital timer on the device in his hand beeped frantically, counting down the final, agonizing five seconds of existence.
Four seconds remained as he hurled himself through the open doorway of the vault, his boots slipping on the bloody tile.
Three seconds left as he violently threw the rigged dead-man's switch into the deepest corner of the reinforced safe room.
Two seconds as he dove back out into the tunnel, grabbing the massive iron handle of the vault door with both hands.
One second remained as he put all his supernatural strength into slamming the heavy, impenetrable steel door completely shut.
The world ended in a blinding flash of orange fire and a concussive shockwave that defied human comprehension.
Even through the reinforced steel and concrete, the sheer force of the explosion picked Damiano up and threw him violently through the air.
He slammed hard against the tunnel wall, his vision flashing brilliantly white before instantly fading into absolute, crushing blackness.
Silence, heavy and ringing, descended upon the ruined underground passage like a thick, suffocating blanket of dust.
Minutes or perhaps hours later, the sound of weeping slowly penetrated the thick fog clouding Damiano's fractured consciousness.
He groaned in agony, feeling the rough, damp concrete against his cheek and the horrible, sharp pain of broken ribs.
"He's breathing, Mommy, he's still breathing!" a tiny, joyful voice cried out through the settling smoke and darkness.
Damiano forced his heavy eyelids open, finding little Mia kneeling beside him, her tear-stained face glowing in the beam of a dropped flashlight.
Elena was right behind her, using strips of her torn uniform to bandage a deep laceration on his forehead.
"You foolish, incredibly brave man," Elena whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she gently wiped the dust from his face.
"You kept your promise, Damiano; you saved us all."
Damiano managed a weak, painful smile, reaching up to gently squeeze the little girl's trembling hand.
"I told you," he rasped, coughing up a small amount of dust, "a father always protects his family."
May you like
Suddenly, a heavy beam of light cut through the smoke from the far end of the tunnel, followed by the sound of numerous approaching footsteps.
"Well, well, well, isn't this a touching little family reunion," a dark, heavily accented voice mocked from the shadows.
