Chapter 5 - The Dead Man's Switch
Valerie covered Lila's mouth gently to muffle the child's terrified whimpers.
The red timer on the vest suddenly dropped from thirty-nine minutes down to ten minutes in a single leap.
The device was actively responding to a signal from somewhere nearby.
Valerie pulled her own cell phone from her pocket and turned on the lowest setting of the flashlight.
She examined the strange black box attached to the metallic mesh.
There was a small silver needle hovering just millimeters above Lila's bare skin.
The device was not a bomb meant to destroy the school.
It was a lethal injection system designed to kill the child if the vest was tampered with.
Valerie felt a cold sweat break out across her forehead as she realized the true depth of Richard Mercer's desperation.
He had turned his own daughter into a walking dead man's switch.
Lila whispered that she felt really hot and dizzy.
Valerie checked the child's pulse and found it racing dangerously fast.
Footsteps echoed loudly down the concrete corridor as Officer Davis closed in on their hiding spot.
He was shining a bright tactical flashlight along the walls, searching for them.
He called out into the darkness, promising Valerie that she could walk away safely if she just handed over the girl.
He explained that Richard Mercer had stolen a digital ledger containing the names of every corrupt official in the city.
The ledger was hidden inside a microchip embedded within the plastic casing of the vest.
Richard had programmed the vest to kill his own daughter if he did not input a biometric fingerprint every hour.
He was using Lila's life as ultimate leverage to ensure his own safe passage out of the country.
Valerie felt sick to her stomach at the horrible revelation.
The loving father she had met at conferences was actually a ruthless criminal mastermind.
The timer on the vest beeped loudly, dropping down to eight minutes.
Officer Davis heard the beep and immediately swung his flashlight toward the water heater.
The blinding beam of light caught Valerie directly in the face.
Davis smiled cruelly and raised his weapon, preparing to execute the teacher.
Before he could pull the trigger, a heavy steel pipe swung out of the darkness behind him.
The pipe struck the officer squarely in the back of the head with a sickening crack.
Davis dropped his gun and crumpled to the floor, completely unconscious.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, breathing heavily and bleeding from a deep cut on his forehead.
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Valerie raised her phone light to illuminate the savior's face.
It was Richard Mercer, looking like he had just walked through a war zone.
