Chapter 2 - The Red Numbers
The glowing red numbers reflected in David’s panicked eyes as the timer hit two minutes and fifty seconds.
He carefully lifted the heavy black device out of the pink backpack.
It was not a bomb, but rather a highly sophisticated military-grade tracking and communication beacon.
David recognized the design immediately from his classified deployments overseas a decade ago.
He turned to his terrified daughter and asked her very softly where she had found the device.
Lily sniffled and wiped her tears, pointing toward the playground outside the window.
She explained that a nice man in a suit had given it to her during recess and told her to keep it a secret.
David felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead as he realized his family had been targeted.
He looked back at Julian, who was still sitting calmly with his arms crossed.
David demanded to know why the boy had told him to relax earlier.
Julian stated that screaming would not help them survive the people who were currently surrounding the building.
The boy calmly explained that his own father was a billionaire tech CEO with a lot of dangerous enemies.
Julian assumed the men outside were here to kidnap him for a massive ransom.
But a sudden, sharp burst of static from the black device interrupted the boy's theory.
The beacon was a two-way radio, and a deep, electronically disguised voice began to speak through the speaker.
The voice echoed through the silent classroom, completely ignoring Julian's existence.
The mysterious caller addressed David by his real, classified call sign from the military.
The voice stated that David had exactly two minutes to surrender himself to the men in the hallway.
If David refused, the caller promised to turn the entire school into a graveyard.
David rushed to the thick reinforced window and peered through the blinds.
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The playground was entirely empty, but a distinct red laser sight suddenly swept across the glass.
The laser stopped moving and settled perfectly squarely on Julian’s chest.
