AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They have the chemical,” he says in a low voice. “Fuck!”
As we watch, the metal on the door grows bright, changing from shiny silver to a fiery orange and then a burning red. Oh shit, the flamethrower’s working. Our impenetrable little room is no longer impenetrable, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re assaulted.
10
Lori
Panic sets in, and I try to breathe even as bullets of sweat run down my brow.
I don’t want to die, I scream in my head. I want to meet this baby, and I want a long life with the man I love.
I look at Caleb. He looks ready to fight, even if it costs him his life. At that second, I have a moment of crystal clear clarity. This man adores me, and I feel the same about him. If we die, we die together, although the thought makes me nauseous.
But you’re a chemist, Lori, I remind myself. And a damn good one at that. There’s got to be something you can do.
Inspiration strikes then.
“Caleb,” I hiss, my voice loud and sharp. He swivels his head my way.
“What is it?” he rasps, flinching a bit as a spark hits his arm.
I take a deep breath.
“What’s the chemical in the flame? What’s making this flamethrower so powerful it can melt a steel door?”
Caleb grimaces, his eyes turning back to the glowing metal.
“The manufacturer developed a new additive called picadine, which slowly but surely destroys the atomic structure of steel. It’s literally in the flame itself now. Ultimately, it’ll pulverize this door.”
“Picadine,” I repeat, racking my brain. “Yes, I know it. At least, I’ve heard of it.” Caleb shoots me a startled look, and at that moment, my eyes land on the pregnancy test still sitting on the desk. “I have an idea.”
My boyfriend shoots me a glance, his features drawn yet hopeful.
“What is it?” he barks, ready to spring into action.
I bolt to the other side of the room and grab a fire extinguisher from the wall before walking back to the desk to seize the jar of green liquid. Caleb watches intently, ready to spring into action.
“This is going to sound insane,” I preface, “but I need you to trust me.”
“I do,” he says simply enough.
I take a deep breath, the room growing increasingly hot, reminding me that we don’t have much time.
“This is a pregnancy test,” I tell Caleb while holding out the jar of green liquid. “I know it doesn’t look like one, but I developed this test in my lab, and actually, it’s what I came over to talk to you about,” I say rush. “I’m pregnant with your baby.”
My man literally staggers back a bit, losing his balance.
“Holy shit,” he says. I don’t know if he’s happy, sad, or merely shocked, but this isn’t the time to figure that out. Instead, I press on.
“But this pregnancy test is going to save us because it uses a chemical called oppodium which can stop picadine in its tracks. Basically, it’ll neutralize the flamethrower, and we’ll be able to make a quick escape. We just have to throw the liquid from this jar onto the opening of the weapon.”
Caleb blinks rapidly, processing this information.
“So you think we can stop this thing?” he asks in a low tone.
I nod. “Yes, I do.”
He thinks for a moment, but then grimaces.
“This might be crazy, but it’s our best shot. What do I need to do?”
I hand him the fire extinguisher. “When we open the door, spray the crap out of them with this. Really knock ‘em in the face.”
“Okay, but how will we get the oppodium on the flamethrower then?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Don’t worry, that’s my role. You distract them with the foam from the fire extinguisher, and I’ll disable the weapon by throwing the oppodium onto the gun. It will neutralize the picadine immediately, and then we’ll be able to escape while they’re still trying to figure out what happened. It’s a shock and awe tactic, but it should work.”
But my boyfriend shakes his head.
“I can’t let you do this,” he says in a hoarse voice, those blue eyes emotional. “You’re pregnant with my baby, sweetheart. It’s too dangerous.”
I take a deep breath.
“Caleb, you can’t do both jobs, so let me play my part,” I say in a firm tone. “Now, let’s do this.”
He looks ready to argue for a moment, but then clenches his jaw and nods sharply.
“You’re right. Let’s do it.”
But before I can move, Caleb breaks form and pulls me in for a quick but passionate kiss. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and when he pulls back, those blue eyes flash with emotion.
“I love you, Lori,” he rasps. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now, when our lives are in danger, but I want you to know.”
