Bomb-short story

This is short story I made for my university  coursework would love to know what you all think.

short story 

Bomb 

“Don’t come back you asshole”, beep. He put the phone back in the compartment of the car When John’s voice came on the earpiece. “Do you see an old blue garage door?” Ray stepped out of his black car. It was as dark as the sky at night. He tapped on his ear piece. “Yeah I see it John, is that where it’s being stored?” Ray stared directly at the derelict house. He felt the cold air blow over what little hair he had left. He did not see any cameras or men guarding the garage. “John, are you positive your information is correct.”

 “My Intel is never wrong. I am offended that you even have to ask. How long have we known each other Ray?”

“Too long John too long ha”

 “Ray, you know you did not have to handle this mission, I would have been fine being in the field by myself.”

“Shut it John, you know you’re in no condition to carry this one out what with that busted leg of yours, and I can’t believe you tried to leave me out the loop on this, good thing I came over to see what you were working on.”

“Yeah Ray, good thing you did… back up will be with you shortly.”

Ray ran up to the garage door sliding his hand underneath. The door got jammed and left a small gap. Ray got on his knees and crawled in through. Once inside he pulled on a piece of string. A dim light filled the room. Ray’s mouth fell open; he saw under the dull light a metallic box with flashing buttons lighting up like slot machines. A glowing green timer stuck out on top of the box.  Twenty three minutes remaining.   

Ray tapped his ear. “John this is going is going be a problem.”

“Why Ray, what’s wrong. What do you see?” Ray franticly spun his head around the room, he could see a calendar with the year 2058 November 22. There were a bunch of tools hanging on the wall, saws, hammers and wire cutters and below that, an old radiator.  Along the right side was some writing that looked like it had been carved into the surface.

Ray could just make out few of the words in the poor lighting. ‘The old must make way for the new.’ Beep! Ray turned his head back to the Bomb in the room. Twenty one minutes remaining. A glowing green aura flashed in his eyes. An orb or sphere what kind of bomb is this?”

“The coast seems clear. Just seems like there is a bunch of psycho babble by that nutty terrorist group Gaia on the wall. John, there is this huge glowing green sphere. What kind of bomb is this? I have never seen anything quite like it before. How do I disarm this? What are we dealing with here John? Where is that back-up!?”

“Calm down Ray! They’re on their way; you know you really should have just stayed home with your family.” Just stop you don’t need this job to be with us don’t you walk out that door. He heard her words play in his head. Family he said under his breath.

Ray gazed on at the timer watching every little second go by. Each one made his insides twist.  Beep 20 minutes. “John where are they I can’t wait.”

“You are right Ray; you’re going to have to do this by yourself.”

Ray hastily grabbed the wire cutters off the wall and made his way over to the jungle of wires. He looked on at the monster standing before him. “John what the fuck do I do.”

“Ray, just take it easy mate. There should be a blue wire, cut that it should slow down the timer, all bombs have them.” His eyes darted all over the maze of wires scanning from right to left.

“There are about four blue wires, which one am I meant to fucking cut, John!”

“John! John! Are you there?” There’s been no reply just the sound of a bee buzzing in his ear. He felt the sweat starting to form around his forehead ‘beep 19 minutes remaining.’ He held the cutters over the mess of wires. He tried to remember how to disarm a bomb but he never dealt with an explosive of this magnitude before. The wire cutters shock in his hands as he moved them over to one of the many blue cables that he could see. What the fuck do I do? No pressure just thousands upon thousands of people’s lives in my hands, but no fucking sweat I can do this. Ray moved the cutters over to thickest blue wire. “It’s always the blue one” he said to himself. His eyes shut like metal doors slamming down. ‘Beep 19 minutes.’

His forehead felt like a waterfall had been formed on top of it. He could hear his own rapid heart beating all over the place as if it were a fish trying to swim upstream. Just cut it he told himself again and again.

“John I really need you right now.”  Still nothing, come on hands work with me just cut the damn wire, it’s the right one. His hands pulled back from the blue wire. Beep 18 minutes. His hands rebelled against him. Just fucking cut it! He lifted one hand away to wipe the sweat from his brow.  His hands felt like cinder blocks please work with me here!  

He shut his eyes once more breathing in the air around him. Just press down on cutters do it.

Snip

He opened his eyes and looked down at his shaking hands and ran them down over his face. 

I am still here.  He looked up at the timer, the numbers had frozen in place.

 “John I don’t know if you can hear this but I have disarmed the bomb. I will be waiting outside for the backup to take this beast apart.”  He walked halfway over to the garage door before feeling like a knife had been dug in to his neck. His face made impact with the damp concrete floor. 

He awoke looking up at a shadowy figure. It was too dark to see his face. All he could hear was a cold chilling voice piercing his eardrum. “Ah glad you’re awake, would not want you to miss the end.”  

“Who are you?!” 

“Me,” he laughed stepping out the darkness dressed in a black hood.  He approached Ray’s face lifting his tongue out.  The wet trail ran down Ray’s face. He licked his lips. “We are all Gaia children.” Ray tried to break free noticing he was hand cuffed to the radiator. “For Gaia has spoken to me, telling me that we must create a new race.  Gaia feels that her children are roting away. They are causing her so much pain she is decaying as we speak, Gaia. She is crying right now. Don’t you hear her tears falling upon us?”

Beep 15 minutes remaining. Ray’s eyes flashed over in horror the numbers were dropping down again. It’s not fucking possible how could you have started it up I cut the wire.” The hooded figure bent down on the floor titling his head. He reached out to grab Ray’s face, squashing his lips together mimicking his words. “You did nothing my pretty little man to this divine angel that shall send us to the holy land where we shall all be at peace in mother Gaia’s bosom. He placed his hand over the glowing green bomb petting it “Its ok my angel, daddy won’t let him touch you again.”

“You’re fucking nuts!” He stood up trying to pull forward only to hear the chain pulling him back down. The radiator was old and he could feel the lose pipe it was attached to.  ‘Beep 14 minutes. ’He struggled pushing with all his might. His hand felt like it was going break at any moment as he pulled on the radiator.  Ray looked over at the man to make sure he was not looking. The hooded figure was running his fingers along the words as he read them out. “The world shall end in eternal peace setting free new life to rise where the old has fallen. Your will shall be carried out oh great heavenly Gaia.”

 Ray pulled again at the cuffs. ‘Beep 13 minutes; Ray heard the pipe give way he bit down on his lip; he slid the handcuffs over the small gap in the radiator. He felt the heat on his hands burning away his skin.  He got up quickly not having time to think about the pain. Luckily for Ray the hooded man  did not notice Ray’s escape as the sound of the bomb charging up covered it.  He lunged forward at the hooded figure while he was not looking, knocking him off his feet and sending them both to the floor. Holding the cuffs around the hooded man’s neck he yelled “Open them!” He squeezed harder around the man’s neck with the chain of the cuffs. The hooded man reached down into his pocket and held out the key. Ray took the key and unlocked the cuffs, while the hooded man caught his breath.

“Now, you’re going to answer my questions you sicko fucker. How did you restart the bomb? How do I disarm it? Who is your leader?” 

“Ha I don’t need to tell you anything my cupcake. However you could say you and I have something in common.”

“I have nothing in common with a cult fuck like you!”

The man spat in Rays face. Ray saw red. Time was short.

“Answer my questions?” Ray pulled back his fists like a catapult and let a barrage of shots.

“Just kill me I will be with the holy one soon anyway and so will you.” ‘Beep 12 minutes.’

Ah! He yelled as he grabbed the man by his robe and punched him one last time knocking him unconscious.

“I have nothing in common with a nut bag like you.”

“John, are you there?!”  Ray did not hear a buzzing sound in his ear this time.

“Daddy come play with me,” a high pitch voice said. Ray spun around the room, he would recognise that voice anywhere.  He scratched his neck as he said “I’m losing my bloody mind, that backup should have been here by now.”  ‘Beep 11 minutes.’

“Stop, Stop, stop. Just stop beeping.  Ray felt a nudge at his trousers. He looked down to see a small boy in a green hat.  “It’s not possible, how are you here son?” His son let forth a cheesy smile running towards the bomb. “We have to save Zelda from Ganondorf.” Ray’s eyes flashed with horror as he ran after him.

“No! Get away from there.”  Ray shut his eyes and reopened them to find his son had vanished.  He looked down at the small box with the colour coded buttons, they were flashing before his eyes. ‘Beep 10 minutes.’

Just then before his eyes a red balloon flew past and then a green, then a blue. Then hundreds of balloons surrounded him. The faint sound of happy birthday was playing in his ear. “Happy birthday Amber, sorry dad could not make it he is working.”

“He never has any time for us anyway. I bet he doesn’t even know how old I am today.” 

 Her glossy red hair was shining even in the gloomy light.  She walked up to Ray. His eyes were beginning to blur. She was right up in his face; her thin eyebrows crossed, she was directly looking at him.  “Well do you!”  A loud ringing pierced the room. ‘Beep 9 minutes’

She was gone; Ray was left in a daze, his hand clinching the wire cutters scratching his neck with the other. Ray looked at the cables. He found the more he stared at them the more the different colours started to merge together. His eyes tried to re-adjust like a camera coming into focus. Then he smelt a familiar scent. The air in the room became sweet it was flowing into his nostrils. Strawberry’s how can it be! He felt her hands on his shoulder, he turned around.  

“Cassy, you’re not here, you can’t be!” He turned around to see nothing. Another chime rang in his ears. He lifted his hands to his head. “Get a hold of yourself Ray, none of its real, it’s just stress, you can do this.”  He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, when he opened his eyes again it was to the sight of her. “Ray can you stay home tonight, take a day off, it’s your daughter’s 16th birthday.”She was just standing there, her lips were not moving but her words were playing though his earpiece. He found himself replying back.

“I have to work Honey; I am doing this for us. for you and the kids.” Again her voice echoed in his ear. “It’s not about that; you just never want to spend time with any of us. You’re so obsessed with work. It’s like you don’t want be with us.” He saw no anger in her eyes just a blank stare. He blinked his eyes for a second and she was gone. ‘Beep 7 minutes.’

“Stop!” He yelled. The orb was getting hotter by the second. The room felt like a sauna. “The green wire, I remember that from military training,” he said out aloud to himself.  He brought the wire cutters down on the green wire, snip. He looked at the glowing timer it had frozen again 6 minutes.  He tapped on his ear piece “John it’s disarmed! I fucking did it!”  The static on the other side was still playing through Ray’s ear.  He turned around to pull up the garage door, his legs buckled underneath him.

Then he heard it, the horrifying noise of a simple beep. 5 minutes. “No Impossible, I deactivated you!” he screamed out. Ray got up on to his legs and staggered back over to the box in the centre of the room. 

The timer changed from green to red. Ray bashed his hands on to the ground pounding the floor like some wild ape. The ear piece was picking up all kinds of voices.

“Daddy do you think you will be back in time for my school play? I got the lead part.”

“David, daddy doesn’t think he’s going make it back in time.”

“Ray, I have something to tell you,” John’s voice came on to the earpiece.

“Where the fuck did you go John, let’s disarm this bomb we have hardly any time left. I was losing my mind here.” Ray yelled. There was silence on the other end. The static came back.  

He was just there, I heard his voice. “John what did you want to tell me!” ‘Beep 4 minutes’ Ray could not take the incessant beeping any more. He held out the wire cutters and snipped at random wires in a rage, closing his eyes ‘Nothing.’ The timer was still dropping. He cut another and another he did not care anymore, in bafflement the bomb was still counting down. Ray stepped back he lost grip of the wire cutters and fell back laughing. ‘Beep, 3 minutes.’

“It did nothing, the wires they are all gone, yet you continue to tick how is that possible, how! God damn it, how!” Ray sat on the floor.  He laughed so hard that tears began to drizzle down his face. He turned around another ‘Beep 2 minutes.’

He rocked back and forth with his arms wrapped around his legs sitting in the dim light. He could feel his skin burning, ignoring the pain.  The voices took it away. “I need you Ray the kids need you. Quit your job.” Her calming voice was playing though his ears. There before him his family, their hands reaching out to grab his. ‘Beep 1 minute’

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I should have been there for all of you,” he bellowed out. ‘Fifty seconds.’

“It is ok honey, come be with us now.” She said in a peaceful voice ‘Forty seconds.’

He crawled towards them. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated again and again. ‘Thirty seconds.’

Shush dear it’s all over now. You get to be with us; today you quit your job.” She said in a cheerful tone. ‘Twenty seconds.’  

John’s voice came on the earpiece. ‘10 seconds’ “Ray, there was never an off switch, I never wanted you to find out I told you should have stayed with your family but I could not have you screwing up the plan, the world will be reborn just as Gaia wanted.” You and I have something in common the hooded man was sent by John it all came together.

5 4 3 2 1…beep.