Chapter 7: Put Your Weapons Down
When Greg and his captors stepped out, it was night still. What had seemed like a lifetime was only several hours.
Officers were everywhere in the parking lot. At the sight of the three men, the cops raised their weapons. Detective Brass held a megaphone up to speak to the men.
" Let go of the hostage and drop your weapons," he said.
" We'll hurt the kid if you and your cops don't leave," Richard yelled out to Brass. Richard brought his gun up a little higher to prove his point.
Brass gave the signal to lower the officer's weapons.
" Let's work this out, okay?" Brass asked.
" There is nothing to work out," Richard shouted.
He hit the button on Greg's arm. It started to beep continuously becoming faster and faster.
"If you don't leave, this building will blow up, killing everyone inside there," Richard threatened.
Brass shouted to some of the officers, " Go, and get out of here."
Richard's voice was monotone, " No, that's not enough. Not five, all of them. You have ten seconds,"
"One."
"Go get out of here."
"Two."
"Three."
"All of you get out of here."
" Four."
" Five."
"You to detective."
"Six."
"Seven."
"Greg, hit the button and save your friends. Be a hero."
"Eight"
"Nine."
Greg hit the button and the beeping stopped.
"Ten."
For a second, nothing happened. Then the north side of the building blew up. A huge explosion rocked the ground like an earthquake. Dust and debris made clouds in the air. Richard and James started shooting towards the cop cars. Greg hit the ground, covering his head. For several minutes, the shooting went on.
The shooting stopped and Greg looked up. He saw James on the ground, eyes open, dead. Richard stood over his dead brother's body. For a moment, nobody wanted to move.
Finally, Detective Brass walked over to Richard and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. Brass took him to a car and put him in there. Five other officers ran into the building, despite Brass telling them not to. Greg stood up and looked around himself.
Three officers laid on the ground dead. He looked at the building and to his horror saw that half of it was collapsed on the ground into pieces. He gasped at the massive damage done. He wanted to throw up his insides when he realized that everyone he knew was in that building.
He ran towards the building, not letting the pain in his head stop him, until he heard Brass.
" Greg! Don't go in there," Brass shouted to him. " It's too dangerous."
Greg stopped in his tracks and turned around.
" Wait over there," Brass pointed. " Officer, wait over there with him until the bomb squad arrives."
The officer led Greg away from the scene.
Brass pulled out a walkie-talkie and called the ambulances and bomb squad to come.
Greg waited, looking for someone to come out of the building. Within a few minutes, the ambulances came, followed shortly by the bomb squad. The paramedics ran into the building with their gear. Anticipation filled Greg as he waited for them to bring out someone, dead or alive.
Bomb squad members also went through the building looking for and other bombs. Two members looked at Greg, checking out the device on his arm.
Finally, someone came out of the building. Nick limped out, followed by Catherine.
One of the squad members by Greg called out, " We gotta live one!"
The paramedics led Nick and Catherine away from Greg. Nick shot Greg a look of disgust. Greg stood looking at the ground feeling like the lowest person in the world.