Chapter 24: You Were, Casey

Casey made a beeline for the exit with the laptop. Big Mike called, stopping him in his tracks.

"Yo, John, come here a minute, you're just the man I need! These numbskulls don't know how to handle the shipments right, I need you to meet the truck at the loading dock."

Casey looked at him crossly. "Sorry, Big Mike, I'm on vacation remember? I was just leaving to see my family!"

Big Mike ambled over, whispering. "Look, I'll clock you in for a full day if you do this one favor for me. I can't trust anyone else 'round here."

Casey was about to refuse again when a terrifying thought struck. The bomb could've been left in the loading area. He remembered the prior history. Chuck's body was found in the dumpster by 10:50 am, if the delivery trucks had come in, Lane could've been disguised as the driver and dumped the body without witnesses. Casey glanced at the store clock; it was a quarter to eleven.

"Fine, Mike. I'll do it right now."

Big Mike slapped his back with a smile. "That's what I like to see, an industrious spirit! Buy More needs good men like you, John. I gotta finish eating my breakfast, it's only another hour until lunch!"

Casey sighed and ran to the store-room. He kept the laptop nearby where he could grab it. He fumbled for the key to the large metal door and flung it open, the exertion tore at his wound.

"Oh damn! This is killing me!"

Casey ran to the lockers and grabbed a discarded Buy More green shirt, throwing it over the gray one. The giant Buy More Truck backed into the opening and the driver climbed out. Casey studied him with deep apprehension. Even with the cap drawn low over his brow, he recognized the vacant, eerie glow of Lane Stevens' blue eyes. Four scratches were deeply embedded on his cheek. Lane approached nervously and the clipboard shook in his hands. He tensed and hunched over and scratched his head. When Lane handed Casey the clipboard, their eyes met and Lane gasped.

"No! It can't be you! I shot … Ahh!" Lane looked like a deer in headlights when he discovered Costa's laptop on the work desk. He attempted to grab it and Casey yanked him close, twisting his arm and shoving him down.

"It's over, Lane, I touch that trigger and we all blow."

Lester rushed into the break room panicked and Casey dropped Lane on the floor.

"Oh man! There it is! I have to have this laptop fixed by eleven for this weird …"

Both Casey and Lane whipped around and threw their arms out.

"Don't touch that!"

They glared at each other and Lane broke into a deep sweat. Lester backed toward the door slowly.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Just leave it and get out of here! Get out of the damn store and take Jeff with you!" Casey snarled.

Lester hated being on the receiving end of Casey's anger. He straightened his tie and hair fretfully and sprinted all the way out, dragging Jeff along.

"No! This is wrong! It's not supposed to happen that way!" Lane yelled and sprung at Casey.

"That's right, you murdering bastard!" Casey roared. "You thought I couldn't change it? I can!"

He dove onto Lane and they toppled into the back of the truck. Lane got in a punch right on his wound, Casey gripped it in agony, and rolled over, spying the real unfortunate driver face down between the boxed merchandise. Casey seized the hand truck bars and lifted them out of place. When Lane lunged again, Casey swung and whacked him in the jaw. Lane teetered against the truck wall and spat out two teeth from the impact. Casey weakly continued his attack.

~Oo~

"Are you going to kill us all?" Julia whimpered. Her mind reeled with deep fear as she hugged Charlotte to her chest. '" can't do this! I just can't go through this anymore. Oh God, John, where are you?" She thought hysterically.

"Of course I am, dear. Right after the fireworks. We have exactly five minutes."

"What do you mean? What fireworks?" Julia demanded.

"The Buy More, dear. It's going up in a blaze of glory! My plans got a little distorted, but either way, I'm doing exactly what I intended!"

"I don't think so! John Casey's there right now and he'll stop that explosion!" Chuck blurted out, and then grabbed his mouth, realizing his mistake.

Julia jumped up in horror and Charlotte scampered under the table, scrunching against the wall and holding her face.

"Not daddy! Not my daddy!" She bawled.

"What! No! He can't be in there!" Julia dropped down to console her daughter.

Costa swung around and cocked his gun on her. Sarah knew she had to act now. She leaped over the counter and side-kicked his arm. The gun flew from his hand and smashed through the window. Chuck unlocked the door and ran to pick it up. Costa fell to his knees, but Sarah wasn't finished.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me! I still win!" He cringed with pain.

Sarah ignored the rant and body-slammed him until he fell flat. She ran behind the counter, grabbed spare handcuffs, and dragged him across the floor. She locked him against the counter base. Sarah saw Chuck make a mad dash to the Buy More. He left Costa's gun on one of the tables. She ran outside.

"Wait! Chuck no! Come back! Chuck!"

~Oo~

Chuck never sprinted so fast in his life, they were down to five minutes. He hurried into the store and caught Lester grumbling at the Nerd Herd. Chuck slid across the floor and stopped himself by clinging to the desk.

"Where's Casey?"

"He's in the back, Chuck! He won't give me the laptop! And told me to leave the store. But I'm back. I had to fix it by eleven o'clock for this guy. He's gonna be severely pissed!"

Chuck grasped his collar. "Did you say, eleven o'clock?"

"Yes, Charles. Don't you clean your ears? Hey! Don't stretch the collar!" Lester choked.

Chuck released him and darted to the loading dock. He saw the Buy More truck pull out. Chuck leaped off the dock and waved at Casey to stop. Chuck kept jumping up, trying to grab his arm. He managed to clutch the window, but Casey wouldn't slow down.

"Casey stop the truck! You're gonna kill yourself!"

"Get the hell off, Chuck! It's over! Run back, NOW!" Casey used the last of his energy and shoved him down hard. Chuck tumbled onto the gravel.

Casey rammed the gas pedal, taking the truck as fast as it would go through the parking lot to a vacant section furthest away from the stores and consumers. This was the only way to end the nightmare. Lane popped up suddenly and grabbed him in a chokehold from behind. Casey gasped for air and lost his grip on the wheel. Lane clawed at him and covered his eyes. The truck veered left to right.

Costa awoke and reached into the inner pocket of his jacket for a small device. He counted down the seconds until it was precisely eleven. Sarah lunged for him. Costa didn't care; he'd already pushed the button.

Casey elbowed Lane in the face and knocked him out cold. He regained control of the vehicle and prevented it from driving onto a busy highway. The air fell dense. A deep hum pierced his eardrums and Casey thrust around to look at the boxes. The laptop was just a decoy trigger. Leave it to Costa to have an incendiary plan B. Casey shut his eyes and waited for death.

"We did it, thank you, God … We did it."

~Oo~

Chuck's heart nearly stopped as the explosion ripped through the Buy More truck, sending huge, fiery chunks of metal flying in all directions. Fireballs jetted out and destroyed neighboring cars. The blast set off every car alarm in the lot and burst windows. Chuck didn't realize how loud he screamed above the commotion; he froze on the spot, the blaze reflected in his wide, golden eyes. His crumpled distressed and scraped his palms across the gravel.

"Casey! Why! No! No! No!" He sobbed.

Everybody ran out of the stores and ducked for cover as fiery debris blew around. Sarah, having secured Julia and Charlotte in their covert room, searched for Chuck through the black plumes and haze. Casey had averted the threat away from the store. She swallowed the lump in her throat, blaming the acrid smoke for the tears streaming down her face.

"You freaking meathead!" She yelled. "You didn't wait for me!"

She saw Chuck in the middle of the parking lot and raced over. He laid out with his head in his arms. Sarah slid alongside him and tenderly rubbed his shoulders. Chuck fell against her and she rocked him.

"Sarah, Sarah, Casey … he did it … he saved us all."

"Chuck, I'm so sorry, I wish I would've known! I could've helped."

"No! Casey knew exactly what he had to do. God, Sarah! This is all my fault. He did this for me! There's so much to tell you and I don't know where to begin!"

Chuck gasped in utter shock and words failed him. He pulled away and panted. "It can't be! It can't … wait …yes it is!"

Chuck leaped up with Sarah. Shielding their eyes from the smoke, they made out a tall, broad figure strutting toward them with menace and astonishment on his face. Chuck ran like a mad man and surprised him with a big hug.

"You're alive! Alive! He was telling me the truth! It's all true!" Chuck beamed with the smile of a lunatic.

Casey quickly returned the hug then shoved him off self-conscious.

"Of course I'm alive, Bartowski! I got here as quickly as I could. Walker, what's the status?"

Sarah stammered. "Uhh, umm, as far as I know … only one casualty. The driver of the truck."

She gazed at the burning vehicle. Chuck had ranted on and on about Casey in the Buy More trying to stop this bomber, yet here Casey was, claiming he'd just arrived. Chuck had major explaining to do but now was not the time. She grabbed Casey's arm anxiously.

"I have the bomber in the Orange, Orange! Julia and Charlotte are safe in the Castle. C'mon!"

Casey's eyed them astonished. "My family? They're really here?"

"Yes, Casey, it was supposed to be a surprise visit. This is so awful for them." Sarah hurried back to the shop.

Chuck was about to run with her, but Casey grabbed him. "Hold up, Chuck! What do you know about all this? Who was driving that truck?" He insisted.

Chuck spied a profound fear and burning curiosity in Casey's eyes. His fingers dug into his arms, waiting for an answer he already seemed aware of. Chuck swallowed and gazed sadly at the flames.

"You were, Casey, you were."