Damian says, “Tell Peyton I love her.”
My eyes fill with tears as Cooper pulls me closer to the door.
“No!” I scream.
I can’t believe after everything we’ve been through that it’s going to end this way.
My body goes limp in defeat.
As it does, a single word pops into my head.
The same word from the beach.
Ashes.
And I immediately know what I have to do.
I push Cooper against the wall and shove Garrett out of the way.
I run back to the bomb, see there are twelve seconds left, slam the briefcase lid shut, grab the handle, and take off with it.
I hear shouts of protest coming from behind me, but I ignore them.
00:11
Sprint across the living room as my life flashes before my eyes.
Floating in the waves. Salt. Sand. Freedom.
00:10
Crash through the broken window to the deck.
A hand on mine. Keats poetry. Sadness. Ribbit.
00:09
Run across the deck.
Pink blanketed bundles. Thirty perfect stubby fingers. The softest hair ever.
00:08
Hurdle a chaise blocking my way.
Fall leaves. Old Bricks. Green grass. Feeling safe.
00:07
Unlatch the gate.
A flash of green. Heartbreak. Love.
00:06
Bound down the stairs.
Tie-dyed tutu. Ballet shoes. A handsome grin.
00:05
Tear through the sand.
Hammock blowing in the breeze. Three little words. Happy tears.
00:04
Feel the ocean rush onto my feet.
Stacks of hay. Cowboy boots. Lemonade.
00:03
Swing the briefcase back.
Ferris wheel. An arm on my shoulder. A perfect kiss.
00:02
Fling it into the ocean with all my might.
Stranglehold hugs. Baby powder and chocolate. Falling asleep in my arms.
00:01
Turn around and run like hell straight into Damian and beat feet back toward the house.
Shining lights. An audience. Performing.
00:00
An explosion knocks us both into the sand.
Blond hair. A hug. Lavender, honeysuckle, and the ocean.
Fish, water, and seaweed rain down on me.
I push myself up off the sand, ignoring my protesting body. Damian looks a bit dazed, but Kiki licks my face.
“Holy fuck, Keats! I can’t believe you just did that. You’re fucking nuts.”
I ignore him and say, “Let’s go, Kiki!”
As we run into the house together, the police and firemen arrive.
But I don't care.
They aren't moving fast enough.
What if there's another bomb in the room with B?
One we don’t know about?
It could go off at any second.
“B!” I scream, pushing through the firemen who are discussing the best way to get through the steel door.
“Did the bomb just go off?” he asks.
“Yes, I threw it in the ocean.”
“It shook the room so hard there’s drywall dust everywhere.”
“Drywall dust? Where?”
“Looking at the door, it’s on my right.”
I shove through whoever all these people are. At this point, I don’t care.
I have but one goal.
Get to B.
I.
Have.
To.
Get.
To.
Him.
Working my way around the corner from the steel door, I find a bedroom.
And on the wall surrounding the room is a closet.
I throw the doors open, grab the clothes hanging there, and toss them out of my way.
Kiki starts digging and barking, her claws marking the drywall and spraying up dust.
“That’s it, Kiki. Good girl. Good girl!”
I pay attention to where the screws are in the rack holding up the bar, assume that’s where the studs are, and use my fist to start punching the drywall in between them.
I punch as hard as I can.
The drywall crumples but I can't break through.
Cooper flies in the room. “What the hell are you doing?”
I stand back slightly, giving way to him, and scream, “Punch it Cooper. Punch it!”
“You’re hysterical and you need to calm—”
“Punch!”
“It!”
“Now!”
He shakes his head, but then stands back and hammers the wall with his fist, cleanly breaking through.
I see light and push him out of the way, shoving my arm through the hole and yelling, “B!”
All of a sudden a hand grabs mine.
I start crying.
And I know.
I am finally home.
At some point the firemen come into the room. I don’t let go of B’s hand until the wall comes down around us.
I start crying again when I see him.
His blond hair is matted, his skin looks pasty, his grip is weak, but those blue eyes reach way down and grab my soul.
Kiki jumps on B, showering him with wet, sloppy kisses.
And I wrap my arms around him and hug him with all my might.
“Are you okay?”
He hugs me tighter than he ever has before. “I am now. Is he really dead?”
“Yes. It’s over, B. It’s finally over.”
Damian is crying too as he wraps his arms around both of us.
“I thought we were all going to die,” he says. “Keats, you are absolutely crazy, but thank god you are.”
The three of us continue our group hug and the rest of the world fades away.