"Ten seconds," I breathed, the words tasting like copper and adrenaline.
The parasite on Mai's throat pulsed—a sickening, biological metronome. The red light from its speakers intensified, shifting from a warning glow to the blinding brilliance of an imminent explosion. It wasn't just a bomb. It was a biological nuke, wired directly into the carotid artery of a teenage girl.
[System Alert!]
[DETONATION SEQUENCE ACTIVE.]
[TIME REMAINING: 00:09... 00:08...]
"Sam!" Liza screamed from below the stage, her voice cracking with pure terror. "Get away! It's going to blow!"
"No," I snarled.
I dropped to my knees beside Mai. Her eyes, wide and bloodshot, locked onto mine. She wasn't struggling anymore. She was paralyzed by the certainty of her own death. She looked like a bird trapped in a snare, waiting for the hunter's knife.
I wouldn't let her die. Not here. Not like this.
