How It All Went to Hell

After seeing my dear sister like that, I couldn't take it anymore.

I snapped.

I turned to Torrance, the barrel of the gun trained on him. "You did this to her!! It's your fault! You led them to us! You said it yourself!!"

"Hold on," said Torrance, backing away. "I didn't do this! I was trying to help. I--"

I was furious. "This was a trap! You did it all on purpose!! You...you...you set it all up to pick us off one by one!! First Lina, then Frank, now me!! What were you planning to tell the others? That I didn't make it, and neither did Lina?" I began to pace. "What I don't get is why. Were we getting too close to the truth for comfort?"

He looked at me for a moment, then said, struggling to keep his voice stable, "Listen, Omar. It's not like that. I--"

"You piece of--!!" A shot rang out. Torrance was suddenly lying motionless on the floor, a puddle of blood near his head.

It took me a moment to realize it had been me.

The cowardly scientist had watched all this in disbelief and now looked like he was about to lose control of his bowels.

I shot him dead, too.

I picked up Torrance's gun off the floor; I now had one for each hand.

Feeling around in his pockets, I also found extra ammuntion. I had some magazines on me as well.

I stepped with determination back up the steps to the room where the battle was still raging. Shooting indiscriminately, bodies started piling up on the floor. I kept shooting until both guns were empty. Few were left alive anyway.

I went around the bodies and back to the elevator. On my way back up, I refilled the clips and readied my weapons.

As the doors opened, I saw that the place was swarming with security. Several of them just barely had time to look over at me before I got them. From cover (namely a support pillar), I picked them off, one by one. I even got the lady at the desk. Again until the guns were emptied. By that time everyone in the room was dead. I tossed my gun away and kept Torrance's--it was better. There was one bullet left. For myself. It had all been for nothing. The others would be waiting for me.

I didn't care. These bastards laying motionless around me. They did this to me!! They did this to Lina!! They ruined our lives!

Then I heard something. Calling me.

I headed back down to Lina, barely bothering to pick up my feet enough to step over the bodies in my path.

She looked toward me. "Are you there?" she said, almost a whisper.

I felt sick and couldn't hold back the tears. "Yes," I said.

"Omar...Omar, it hurts. Why am I in pain? Am I in a hospital? What happened, Omar?"

"They..." I searched for the right words. "They killed you."

She was silent, and looked confused.

I couldn't bear it anymore. I couldn't see her like that. I couldn't leave her like that.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I don't know if she heard me.

I closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger.

When I got back to the cars waiting outside, Larry asked where Torrance was, and Fran, upon seeing my disheveled appearance and a wound on my arm where a bullet grazed me, told me I looked terrible. Percy said nothing, just gazing at me with plastic eyes.

I told them Torrance didn't make it and that Lina was dead.