Chapter 81: The Explosion
"BOOM!"
The sound of the explosion was deafening. Xavier jerked. His head slammed against the steering wheel with a heavy thud. He felt an intense heat searing the skin on his face. The smell of gasoline and thick black smoke filled the cabin of the wrecked car. Xavier blinked. His vision was a blur. He saw flames crawling from the hood, licking their way toward the gas tank.
"Akh," Xavier groaned.
His hand fumbled to the side. He felt the cold handle of a dagger. It was the last thing Agatha gave him. Right before that helicopter took her away, she had slipped the blade into his hand. Xavier gripped it tight. The sharp edge sliced his own palm, but the pain snapped him back to reality.
"I am not dying here," Xavier muttered with a raspy voice.
He tried to pull his leg out from under the pedals. The hot metal burned through his pants. Xavier screamed. He used what was left of his strength to yank his leg free.
"Ugh! Let go!" he yelled.
"Krek."
His leg bone felt like it shifted, but he was free. Xavier smashed the side window with the hilt of Agatha’s dagger. He crawled out of the flipped car just as the fire reached the tank.
"KABOOM!"
The second explosion went off. Xavier was thrown into the bushes by the side of the road. He rolled several times until he was covered in dirt and dry leaves. He lay perfectly still. He heard footsteps from a distance. A few armed men walked toward the burning wreckage.
"He must be ashes in there," one man said.
"Do not take any chances. Make sure nothing is left," the other replied.
"Look at that fire. No one survives a blast like that. Let us go and report it to the big boss," the first one suggested.
Xavier held his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut. He felt blood dripping from his forehead into his eyes. He did not move until the sound of the enemy’s car engine faded away into the night. Once he felt safe, Xavier tried to sit up. His chest felt tight.
"Agatha... I am coming for you," he whispered.
He reached into his pocket. He pulled out his phone. The screen was badly shattered. Xavier pressed the power button over and over.
"Come on, turn on. Do not die now," Xavier pleaded with the device.
The screen flickered. A dim light appeared in the dark woods. Xavier breathed a sigh of relief. A message had just come in a few minutes ago. It was from Frans.
"Xavier, we are safe. Mrs. Melynda is with me. We are at the coordinates I sent. Get here as soon as you can," the message read.
Xavier looked at the small map on the screen. The coordinates pointed to a spot in the forest, not far from where he was. He used Agatha’s dagger as a crutch to stand up. His injured leg throbbed with a sharp pain as it hit the ground.
"Mmh," Xavier groaned.
He began to limp through the thick brush. Every step felt like a knife to the heart. He kept a tight grip on the dagger in his right hand.
"I have to get there. Mom is waiting. Frans is waiting," he told himself.
The forest was pitch black. Only moonlight poked through the gaps in the trees. Owls hooted back and forth. Xavier kept moving. He did not care about his wounds. His mind was only on his wife.
"That bastard will pay for everything," Xavier hissed.
After walking for almost an hour, Xavier saw an old cabin behind a cluster of pine trees. A dim oil lamp glowed behind the window. Xavier knew this place. It was one of the Valois family’s secret hideouts.
"Almost there," he muttered.
He moved toward the wooden door. He saw the mark Frans made on the tree. A small cross. Xavier felt a wave of relief. He wanted to scream for his mother, but his voice was gone. His footsteps were heavy on the dry leaves. He was only ten meters from the door. He saw a shadow move inside.
"Frans? It is me," Xavier whispered in a weak voice.
Suddenly, a shrill sound broke the night silence.
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"
The security alarm went off. A spotlight over the door flashed on and pointed right at Xavier’s face. Xavier blocked his eyes with his arm.
"Intruder! Intruder!" Frans’s voice yelled from inside the cabin.
"Do not shoot! It is me!" Xavier tried to shout, but the alarm drowned him out.
The door slammed open. Frans appeared with a long rifle in his hands. He pointed the barrel right at Xavier. His face was tense and full of suspicion.
"Who is there? Get your hands up!" Frans ordered with a threat in his voice.
Xavier tried to lower his arm. "Frans... it is me, Xavier."
"Xavier?" Frans cried out. He did not lower the gun. He tightened his grip on the trigger.
"I am alive, Frans! Look at me!" Xavier said as he tried to take a step.
"Stay right there! Do not move or I will fire!" Frans threatened.
Behind him, Melynda appeared with a pale face. She grabbed Frans’s shoulder with a shaking hand.
"Who is it, Frans? Who is here this late?" Melynda asked.
"Stay back, Ma’am! There is an intruder claiming to be Mr. Xavier!" Frans replied.
Xavier felt the world spin. He had lost too much blood. He looked at his mother from the distance.
"Mom... it is Xavier," he muttered before his body tilted forward.
"Wait! Frans, look at his hand!" Melynda screamed suddenly.
Frans squinted. He saw the object in the hand of the falling man. A dagger with a rose carving on the hilt.
"That is Agatha’s dagger," Melynda whispered.
The alarm was still blaring. Xavier could not hear anything anymore. He slammed onto the cold ground at Frans’s feet. His consciousness began to fade.
"Turn off the alarm! Help him!" Melynda ordered.
Frans dropped his rifle. He ran to Xavier and flipped his friend over. He saw Xavier’s face covered in burns and blood.
"Xav? Xavier? You are really alive?" Frans asked with a shaky voice.
Xavier could only open his eyes a crack. He saw his mother’s worried face beside him.
"Mom... I am sorry," Xavier whispered.
"Shh, do not talk. You are safe now," Melynda said while sobbing.
Suddenly, the alarm changed tones. It was faster and higher now. Frans looked at the control panel by the door. The red light was flashing wildly.
"Hell! This is not just a regular intruder alarm!" Frans yelled.
"What do you mean, Frans?" Melynda asked.
Frans looked at the radar sensor in his hand. Dozens of red dots were moving fast toward them from every direction.
"We are being tracked, Ma’am! They found us!" Frans shouted.
Xavier tried to get up, but he had nothing left. He looked at the night sky filling with helicopter searchlights.
"Marco..." Xavier whispered with pure hate.
"Xav, we have to get out of here now! This place is compromised!" Frans tried to lift Xavier onto his shoulder.
Before they could take a step, a small explosion went off near the front gate of the woods. Smoke started drifting into the clearing. Gunshots began to ring out from the distance.
"Too late," Frans muttered as he tightened his grip on his gun.