Free THE ALTER: A Psychological Crime Thriller by EJ Nesbeth Page B

was no redemption is what lay seconds ahead. The conscientious part of him mustered all the strength that he could. It was a rare assertive moment, but Ryan succeeded. He gasped in a brief moment of fright and desperation. He was close enough for a view, but not to raise his voice in warning above the loudspeakers on the podium.
    Twenty seconds to go and Ryan fumbled until he found a stolen cell phone in his pocket. There was no way to stop the camera from exploding or dispersing the crowd quickly enough. There was only one way he could think of.
    Ava’s phone rang and she struggled to hear above the mayor’s amplified voice. Ryan mumbled incoherently for a few seconds. Ava covered her other hear with one hand and finally recognized his voice. Instantly, she became defensive and signaled to a few nearby police officers.
    “Ava, listen to me,” he said with an urgency that silenced her. “There’s a bomb in Camera 2.”
    “What?” Ava screamed, scanning the devices near the stage. There were three cameras, all unnumbered, except one.
    “It’s going to blow in eleven seconds!” Ryan screamed through the phone.
    Her frantic movements caught the attention of everyone, including the mayor who at first seemed annoyed by her indiscretion. She struggled through the crowd, but barely covered a few yards. Desperate, she shouted, “There’s a bomb!” A stampede ensued and people raced in different directions screaming.
    Ava reached the stage and took hold of the light, mounted video camera and ran with it towards the back of the stage ready to throw, but there was no open field, only vehicles parked behind. Her heart pounded as she quickly scanned for options. Ryan watched in unbearable suspense from the top of the nearby roof. He looked at the timer with three seconds remaining and turned away in hopelessness, not wanting to see Ava destroyed. With all the strength she could muster, she hurled the camera over the top of the empty school bus and dived to the ground.
    It was a heart stopping moment that seemed much longer than the split second it really was. Suddenly, a heavy blast shook the air, sending broken glass and other debris flying in all directions. The wooden backdrop of the stage collapsed violently, while the screams of attendees soared. Ava lay face down on the ground with both hands covering her head. She could feel the hot, angry wind from the blast and her ears rang at the deafening sound. As it subsided, she lifted her dirt stained face just enough to see debris still flying over her head. She looked at the engulfed, mangled remains of the bus that was still rocking from side to side.
    A second, just as powerful explosion thundered as leaking fuel ignited beneath the bus. Ava screamed at the severe heat and covered her face once again. More glass flew as other nearby vehicles suffered damage. The blast impact subsided, but the heat became even more unbearable as the bus blazed.
    Finally, Ava struggled to her feet and ran in the opposite direction. When she reached the other side of the mangled stage, the crowd was already very far away. She navigated hurriedly through the debris towards them until she stopped at a heartbreaking sight. A young child was lying motionless on the ground with footprints all over her body and a small laceration on the side of her face. Ava fell to her knees beside her and checked for vital signs. There were none. She covered her mouth in a quiet whimper and shook her head slowly from side to side. Though many lives had been saved, she felt responsible for the stampede that likely killed the child.
    Ryan watched from the roof as Ava stood looking down at the lifeless young victim. His relief over Ava’s safety was eclipsed by the unbearable grief he felt as he overlooked the horrific scene. If only he had not bargained with his ruthless alter who seemed bent on killing the mayor at any cost, he thought. There was, after all, no redemption. There only remained one indisputable