Chapter 455 Agony
In a hidden room under a large office building that had escaped the attacks.
“What’s wrong with Rick?” a woman angrily demanded of a trembling doctor.n/-O-(v--e)-l(-b/-I(-n
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now,” the doctor said against the backdrop of humming and beeping medical equipment. The room they were in had been set up as an emergency treatment and operating room, and the doctor himself was one that normally used it for treating high-class criminals. “Every time we come up with a possible diagnosis, he exhibits a new symptom that rules it out.”
“What exactly was he doing when he lost consciousness?” the doctor added. Perhaps he just needed to attack the problem from a different angle. Obviously, relying on Rick’s symptoms to diagnose his illness wasn’t working, so the doctor would consider environmental factors next.
The woman, Rick’s assistant, paused to gather her thoughts as she recalled the moments leading up to the cult leader’s collapse.
......
Ten people were seated around a conference table in an office building. Rick Ashley was at the head of the table with his assistant seated to his left. The other eight people were seated across from each other along the long side of the table.
On the wall opposite Rick’s seat was a digital whiteboard with a countdown timer displayed on it. It read fifteen minutes and, as Rick watched, it continued ticking down. 14:59... 14:58... 14:57....
They were already past the point of no return. Due to the need to avoid all forms of digital communication, there was no time to contact any of the soon-to-be martyrs. The arrow wasn’t even on the string anymore, but had been released and was headed toward its inevitable destination.
Everyone in the room was silently staring at the countdown timer as if their lives depended on it. The same tense, nervous expression was on all of their faces, save for Rick and his assistant, who were calm.
“Don’t worry, everyone. The plan is sound, and even though it was conceived in a hurry, the arrangements are solid. We had cutouts at every step, so there’s no risk of discovery for us,” Rick said in an even tone of voice. He’d had an entire month to work out the kinks in his plan and was positive that it hadn’t been discovered. Everyone was just feeling last-minute jitters. It was completely understandable, so what he needed to do now was reassure everyone in the room.
“Rick!”
“Boss!”
“Shepherd!”
Everyone in the room heard the screams and looked at the cult leader, who was laying on the floor in what looked like the throes of an epileptic fit. They all leapt to their feet and rushed over to his side to see what the hell was going on.
“Call the doctor, now!” the assistant shouted, pointing at the second in command. She thought Rick was having an epileptic fit, so, having received her first aid certification and recalling what to do in case someone suddenly had a seizure, she reached into her purse and pulled out the only thing she had that she thought would help in this situation: a wrapped tampon.
She shoved it between his teeth so he wouldn’t bite his tongue off and put her jacket and purse beneath his head so he didn’t break his skull by beating it against the hard floor. All she could do after that was wait for the fit to pass... or so she thought.
......
“And that’s where you came in,” she said. “Everything after that is exactly as you’ve seen.”
“Do you think it might be his conscience acting up? After all, he’s directly responsible for the deaths of millions, so it’s distinctly possible that his symptoms are psychosomatic,” the doctor asked. That was the only thing he could think of that could explain what was happening to Rick.
“Impossible!” the secretary sneered without hesitation. “He would never let the deaths of devil worshippers affect—”
She was interrupted by the sharp cracking sound of Rick’s bones beginning to break themselves and the hoarse, muffled screams coming from the unconscious man’s mouth.
