Shaking my head violently so as to free my mind of the excess thoughts, I pulled out a matchbook before sliding off the vent cover and giving me access to the room.
The moment the vent was open, the pungent smell of exposed gasoline hit me, and I sucked my teeth loudly while rolling my tongue over my top row.
’Heh, ok, let’s be smart here, Taylor, why in the fuck did you think it was a good idea to pour the gas all over the floor before leaving the room, come on FOCUS IDIOT!’ chastising myself for my idiotic move, I now had to come up with a better idea as I couldn’t just light a match and drop it onto the ground from above.
If I did, the only conceivable result was a massive and explosive fireball erupting the instant the flames came in contact with the vapors hanging in the air.
’Well, sigh, I hate to do this, but I don’t really have much choice, do I….glancing at my inventory, I pulled out the only item I had which would get me out of this sticky situation….my beloved, and trusty…rope.
Saying a last silent goodbye to my trusty companion, I fed it through the vent cover, replaced the cover, and began unspooling and lowering the rope one foot at a time, down from the vent into the room until it finally touched the ground.
Then, I started crouch-walking backward toward the path to the roof until the rope was fully uncoiled and ready to act like a long fuse.
’You will never be forgotten, my trusty companion; now, go forth and show the world how magnificent and artful an explosion can be,’ I thought while trading out the matches for my Zippo lighter, clicking it open, spinning the fuse to ignite a flame and holding it against the end of the rope.
Half a second later, the end of the rope finally caught on fire, and I watched for a moment as the flames traveled along the rope before activating augmentation and racing toward the roof.
At the very best, I’d have three minutes to escape before the boom occurred, so keeping a steady pace, I navigated through the vents using my mental map until I reached the roof, kicked off the vent cover, and jumped out.
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Without looking back, I ran to the edge and jumped, throwing my body as far as I could and reaching out just in time to catch the lip of the nearby building, where I continued running until suddenly.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!
A loud, concussive explosion occurred behind me. Luckily, I had nearly made it back to Harlow’s Clinic because I was running with 50% of my strength, and although I was expecting the loud sound, it still caused me to cringe and look back over my shoulder.
What I saw caused my face to stiffen…the entire first floor of the building had blown outward, shattering every window in the nearby vicinity, let alone the SonnyBrook windows.
Then, like a house of cards collapsing, the second through fourth floors collapsed, dropping down on top of the first, smothering it entirely before catching fire in a mighty inferno.
’Oops….guess I used a few too many gas cans….oh well, if that isn’t a big enough escape distraction, nothing will be.’ Stifling a snicker of embarrassment at my oversight, I quickly ran to Harlow’s Clinic and snuck in through the same window I had been using as an entrance.
When I arrived at Harlow’s office, I found Vincent on his feet and looking out his office window toward SonnyBrook, and as he turned to look at me, no doubt sensing my presence, I could see the enlightenment in his eyes.
"Was that explosion you, Milord?" He asked, although he already knew the answer to his question.
"Un, indeed it was, and it won’t be the only inferno I create; now take off your white coat and toss it here, then put on the black robe I gave you." Waving my hand dismissively, I withdrew the fake Harlow corpse from my inventory and walked over to his desk before depositing the body into his chair.
As ordered, Vincent quickly removed his doctor’s coat, folded it, and neatly placed it on the desk. Then, he put on the long black robe and pulled up the hood.
Standing there and giving him a good up-down look, I had to admit, he really did look like a movie version of a devil worshiper, but I tossed that thought to the back of my mind and grabbed the white coat, then put it onto the corpse.
"Done, Vincent; say farewell to the life of Harlow Sheffield because it ends here," giving Vincent a moment to collect himself, I waited for the man to give me an affirmation nod before flashing forward and chopping him in the back of the next.
For a split second, as he lost consciousness, I saw the confusion in his eyes, so I muttered to him…
"When you awake, we will be far away from Hyde, and you will finally be able to live as you please."
THUD
I didn’t even bother trying to catch Vincent’s limp and unconscious body as it fell to the floor; no, I merely allowed him to plop onto the ground as I looked around the room, double-checking that I hadn’t left behind any trace evidence.
Apart from the faint and lingering particles on the corpse, which would disappear in around five to ten minutes, I was in the clear, so I picked up Vincent, tossed him over my shoulder, and whistled a little tune while walking out of the office and heading to the exam room I had been using as a front door.
Once there, I dumped the unconscious Vincent and made my way into the room most likely to be the center of the clinic.
"Ok, this time, no boom, be smart; you want the fire to spread out instead of exploding; the gasoline will cause the fire to burn hotter, so we need to paint the walls of this archive room and then each of the other rooms before coating the floor of Harlow’s office."