What If He Didn't Die?

Chapter 55: The Risky Move

"Are you ready for this?" Robert asks in a steady voice looking straight through my eyes, after locking the door from inside.

My heart skips a beat trying to figure out an honest answer to his question.

"I have to be Robert. This is my chance. I'm more ready for this than I am to watch our entire hard work turn into ash right in front of my eyes." I say in a weak voice.

Of course, I'm nervous and I don't know if this is the right thing to do or if this is the right time. Following our plan all this time successfully and now, at the end, when everything was just about to settle, changing our entire route is not something I can take casually.

It's gut-wrenching.

We were supposed to send him a few more messages to make sure he loses it all before finally calling him and making him confess his crimes on the speakers from the P.A. room. This was literally the last stage of our plan, and I'm not even remotely prepared for it right now.

I was assuming I had time.

But time turned out to be a cruel friend.

Sighing to myself, I take my phone out and type a quick message to Eric informing him about our abrupt change in plans.

Eric
Change in plans.
Calling him now.

I don't wait for his reply, it isn't going to change anything for me anymore. Before giving Jack more time to let the idea of the messages being fake seep anymore in his head, I switch over to the app to make the call.

I raise my eyes up at Robert and he nods at me, indicating that he knows what exactly he has to do. Which is, hitting the announcement button and switching it on the moment Daniel's voice makes Jack start blabbering about his crimes in panic, so the entire school can witness him confessing his sins.

With a deep breath pronouncing my anxiety, I click the call icon with my trembling index finger, before my nervousness can convince me otherwise.

What I expected was a usual call screen.

But instead what appears is a pop-up.

Are you sure you want to use this feature?
This can be risky

This is exactly something that shouldn't have happened at this point. I'm not at all ready to question my choice and no one else should.

Once again an agonizing battle starts on my inside, shooting the cons and pros of my action at me haphazardly. Silently, I stand there watching, as the cons overweight the pros making my breathing heavier and my finger reluctant.

Overwhelmed with all the thoughts, I shut my eyes tightly and it all stops.

This is right.

I tell myself and opening my eyes, I hit the 'Yes' and the call connects. For all I know, Jacks phone is ringing right now with 'Dead' written on the centre of the screen.

Breathing slowly I inhale and exhale trying my best to keep it calm as the phone rings in my ear. One ring goes, two do, the third follows and still no answer. I try my best to suppress the anxiety ready to shoot up in me. The sixth ring goes, followed by the seventh and the eight-

The ringing stops midway, indicating that he has answered. I take the phone off my ear to check and indeed, the timer has started counting.

I look up at Robert and he sighs calmly. I avert my gaze back to the phone screen and taking in a deep breath to relax, I hit the speaker icon.

"Hey bro! What's up? Alive and kicking?" I chime on the phone while to him it reaches in Daniel's sly voice.

He doesn't say anything, all that is heard is breathing.