JOSI
Now Idris has been backed into a corner. It's just him left, the last remaining member. The last remaining obstacle. Josi should at least take some time to appreciate her progress, but with the end so near, she's grown more impatient. She needs to wrap up the plan.
And in order to do so, she needs some measure in place against Croff. Ever since the attempt at Idris's life by Alvize, Croff has resorted to sticking by his side—and even more so after Seven's death. For Josi's plan to succeed, she needs Idris alone. She needs him to herself. She needs to find a way to drive a wedge between the two, otherwise it will all be for naught.
But like every other obstacle, Josi has a countermeasure in place. So she meets with Dami in the recesses of the evening, parked in the empty parking lot under the moonlight. This meeting was held due to Josi's own wish. She doesn't know exactly how the last capo met his end, but what she does know is that his home went up in flames. And now Dami's own quest for revenge has concluded.
There's a certain level of calm about Dami. She sits there with another lollipop, busying herself with the wrap. It's that same level of calmness Josi is chasing. She looks out the window, at the sky. The season has moved on to the coldest end of the spectrum, and now they're greeted with snow showers. Even currently, it has begun snowing. But it's only a drizzle.
"The sky can't be that interesting." Says Dami, as Josi hasn't looked away for seconds now.
Josi chuckles. "How does it feel?"
Dami doesn't even have to think about it. "Fulfilling."
As Josi knew it would be. And soon, it will be her turn. "I need one last favor."
"What is it?"
"Setting Seven's home in flames was a good idea." Josi says. "I want something similar, but on a grander scale."
Dami catches on instantly. "How many do you need?"
Josi smiles. "However much you can spare."
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Sneaking the bombs into the estate is a task that would have been impossible a couple months ago. A couple months ago, there was far more security, and while some guards still remain, it isn't nearly enough. They don't bother to run Josi through security check. Though it may have to do with the fact that she's Idris's girlfriend as opposed to the fact that security is running thin.
Dami was generous enough with supplying not one but two. C-4's they are, with a detonator linked to their switches. Josi already has them hooked up to both the main building and the scout quarters. Somewhere in the east wing the bomb is, while Josi and Idris reside in the west. If it goes off it won't take them out just yet. All she needs is that moment of chaos before the entire building goes down.
Josi waits the entire day. She waits for the right moment when their dinner is served. Croff is with them, his eyes sharper than ever. He seems to watch Josi and only Josi. And Josi returns the stare, as innocently as she can. He has no way of knowing she already has the premises wired up. And it tickles her.
But the true moment comes when Croff takes his leave to go perform his last round of security checks. Josi will wait until he's well out of the dining room, when she's sure he's far away as possible.
The dining room grows even more still. Quiet. Idris sits at the head of the table, while Josi occupies the seat on the other end. She pays little attention to her food, because the only thing worth her time now is Idris. He eats his food half-heartedly, as his appetite has been missing for days now. It was Josi's idea to have dinner together today. Otherwise, he would have locked himself up in their bedroom.
The clock on the wall tells Josi it's seven minutes past six O'clock. Not yet time. She keeps her eyes on the clock—on the minute hand as it ticks from one marker to the next. It seems to echo amidst the stillness of the room, carrying with it the weight of Josi's patience.
Idris forces a forkful of pasta into his mouth, but takes no pleasure chewing it down. Josi glances at her meal in front of her. She hasn't touched it or even given it the time of day, not while the final hour is soon approaching. She checks the clock again. 6:16 P.M. Four minutes left.
Her heart won't remain steady. This is it. It has all come down to this moment. So close she is to crossing the finish line. So Josi takes a deep breath in and holds it. To think all she has left is four minutes. In this lengthy timeline of being held captive, it has all boiled down to just four minutes. She can't celebrate now, though. She first needs the plan to succeed, and then she can gloat.
The minute hand moves two places. Two minutes left. Then it comes down to one. Josi's heartbeat accelerates. Sixty seconds remain.
On the other side of the table, Idris gives up his attempt at stomaching his dinner. He's eaten as much as he can, and now he wants his favored drink.
Three . . .
Idris sits a glass down in front of him and begins emptying a bottle of whiskey into it, sloppily. It overflows and pours onto the table, but Idris doesn't care. He knocks the drink down in seconds and comes back for more.
Two . . .
Once the glass has been filled again, Idris sets the bottle somewhere close to the edge of the table. He ends up knocking it down to the floor accidentally, and the bottle shatters, staining the tiles with bits and pieces of glass.
One.
Then it all begins. Josi detonates the first bomb; it goes off outside in the scout quarters. Idris is startled, but Josi sits there calm. Before anyone can make sense of the situation, she detonates the second bomb, this one much closer in the east wing. It rattles the building, and the lights in the dining room flicker for seconds to come.
Idris leaves his seat, confused but also terrified. He looks around the room, still trying to come to terms with what is currently transpiring. Josi sets her fork down calmly and leaves her seat. Now's the time to act before Croff comes bursting through the door to Idris's rescue. She grabs his hand. "Come with me."
Before Idris even answers, Josi pulls him away and out the dining room. Down the hallway, the ceiling has caved in, and the rubble lays across the floor. A blockage. Not a real issue to Josi. If she can't make it to the front door, she'll just have to reroute. She turns left and onto a new hallway for her journey towards a den—the one that leads out into the courtyard.
By this time, the smoke from the fire has begun filtering around the estate, clogging the halls with its toxicity. The smell of burning wood clings to Josi. This means the fire is spreading quickly, and it will soon meet her. But she encounters the flame much sooner than later. As she descends down the hall, she sees that the hallway to the right of her has been consumed by the flames. She quickens her pace and turns left onto a different hallway.
But lo and behold Croff is down the concourse. The fact that he hasn't escaped yet must mean he's been looking for Idris. And when he spots them, it becomes much more clear to Josi how desperate he is. But if he has Idris, then everything will be for naught. This show was staged for both Josi and Idris's grand exit. They have to make it out together.
Croff wastes no time and begins approaching them, and instinctively Josi steps back.
"Croff." Idris calls. He reaches out, but Josi pulls him back and keeps him by her side.
Josi curses at herself. To think the plan fell flat after all. To think after all the success she's had, this is where her plan decides to fail. Croff is coming for Idris, and once he has him, she'll never again have the opportunity.
But something unpredictable happens. The ceiling caves in and collapses to the floor, as the flames have charred their way through much of the framework. Right there in the middle is where the debris falls. Right there—in between Croff and Josi—before he has the chance to make it to them. Josi only catches a glimpse of him before the path is completely blocked, and in that instance she gives the guard a smile. It seems the universe is on her side after all.
"Croff!" Idris calls again.
And again, Josi pulls him back. "He'll be fine. We have to find a way out of here."
The journey to the den resumes. Josi covers her nose with her sleeve to ward off as much smoke as possible, but it still isn't enough. Finally they arrive, and thankfully, the flames haven't yet engulfed the den in its entirety. She pries the door open and leads Idris outside and into the courtyard where they have room to refill their oxygen tank.
In this interval, Josi scans the building. The fire has eaten its way into the structure and has begun tearing it down. But the two aren't truly safe even while they're outside. They have to make it away from the compound itself.
It takes them a few more minutes before they make it to the front of the mansion. Just in time for Josi to get a better view of it in flames. She should put some distance between her and wreckage, but she's entranced. It's all finally demolished. This cell that held her in captivity, finally all torn down. So she stands there, basking in the sight. It's Idris that pulls her away in the end.
Josi's journey ends when she arrives at the car she prepared beforehand, parked at the entrance to the driveway. She escorts Idris inside, who is still quite shaken from the attack currently happening. He seems to follow her command absent-mindedly, as she's the only one who has a clue what they're doing.
The fire has spread across the main building, tearing down the structure and everything in its way. Josi can feel the heat from where she is. Even the scout quarters has been done in by the bomb. It will probably take less time for the building to go down since it's smaller than the main one. And since it's closer to the garden, it will cause more damage around the premises.
Josi slams the car door shut and brings the vehicle to live. Meanwhile, Idris just sits there, staring at the chaos all around them with eyes wide. The life he's worked so hard for. The life that was entrusted to him by his father. It has all turned to embers and ashes. Even as Josi drives off, he glues his eyes to the chaos, completely frozen. This is the last remaining evidence of his power. And now it's been lost to flames.
Josi takes down the paved road. It will be a couple more miles before they arrive at the main gate up ahead, and then she'll truly have made it out.
From the rear view mirror, she sees the estate in the background. The flames have engulfed the structure in its entirety, the smoke thicker than ever. If there's anyone still in the building, they must already have lost their lives—and to such excruciating measures.
But the mission is done. Josi has Idris all to herself. She is no longer bound by that prison. So she keeps driving. Driving. Until the estate becomes something resembling a star. Until the star is finally lost.
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