* * *
Lorena finally found an opening, waving Glenn and Alma up as they continued creeping around the Hacienda, trying to get to the cellar. They reached the door, unguarded but still boarded up, and took turns pulling security as the other two used assorted debris to remove the planks.
“What’dya think happened?” Lorena asked Alma as they worked on the door.
“My guess? Jake screwed up, and they bailed, which is why we came as backup in the first place. But if the explosives are down here like you said, none of it matters if we can’t get to them.”
They continued prying the planks off the door one by one, until eventually they were able to get it open. Alma remained up top to keep a lookout while Lorena led Glenn into the cellar, finding most of the explosives still concealed where Arturo had left them. Lorena lit a match, illuminating the dank cavern.
“Thank God…now we just gotta…what was it…plump ‘em?” Lorena asked.
“P-prime them,” Glenn responded.
“Ya’ know how?”
“I can im-improvise.”
Lorena watched as Glenn examined Arturo’s setup and went through the available resources. He continued moving back and forth, adjusting the layout.
“Hurry up, something’s going down up here! I think el jefe’s making the rounds,” Alma called down.
Glenn stopped to readjust his glasses, taking a deep breath. Lorena watched as he reached for a small crate, dousing it in kerosene. He continued messing with the charges while Lorena kept her eyes on the stairs. She jumped as Glenn grabbed her wrist and started heading back upstairs with the crate.
“Wait, what’re ya doin’?”
“Most of the blasting caps are m-missing.”
“What? What’s that mean?”
“We’ll have to get c-creative with detonating the explosives.”
They made their way back to the top of the stairs, stopping at the door a few feet from Alma, who remained crouched just inside the entryway.
“It’s only a matter of time before they notice this door is all not blocked off anymore. Tell me you guys are ready,” Alma said.
“Glenn, how much time will I have?” Lorena asked.
“Y-you’re not—”
“This is my home. Everything they’ve done, they’ve done it to me. I’m returnin’ the favor.”
Glenn nodded. “Won’t be more th-than a handful of s-seconds.”
Glenn fell back, receiving a violent blow to the face from a passing bandita. The bandita encroached upon Glenn and Lorena, menacing as she drew close. Lorena balled up her fist, preparing to strike, when Alma launched out of her corner, landing on the bandita’s back and dragging her to the ground. She wrapped her arms around the bandita’s throat, pulling her into a chokehold until the bandita lost consciousness. Alma smirked as she rolled the bandita off to the side.
“See? Helping you already.” Alma took Glenn’s hand. “Lorena, you good?”
Lorena nodded. Alma waited for an opportunity, finding her chance and dragging Glenn with her as she ran. Alma looked back only briefly, but was gone within seconds. Lorena did her best to calm her unsteady nerves, setting the box down to stop her hands from shaking. She exhaled.
“They all got out. This is the last time I have to deal with fire, and they all got out.”
She made her way back to the stairwell, getting close enough to catch sight of the explosives. Grabbed from behind, she jumped and broke free, falling down the stairs. She managed to grab a rail as she fell, stopping her descent. She looked up to see an eccentric old man in skins approaching.
“I’ve seen you before. You’re that girl Sigurd was infatuated with. What’re you doing in my basement? I’m fairly certain I closed it off since my last demolitions expert decided to turn it into an explosive theme park.”
Lorena scrambled down the stairs, trying to evade the man. Reaching the bottom, she found herself trapped in a pitch-black basement. She moved slowly, feeling her way around.
“Lorena, right? Adelais talked about you too. Hope he pulls through—he’s not doing too well. You can go visit him if you like. Much nicer than down here. No mildew or anything,” the old man said.
Lorena clung to the wall, feeling her way to the back of the cavern until she came upon the sealed door. She tapped her foot around, feeling for the crevice that led back across to the stairs.
“I can go see Ade? Right now?” she asked.
“Sure. His schedule’s open. You’ll need to come with me though.”
She listened, and began creeping along the opposite wall as she heard the old man approach. She kicked a rock near the door, following the crevices in the floor as she waited to see what’d happen. She heard footsteps rapidly shuffling toward the door, and quickly made her way back to the stairs, ignoring the pain in her ankle. “This is for you, Sig,” she whispered as she lit the book of matches, making out the faint outline of the old man’s face in the back of the cavern as she dropped them to the ground, next to a set fuse.
She hobble-sprinted up the stairs, clearing the stairwell and making it back into the petrous arcade. Running until her ankle swelled, the loudest explosion of her life kicked off and shook the very foundations of the Hacienda from below. She continued dashing toward the entrance, the ground behind her beginning to give way. Looking back, she saw a sinkhole beginning to open up, devouring the Hacienda into the earth below.