Exit 9

48

As Ash reached the door, he heard paper ripping behind him. It was a familiar, distinct sound. Not a sheet being torn in half, but something slower with stops and starts along the way. As he turned to see if he was right, he heard the tapping of keys.

The Go code for the virus! Olivia had opened it and was entering it in the system.

His weapon was in his hand before he even realized he’d reached for it.

Olivia struck another key.

“Stop!” he yelled, moving forward.

She looked over at him and smiled. This was what she’d intended to do from the beginning, he realized. This was what she’d been hiding. She wanted to both destroy the Project and bring its nightmare to reality.

“Olivia, don’t do it!”

She raised her right index finger, letting it hover over the edge of the keyboard.

Over the Enter key.