He stood back. “There we go.” He placed the assembly of boxes and wires on the night table and slid it into the middle of the room. “Now let me tell you what's going to happen.” He was proud. He looked critically at the ceiling and walls. “The explosion will take out most of the inner walls — they're only Sheetrock — and the floor and ceiling too. The outer wall is structural and shouldn't collapse. On the other hand you wouldn't want to be caught between that wall and the bomb.”

Hathaway bounced on the floor near the bomb.

“Wood.” He shook his head. “Hadn't counted on that. Splinters are going to be a problem. Fire too. But you'll just have to hope for the best. Now, there's easily enough explosive here to kill you. In fact, I'd say you've got a twenty percent chance of getting killed outright. So I would suggest you take the mattresses and springs and lay them over you...” He looked around. “In that corner there. You'll be blown into the living room. It's hard to know exactly what'll happen but I can guarantee that you'll be permanently deafened and blinded. When C-3 goes off it spreads poisonous fumes. So even if you aren't blinded by the explosion you will be by the smoke. I think you'll probably lose an arm or leg or hand. Lung burns from the fumes. Can't tell for sure. Like I was saying, the splinters are going to be a problem. That's how most sailors were killed in nineteenth-century naval warfare, by the way. Splinters, not cannonballs. Did you know that?”

"Why are you doing this to me? What's the point?

So you'll tell everyone about us. People will believe us and they'll be afraid. You'll live off charity, you'll live off God's grace. You might die, of course. In fact, you can always choose that. Just pick it up.“ He gestured to the box. ”But I hope you won't. I hope you realize what kind of good you can do, what kind of message you can leave for our poor sinful world."

“I know who you are. I can tell —”

“You know Warren Hathaway, which isn't, of course, my name. And how are you going to pick me out of a lineup without eyes?” He laughed, then nodded at her and said, “You have thirty minutes. May God forgive you.” Rune stared back at him.

Hathaway smiled and shook his head and left the room. She heard a half-dozen nails slamming into the frame of the door. Then there was silence. A moment later, the black box clicked and a red light came on. The hand of the clock started moving.

She ran to the window and drew her hand back to smash through the glass with her palm.

Suddenly the window went black and she gave a soft whimper as Hathaway began nailing the thick plywood sheet over the glass.