Dark Waters

Chapter 3

Three

I tried to reach for the rungs of the server rack, but the moment I shifted my weight and tried to anchor myself with my left arm, a white hot spike of agony shot straight from my collarbone to my fingertips. My grip failed instantly. I vanished backward into the freezing water, cursing through clenched teeth.

What are you doing? she cried out, shrinking back against the console, her fingers clawing at the soaked fabric of her expensive, ruined jacket. We need to open it! Why aren't you opening it?

I cannot reach the wheel with one arm, I growled, wiping a mixture of sweat and freezing salt water from my eyes. I stared at the ceiling hatch, analyzing the gap. It was too high. I braced my feet against the submerged floor, calculated the distance, and coiled my legs.

I jumped.

My right hand slapped against the cold iron of the emergency handle, trying to force it to slide. But the metal was slick with condensation. My fingers slipped. I came crashing back down into the rising water, my left side slamming violently against the hard edge of a server rack.

A sickening, wet pop echoed inside my ears, followed by a blinding flash of white light behind my eyelids.

I screamed, a raw, ragged sound of pure agony tearing from my throat as I rolled onto my side in the pool. My left arm hung completely useless, twisted at an unnatural, hollow angle. Dislocated. Or worse.

Don't move! she gasped, dropping to her knees beside me, her hands hovering frantically over my chest. Stay still! You are going to make it worse!

Stay still? I flashed a venomous, wild look at her, my teeth bared through the pain. I pointed a shaking right finger at the floor boards. Look at our feet! The water is rising every damn minute! We stay still, we drown in a tin can!

She froze, looking down at the dark water lapping higher up her shins, the terrifying truth finally sinking in.

Alright, I wheezed, forcing myself back up using only my right side, my breath coming in short, painful rasps. New plan. You are climbing onto my shoulders.

Her eyes went wide with horror. What? No! I will injure you even more! Look at your shoulder!

I would rather be injured than dead! I roared, the adrenaline overpowering the agony. Get over here!

She hesitated for a split second, then nodded, her jaw tightening. I braced my back against the server rack, locking my knees as best I could with a ruined body. She grabbed the metal framing, lifting herself up and planting her boots squarely onto my collarbones.

The pressure was immediate and agonizing. As she shifted her weight to reach for the manual latch, my left shoulder completely gave in under the strain.

A choked yell left my throat, and my legs buckled. She lost her footing, falling backward into the pool with a heavy splash.

I told you! she cried, wiping the dirty water from her eyes, her voice cracking with despair. It is not going to work!

Again! I snapped, spitting out blood flecked water. We will try again. Do not look down.

She scrambled back up, her hands covered in rust and black grease, her expensive posture completely gone. She climbed my frame once more. I dug my boots into the floorboards, screaming through my teeth as she put all her weight into her hands, gripping the security handle.

With a final, desperate burst of strength, she threw her body weight sideways.

CLANG.

The security latch slid open. The heavy circular trap door swung upward to the surface. Instantly, a rush of trapped air hissed out, and a violent splash of cold, external sea water poured down through the opening, instantly surging the water level inside the cabin straight up to our knees.

But the path was open.

Go! I choked out.

Holding my useless left arm tightly against my chest to keep it from moving, I used my remaining strength and my one good hand to haul myself up the server rack first. The cold, fresh air hit my face as I tumbled out onto the wet, curved roof of the driver pod. I turned back immediately, reaching down into the dark hole with my right arm, grabbing her by the collar and dragging her up into the light.

We collapsed onto the slick metal roof, gasping for air under a bleak, gray sky.

For a few long, agonizing minutes, there was nothing but silence between us. We could not speak. We were just analyzing the absolute catastrophe surrounding us.

The lower sectors were gone. A vast, churning, toxic gray ocean stretched out in every direction, chewing on the jagged, broken tops of skyscrapers. Massive shipping containers and shattered debris floated past like ghost ships.

She stood up slowly, her eyes tracking the horizon, searching the smoky sky. Seconds ticked by. No sirens. No rescue hovercraft. No high sector drones.

I watched her face as the harsh reality finally broke through her indoctrination. Her chest heaved, her eyes hollowing out as she realized the truth. Nobody was tracking this train. Nobody was coming.

Then, the floor beneath our feet violently rumbled.

The metal hull shrieked. The submerged structure holding the pod gave way, and the train began slipping under the water, tilting backward into the deep.

We do not have time! I yelled, looking wildly around the debris field.

A few yards away, a massive, rusted shipping container was drifting past, pushed by the current. It was completely sealed, riding high on the water, empty inside, acting like a giant, floating steel raft.

Jump!

I did not wait for her approval. I grabbed her hand, and together we launched ourselves off the sinking train roof, plunging through the air toward the floating metal box.