Chapter 9 - The Rusted Sluice
The roar of the gunshot inside the enclosed concrete culvert was deafening, ringing in their ears and sending a shockwave through the stagnant water. Metal shrapnel flew in all directions as the bullet shattered the internal brass gears of the locking mechanism. Julian immediately kicked the heavy wheel valve with the heel of his boot.
With a sickening screech of rusted iron, the wheel spun freely, and the massive sluice gate began to lift upward into the ceiling slot, groaning in protest as centuries of built-up sediment broke away.
Behind them, the tactical flashlight beam illuminated the curve of the tunnel just fifteen yards away. A deep, gruff voice echoed through the dark pipe.
"Hold your fire! Flush them out with gas!"
"Go! Go! Go!" Julian screamed, shoving Clara and the children through the narrow gap beneath the rising sluice gate before the heavy iron barrier could jam again.
Carter squeezed under first, sobbing as he scraped his knee against the rough concrete floor. Clara scrambled through right behind him, holding the toddler tight against her chest as the acrid scent of tear gas began to drift down the corridor behind them. A small canister clattered against the wet concrete just twenty feet back, spinning wildly as a thick, gray plume of chemical smoke began to billow outward, instantly choking the air.
Julian dove through the gap just as the sluice gate slammed back down under its own weight, sealing the barrier shut behind them with a heavy, echoing thud. He slammed the emergency locking pin into place, effectively jamming the mechanism from their side.
They tumbled out into a vast, cavernous industrial chamber—the abandoned municipal water treatment plant. Towering concrete sedimentation tanks loomed like gothic cathedrals in the dim moonlight filtering through broken skylights high above. Stagnant pools of dark water reflected the skeletal iron trusses of the roof overhead.
"Coughing violently, Clara set the toddler down and pulled Carter close, her eyes streaming tears from the residual gas that had managed to seep through the seams of the gate.
"Are you... are you okay?" Clara managed to gasp between racking coughs, wiping her face with the sleeve of her beige blouse.
"We're through the hard point," Julian said, his breathing ragged as he scanned the cavernous room for the exit hatch. He wiped his own eyes with a wet sleeve, his adrenaline-fueled focus scanning the catwalks above. "The rail line access is on the upper tier. Up those metal stairs."
They moved quickly across the concrete floor, their boots echoing loudly in the hollow, empty building. But before they could reach the base of the industrial staircase, a sharp, metallic click echoed from the shadows above them.
A laser sight dot—bright, steady, and crimson—suddenly materialized on the center of Julian’s chest.
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"Freeze right where you are, Mr. Vance," a cold, unfamiliar voice commanded from the high catwalks. "Drop the weapon, or the boy gets ventilated first."
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