Chapter 12 - The Blackout
The beam of Clara’s flashlight cut a stark white line through the pitch-black boathouse, illuminating floating bits of debris and foaming seawater that now filled half the boat’s interior. Julian clutched the heavy manila envelope against his chest with one hand, his silver rings catching the light as he used the other to steady himself against the rolling gunwale.
"The power didn't fail," Clara whispered, her voice trembling as she swept the flashlight beam across the concrete walls. "He shut down the backup generator manually from the security hub."
"Which means the automated drainage pumps just stopped," Julian replied, his heart pounding against his ribs. He looked down at the water level; it was already lapping dangerously close to the wooden seats of the cockpit. "We have less than two minutes before this boat capsizes against the slipway."
Clara shone the light toward the heavy steel bulkhead door. To their horror, the massive locking bolts were sliding back into place automatically, driven by a heavy hydraulic actuator mounted on the outside frame. The gap was narrowing rapidly, leaving an opening less than three feet wide.
"He's sealing the exit," Clara gasped. "He’s going to bury us down here."
"Not yet he isn't," Julian snarled. He grabbed the heavy brass poker from the floor and wedged it directly into the closing gap of the steel door just as the hydraulic rams hissed with renewed pressure.
The metal screamed in protest, bending under the immense force of the closing mechanism, but the thick brass poker held firm, jamming the gears halfway.
"Clara, give me your hand! Climb through the gap right now!" Julian shouted, his face turning red with exertion as he threw his full body weight against the jammed door frame.
Clara hesitated, looking back at the sinking boat, then at the dark, narrow opening leading out to the freezing sea cliffs. "I can't leave you behind, Julian."
"If you stay here, we both drown! Go! Follow the cliff path to the main road and flag down the first vehicle you see!" Julian yelled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I’ll clear the jam and meet you at the gatehouse in five minutes!"
Tears streamed down Clara’s face as she dropped the flashlight, grabbed the manila envelope from his hand, and squeezed her slender frame through the narrow gap in the steel door just as a towering wave crashed against the outer stonework, sending a wall of freezing water surging into the boathouse.
Julian lost his footing, tumbling backward into the rising bilge water as the hydraulic system groaned, finally snapping the brass poker in half with a deafening crack. The heavy steel door slammed shut the rest of the way, locking with a final, heavy metallic thud that echoed through the empty chamber.
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Julian sat in the freezing darkness, his burgundy velvet shirt soaked and heavy, gasping for air as the water level reached his chest.
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