Chapter 8 - The Flooded Sub-Level
The iron stairs groaned under their combined weight as they scrambled down into the damp, subterranean darkness of the boathouse sub-level. The air down here was cold, smelling heavily of stagnant water and rusted iron. Above them, the deafening roar of the fire echoed through the floorboards like an approaching freight train.
Clara clutched Lily tightly to her chest, coughing as wisps of black smoke followed them down the stairwell. The water level at the bottom was knee-deep, dark and murky, lapping against the concrete foundation walls.
“Keep moving! Don't look back!” Mark urged, wading through the freezing water while holding a heavy metal pipe he had grabbed from the landing to use as a battering ram.
David brought up the rear, his breathing ragged and shallow. “There has to be a drainage pipe or an escape hatch leading out to the reservoir. Old commercial boathouses always had a secondary drainage sluice.”
Mark waded ahead through the murky water, sweeping his arms across the concrete wall until his hands struck a heavy iron wheel valve set deep into the masonry. He gripped the rusted wheel with both hands and threw his weight into it. The valve was stuck tight, locked in place by years of rust and neglect.
“Help me, David!” Mark shouted.
David splashed through the water and grabbed the wheel alongside Mark. Together, they strained against the stubborn metal, their muscles locking up under the immense physical exertion. With a screech of tortured metal, the valve finally gave way, spinning rapidly.
A torrent of high-pressure water burst from a hidden intake pipe, instantly flooding the lower level even faster. The water level rose from their knees to their waists in a matter of seconds.
“Mark, the water is rising too fast! Lily can’t swim in this!” Clara cried out, holding Lily up high above her head to keep her clear of the freezing, swirling floodwaters.
“It’s the only way out!” Mark yelled back, shining the flashlight beam from his phone toward a narrow circular drainage tunnel revealed behind the opened valve. It was just wide enough for a person to crawl through, leading directly outward toward the open water of the reservoir.
“You and Lily go first,” David said, stepping up beside Mark and pushing Clara toward the tunnel opening. “I’ll make sure the debris above doesn't block the exit.”
Clara didn't hesitate. She shoved herself and Lily into the dark, claustrophobic drainage pipe, the cold water rushing past them as they pulled themselves forward into the unknown.
Mark hesitated for a fraction of a second, looking back at David through the swirling gloom. “Come with us, David. We can make it.”
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Before David could answer, a massive section of the burning ceiling above them collapsed directly onto the stairwell, sealing off their only way back up.
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