Page 102 of The Secret Girl (Adamson All-Boys Academy 1)
“Fuck,” Church snaps, sneering as he points at the curved stone wall beside me. “Do you guys see that?” We all turn to look as he points at a line on the stone above our heads. “That's a flood line.”
“As in …” I start as a huge gush of water surges out of the drain.
“As in it's going to flood in here, and we need to get the hell out,” Micah snaps, exhaling sharply. “This must be where all the storm drains up above empty into. And of fucking course it has to be raining today. Goddamn it, if I die in here tonight I'm haunting this school for the rest of eternity.”
“You're not going to die in here,” Tobias declares, breathing hard. “If I have to, I'll hold you above my head. Church or Ranger can hold Charlotte up.”
“That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard,” I snap at him, but it's … kind of cute anyway. “You'd drown, and we'd all die anyway. Let's figure this out. If the drains come in from above, then they must lead out somewhere, too, right?”
I reach into my bag and pull out the crowbar, handing it over to Ranger.
“Smart girls are so sexy,” Church says mildly, his face impassive and cold. It's okay. I know he means it, and I smile. We all gather around as Ranger digs the crowbar under the edge of the grate, and with Micah's help puts enough pressure on it that we hear a satisfying creak.
It budges, but not a lot. This might be a slow process.
The water's rising rapidly now; it's already at our knees.
“There must be several other drainage locations,” Church remarks, and then he takes off down the tunnel with Tobias at his side. I'm guessing they're off to check on the other spots, see if there's an easier way to get out.
“Don't go too far!” I call out, rising up on my tiptoes as shivering as the water rushes in. It's so dark in here, with just the phones to see by; I feel like I'm on the Titanic or something. Wrapping my arms around my chest, I fight the urge to panic. That won't help anybody or anything. Instead, I step forward and try to angle the light for Micah and Ranger, so they can see better.
Unfortunately, it's getting more and more difficult as the water rises. The crowbar is now completely submerged. Even if we get the grate off, we're going to have to kneel down in raging water and try to climb through. Sounds like a nightmare, but I don't see any other options.
Church and Tobias come wading back, their lips pursed tight.
“If there are other grates, we can't see them!” Tobias calls over the raging water, holding Church’s phone up with the flashlight app on. He shines his light on the dark water, but there isn't much to see.
Time ticks past so slowly, the water rising higher and higher around us, the light from their phones and mine doing little to illuminate the darkness.
“Got it!” Ranger shouts finally, and then he grunts as the grate moves through the water and knocks his legs out from under him. Church catches him before he falls and hoists him back to his feet.
“Charlotte first,” Tobias says, and I open my mouth to argue. “No exceptions.” He grabs my phone from me and puts it in my bag before taking me by the shoulders and pulling me close. “Micah will go ahead and pull you—” he starts, but his twin interrupts him.
“Like hell I will! You go first.”
“We don't have time to argue,” Tobias snaps, curling his lip. He looks back at me, his green eyes shadowed in the darkness. “I'm going to hold onto you as long as I can; Micah will pull you into the tunnel. If you guys come across a blockage, don't try to mess it with it. Come straight back.”
Tears sting my eyes but the water's so high now that it's covering my breasts. I'm the shortest of the group; it won't be long before I'm completely submerged. The cold is starting to make my toes and fingers numb, and I'm realizing hypothermia is a real issue here. It only takes a few minutes for it to set in.
“Okay, but nobody be a martyr, alright?” Nobody answers me, but it's hard to talk in here anyway, with all the rushing water sloshing against the walls. Micah grabs my hand and squeezes so tight that it almost hurts, but I'm glad for it. He won't let me slip; I know he won't.
“Take a deep breath, Chuck. I'll count to three and then we dive.” I nod, and Tobias steps up beside me, grabbing onto my waist. “One.” I exhale. “Two.” Deep inhale. “Three!”
We all dive down, but holy shit, the water's cold, and the current's stupid strong. Micah pulls me forward and Tobias pushes from behind. If they weren't doing that, I honestly might be pulled out into the tunnels and dragged away.
