Page 350 of Hidden Depths

The floor trembled beneath our feet.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Somewhere far below us...

Ancient machinery began to move.

Mom grabbed Nathan’s hand.

“They have the key.”

Ward looked toward the tunnel.

“What does it open?”

Mom’s face lost every trace of color.

“The gate beneath Blackwater.”

58

Storm

“Some doors are built to keep danger out. Others are built to keep the truth buried.”

— James Sinclair

“The gate beneath Blackwater.”

Mom’s words barely left her mouth before another violent tremor rolled beneath us.

The concrete floor shifted.

Ancient pipes groaned inside the walls.

Then came a sound I knew too well.

Water.

Not the gentle movement of the sea beneath a hull.

Not waves breaking against the shore.

This was a roar.

A massive force rushing through a space that had been sealed for decades.

Ward turned toward the corridor.

“We need to move.”

Nathan pulled Mom to her feet.

She stumbled.

He caught her before her knees struck the floor.

“I’ve got you.”