Chapter 8 - The Rising Water
Adrian rushed to the heavy steel doors, striking the thick metal desperately with his weapon, but it was entirely useless.
The magnetic locks were completely impenetrable, and the digital keypad had been entirely fried from the outside.
The massive countdown clock on the wall aggressively ticked down to exactly eight minutes remaining.
Clara searched frantically around the sterile room, desperately looking for any possible structural weakness or hidden exit.
She noticed a heavy, bolted maintenance hatch located directly underneath the primary surgical table.
Adrian used a heavy medical oxygen tank to aggressively smash the rusted bolts holding the hatch in place.
They pulled the heavy metal grate aside, revealing a dark, vertical shaft leading down into the island's subterranean defense tunnels.
Clara gently strapped the unconscious Mia securely to her back using long strips of torn surgical sheets.
They climbed down the narrow, rusted ladder just as a massive explosion rocked the floors directly above them.
The shockwave violently shook the tunnel, causing deep cracks to form rapidly in the thick concrete walls.
Suddenly, freezing seawater began bursting through the fractured concrete, pouring aggressively into the dark tunnel.
Victor had intentionally designed the security system to flood the lower levels completely in the event of a breach.
Adrian and Clara fought against the violent current, wading through waist-deep water as they moved deeper into the dark maze.
The water level rose with terrifying speed, quickly reaching their chests as they struggled to keep Mia safely above the surface.
Adrian's muscles burned with pure exhaustion, but the sight of his sleeping daughter fueled his desperate survival instincts.
They turned a sharp corner and swam toward a dim emergency light glowing at the very end of the corridor.
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Their fragile hope was instantly shattered when they saw the heavy, rusted steel gate blocking their only path to the surface.
The freezing ocean water continued to pour relentlessly into the sealed tunnel, rapidly rising all the way to their chins.
