Chapter 3 - The Coward
The water in the tunnel was rising fast, now reaching the guests' calves.
Panic morphed into hysteria as people began pounding their fists against the unyielding steel doors.
"Stand back!" Ruth yelled.
The nurse grabbed a heavy red fire extinguisher from a wall mount.
She swung the heavy steel cylinder like a baseball bat against the locking mechanism.
Metal shrieked.
She swung again, putting all of her weight behind the blow.
The locking bolt snapped, and the heavy doors swung inward.
The guests flooded into the cavernous, dry expanse of the maintenance barn.
The barn was warm, brightly lit by a massive industrial generator, and stocked with emergency supplies.
Sitting on a stack of military-grade cots in the center of the room was Dean Mercer.
The resort's operations manager looked up, clutching a steaming thermos of coffee.
He stared at the terrified, soaked guests with wide, guilty eyes.
Scott lunged forward and grabbed Dean by the collar of his jacket.
"Why the hell was that door locked?" Scott demanded.
Dean did not look at Scott.
He looked directly at Georgia on the stretcher.
"I was just following the contingency plan," Dean stammered.
Georgia propped herself up on her elbows.
"What contingency plan, Dean?"
Dean swallowed hard, pointing a trembling finger at Scott.
"He called me on the radio right before the helicopter took off."
The guests fell completely silent, listening to the trembling manager.
"Mr. Hail told me to lock the barn, pack the survival gear, and wait for a private extraction team," Dean confessed.
May you like
Dean wiped sweat from his forehead.
"He told me to leave the guests in the lodge because there wasn't enough room on the second chopper for everybody."
