Stuck under the surface
1995
Paul
"Paul? There's... water."
I look up to Gerrick standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, it's raining, it has that effect," I grin and lock back down to the manual I'm reading.
But he shakes his head, this time not as fond of my jokes as he usually was.
"N-No, I meant, water in the tunnel, Paul."
My eyes dart to his almost immediately. "Come again?"
"There is water in the tunnel. The tunnel in sector 35."
Sector 35 is our maintenance tunnel.
"Gerrick-"
"I-I'm not lying, man."
I stand up from my swivel chair. "You better not be. There is active rolling stock on these rails."
Gerrick has lost all color from his face, he is pale.
"Emergency protocol?"
I nod briefly, already hurrying to my desk. "Emergency protocol."
Gerrick grabs the maintenance flashlight from the hook on the wall and opens the heavy steel door to the hallway that leads to the tunnels. "Call me in five minutes. Not more, not less. If you can't get through, go after me."
My fingers find the button for the intercom system to all active subway trains currently in use.
"Maintenance for Sector 35, stop all rolling stock, we have a case of flooding. I repeat, stop all rolling stock, we have a case of flooding. Over and out." I make the emergency protocol announcement through the small microphone.
"To all other maintenance stations, this is Sector 35, emergency protocol, flooding."
Gerrick has left through the door, he isn't there when I turn back around to him from the console.
Great.
A fucking flooding.
This could mean two things.
One – the pumps for the groundwater are failing and the tunnels are slowly filling up.
Two – and that is a very thing I do not hope either – a weather downpour has caused it.
Both are not two scenarios I like to imagine.
My hand begins to shake when I tear off a sticky note and scribble something down with my pen.
Gerrick's number SUPER IMPORTANT!
Do not forget to call him in five minutes,
do not forget to call him in five minutes,
do not dare to.
YOU ARE READING
𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 | an apocalyptic novel ©
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