Capture the tide.

Chapter 14

The water was ice cold, the temperature seeping deep into her bones and making her skin prickle as she rushed for the surface and sucked in a deep breathe. The murk of the textured water flowing around her, rippling across her skin and merging with her thick hair. Marina gagged from the feel of the week-old water.

After her eyes had once again adjusted to the dim lighting, Marina let out a strangled cry of confusion that was soon caught in the back of throat as shock took over her whilst she surveyed her current surroundings.

Marina was treading water in the middle of the room, walls on all sides seeming further and further away in the looming darkness as she struggled to see the staircase from which she come from.

How had I gotten this far out? 

The question clanging through her like a tidal wave as panic began to rise before her awareness kicked in and she immediately smothered it down as far deep inside herself as she could push it. 

Now is not the time for panicking.

Marina's body stilled, her survival instincts kicking in as she finally noticed all the movement she had made amongst her temporary moment of panic. 

Mentally checking herself, she took a deep breath and surveyed the area.

What Marina hadn't been able to see from the staircase earlier was all the smaller items that floated loosely around the water. Bits of rubbish, pens and rotten food scraps drifted past her the longer she lingered.

Head cocking to the side, Marina couldn't help the huff of a laugh that came out when she noticed a lone blue hat that looked like it had been stuck down here for many years. Picking it up and feeling the fabric in her hands as it floated by her before she calmly laid it on top of the gentle waves and watched it float away for another second before she returned to the task at hand.

A large rectangular oak box struck her in the back suddenly, making her jump and spin around with a yelp before a hand smashed against her beating chest to calming her ever racing heart.

Be calm, it's just a box... it's just a box.

Marina told herself, even as her heart continued to quicken whilst she eased her breathing, straining to listen for any sudden sounds or movements. 

A breath of pure relief rushing out of her when she was greeted with nothing but the subtle lap of the waves against metal, even as anxiety and fear pooled in her stomach whilst she continued to search around the darkness, forming a plan.

A large metallic column five meters to her left jutted up out the water, reaching towards the ceiling. A thin rod woven around the edge a foot above the waterline, just big enough for her to stand on it if she is able to pull herself up. 

Marina chewed on her bottom lip, weighing her options between the column and the box that was steadily floating away. On one hand, the box would be easier to mount but on the other hand, it would be easier to tip and would cause a lot more disturbance than she needed. 

Marina watched as the box floated a meter out of reach before her gaze flicked back towards the column.

"I can make that" She whispered into the moist air before letting out three sharp intakes of breath to prepare herself for her next move.

Marina treaded through the water slowly as it swirled quietly around her, her raging heart pounding so loudly against her chest that she swore it echoed around the iron walls. Inch by inch she glided through the water, barely making a dint against the ever-growing distance. Every second feeling like an eternity is passing by in which she is still stuck in the depths of the murky water, being stalked by the largest shark she had ever seen.