In the Name of Order

Chapter 9: Sink or swim

The pathway is longer than it looks, and the lights radiating from the lines of the ceiling help me make my way down the path. The water is now below my knees, making the task of reaching the end of my pathway more difficult.

My strides are as big as I can make them, and I, seeing that the end of the pathway is more or less fifty meters away, take a second to thank the higher power at the possibility of making it out alive.

"Where's the exit?" The screams sound muffled. Nevertheless, Mathea is screaming.

My forehead wrinkles as I look towards the end of my pathway and panic fills me once I realise what Mathea's commotion is all about: a wall. There's no exit ahead of me. There is only a wall. I near the end of the pathway and, believing Mathea's screams are coming from this direction, turn to the wall on the left of me.

"Willow! Mum!"

I hear Mathea groan in pain. She must've thrown her body against the wall by now. The water now rests below my chest. There's nothing I should say to Thea unless I'm telling her how to get out of here. My eyes scan the walls, looking for a solution so Thea and I don't drown to death.

Mathea's screams is the only one I can hear, leaving me to wonder about the fate of everyone else in this tunnel. My feet are no longer touching the surface and I move my legs back and forth to keep afloat. My eyes continue scanning the pathway now half filled with water. It is only once I tilt my head up to the ceiling that I see my escape.

There is some type of hatch on the roof of this tunnel. I wonder who built this place. I realize that, seeing no ladder or other methods to reach the roof, the water is supposed to help us escape.

"Mathea, look up!" I scream as loud as I can, but Mathea's screams are louder.

She tends to panic beyond recovery, and that characteristic may be the end of her. She must see the hatch.

"Thea, look up!" I try my luck once again, praying my sister can take a break from her shouting to hear the help I am trying to give to her.

Suddenly I'm no longer in a screaming contest with my sister. Mathea's screams come to a stop.

"Mathea!" My sister's silence frightens me more than her screams. At least when she's screaming, I know she's still breathing.

I'm barely able to keep my neck above the water but continue screaming for my sister, praying she has not given up and accepted death.

"Mathea! Up! Look for the—" The water rises to my mouth, and I look at the hatch inches away from me.

I kick at the wall dividing Mathea and I, praying it will fall down so Mathea can join me, and we'll get out of here together.

I continue kicking this wall which causes my body to sink deeper into this pathway that is almost completely filled with water. It is only once my chest feels like exploding from holding my breath, that I choose to raise my head to breathe in air.

The water hides my tears as I move towards the hatch and attempt to push it up. The push causes my body to sink further down this now completely water-filled tunnel, and as I float back up, I see the hatch has not opened. I look around the hatch, hoping I've missed some magic button that will open this thing, but I see nothing. There is nothing here to help me. I wonder what Mathea is feeling at this moment.

I push against the hatch once again, and my body sinks further underwater. I float back up, determined to bang my head against the bloody thing in order to knock myself out. I doubt it will work given the pressure from the water slowing down my movements and taking my strength, but my doubt does not stop me from trying.

My head is near my desired escape and just as I'm about to put my remaining strength into the act of knocking myself out, the hatch opens. My head pops out the other side of the hatch, and I take in the deepest breath I've probably ever taken in my life. I continue to take deep breaths and move my legs to keep afloat.

I look down at my body still covered in water and position my arms on both sides of the hatch to lift my body out of this tunnel and onto the concrete grounds of this unknown building. Just as my body flops onto the ground, a hatch beside me opens. I wait for Thea to climb out, but nothing happens.

Kane pushes past me as I am about to move to get Mathea, and he uses the recently opened hatch to climb into the tunnel we've just escaped from. I stand up as quickly as my body allows and move to Mathea's hatch.

Her body is now being lifted towards me, and I pull her out before positioning her on her side. She's not moving and my head fills with all thoughts excluding those that may ensure her survival.

CPR is what I need. I can't remember what to do as I bend over my sister. CPR. I need CPR. My hands shake, and just as I'm about to blow air in her mouth, Kane moves me out of the way and slightly lifts her chin. He then puts his ear near her mouth to listen for breathing.

I turn away just as I see he is about to start chest compressions and my mother is now by my side. I look at my surroundings and see hatches slowly closing; two of them are about fifty meters from where I am now, and the furthest ones close first. I realise Topaz and my mother must have come out of those ones. That can explain mum's panting I hear as she holds my head to her chest; she must have ran to us.

Thea's coughing takes my attention away from my mother's panting. She coughs up the water from her lungs, and I have never been more grateful for such a sight.

Thea remains on the floor once she's done coughing. She looks up at the dirty, white ceiling of this large room we've been led to. Her eyes are closed as I move to lie down next to her. She replaces her use of the concrete floor with my chest, resting her head on me, and she wraps one arm and a leg around my body.

I hold my sister with one arm as I place the longest kiss on her cheek. I know I shouldn't be, but laughter escapes my lips. Thea looks up at me angrily, and I rush to apologize.

"I'm sorry, T, but this isn't the first time you've drowned. At least you didn't take me with you this time."

"Too soon," is all Mathea tells me.

"It seems that the hatch only opens once the person in the previous pathway escapes," my mother says, looking as pale as she did on the day of her second wedding. I wasn't alive yet, but I saw the photos.

Topaz looks down at Thea guiltily as he speaks, "I took the first path, Cuz, so the rest of you had to wait for me to get out."

Growing up with Topaz, we've learnt his provision of his excuses is his own way of apologizing. As Topaz looks down at Mathea, waiting for some signal she'll give to indicate that he's forgiven, anger grows inside me.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I direct my gaze to my mother who still looks pale and has now stopped staring at Mathea to focus on me.

She looks at me with disgust. She doesn't answer me as a figure walks in from a door on the far corner of this mysterious room, taking my mother's attention away from me and any act she might have been thinking of doing to me.

My eyes widen in amazement, and confusion fills me even more. She should be dead, yet she walks towards us as if it's another casual day.