The Wonderground

31 - The Escape

Ferdinand had found Casus and together they were paddling through the rising water in the bowels of the ship. They were nearly knocked over by Terzi who was crawling madly along in the semi-darkness. Ferdinand pinned him up against the wall.

"Where are the children?" he demanded.

"Dead!" wailed Terzi. "The cells are completely flooded."

"Damnation!" cursed Ferdinand, throwing Terzi into the water and punching the wall, drawing blood.

"We have to get out of here, sir," screamed Terzi. "The ship is going under."

Casus pushed past Terzi and continued down the corridor.

"Casus, what are you doing?" Ferdinand yelled after him. "Save yourself. The kids are gone."

"I swim better than most," called back the determined younger Sky Rat. "Get that blubbering oaf out of here." Casus headed down the corridor despite Ferdinand's protests. The older Sky Rat gave up and hauled Terzi to his feet.

"You heard what he said," barked Ferdinand. "Out. Now. Because I swim worse than most!"

Terzi watched Casus struggle past the turning that led to the cells and ascend the stairs instead. "You are going the wrong way!"

***

Charlie emerged for the tenth time. "It's no use," he trembled. "It's too dark and too cold. I can't find the keys."

The waterline had reached their chests. Elliot reached up and ran his fingers over the low wooden ceiling. If the water rose another four feet, they would run out of room. And air. They had also run out of ideas. The level was rising more quickly than before. They struggled on their tiptoes until they could no longer touch the ground. Elliot worked out they had maybe two minutes until the deck would be flooded. He did not tell the others and simply closed his eyes tightly, fighting the urge to cry.

***

Casus scaled the stairs two at a time up to the dry living quarters. He sprinted towards the stern along a richly carpeted corridor that led to a single, ornately decorated, wooden door. The captain's rooms. He grabbed for the black cast-iron handle. The door did not open. Locked. Casus charged the door, ramming his shoulder into the wood and wincing from the shot of pain that coursed down to his fingertips. Thankfully, the old rotting frame gave way and splintered at the lock. Casus gave the door a kick for good measure. It flew open and Casus fell forwards onto a shabby, flea-ridden, navy and white striped tiger skin rug that issued a short puff of dust from its jaws as he landed. He stood and coughed. In front of him was a huge four poster bed adorned with crimson velvet curtains that had seen better days. The material was frayed and full of holes. Casus moved to the foot of the bed and grappled with the nearest bedpost. He planted his feet and pushed against the bedframe. The heavy furniture scraped on the wooden floor as Casus slowly but surely moved the bed across the room to reveal, in the centre of the floorboards, a rusted, metal ring. Casus gripped the hoop in both hands and pulled upwards.

***

"I suppose this is it," sobbed Elliot as the top of his head scraped against the ceiling. Charlie and Isla gazed at each other and said nothing. "I should not have accepted that scholarship," Elliot whispered to himself.

"My mum's going to kill me when she finds out I'm dead," whimpered Isla.

Charlie shushed them loudly.

"Bloody Duffers and his 'boring' history trips," whined Elliot.

"I said shush!" snapped Charlie urgently. "Can you hear that?"

A scraping sound was coming from somewhere above them. Unexpectedly, a square of the ceiling disappeared and light streamed in, blinding them temporarily. Charlie blinked several times and when he looked up again, he saw a dirty face beaming down at them. The man was good-looking, with piercing blue eyes and a smartly trimmed beard.