Tempest wasn't sure what would happen when she finally went to bed. She was sure she would wrestle with the events of the day. She doesn't have enough hands to grapple the party that morning, the tunnels, the poisoning, the power outage, and Damien Arlington. It was too much for one day and one head, and her thoughts were always racing.
She fell asleep easily, but every brush of wind on the outside door made her shiver. Tempest was somewhere between sleep and consciousness, where she couldn't move, but she is sure if someone were in the room and they spoke to her, she'd hear every word. She just wished she could properly sleep.
Then she did. Then, she didn't. Something cold hits her nose and she shoots upright in bed, panting heavily. She can barely breathe, trying to race through her throat. She sits up. It's raining outside. She can't believe she left the window open. With the power outage, they were supposed to close them all. It's raining outside. Whatever parts of the road were melting are now surely turning into sleek ice. Tempest doubts they will be rescued today.
She reaches over to look at the time, and her alarm clock looks back at her. It's just past four in the morning. Rubbing her neck, Tempest switches from side to side.
Darlington isn't here. She didn't invite him back and he didn't ask. She wonders if he's sleeping or still clutching that damn walkie.
Tempest resigns herself to getting up, at least if just to check on him. She has another candle she can light.
She shifts her feet on to the ground and a shock runs through her entire body. She peels away, the skin burning. Her floor is frigid, her toes wet, and she realizes her window isn't open.
Tempest stands up, trying to breathe. She uses her hands to pull across the wall. Balancing on her bed, she leans over and opens her blinds. It's overcast, and cloudy, but there is just enough light to see her floor. The water is nearly ankle-deep, she guesses. It's dripping down, mostly on the walls but some by her door, which might be why she only just noticed it.
She grabs her desk chair while standing on her bed, moving it toward her door. She hops into it, quickly throwing on clothes for the day since she'd rather not run around in her pajamas. Choosing her rain gear, boots and coat, is calculated. Her winter coat is water resistant, and she'd rather not be soaked in something heavy. Whatever she's going to be moving, she'll do so slower in her rainboots than her snowboots or running shoes, but her feet will stay dry at least.
Tempest heads out of her bedroom. The hallway is pitch black. Residence halls are known for thin walls, but as she steps out, she realizes how loud the sound of the rain coming down is. It's ambient. She pulls up her hood since it's going to soak her hair. The hallway is pitch black. In the wet, a candle won't do.
She finds her way to the wall, creeping toward the stairwell. It's moving blind, terrible, but at least she can be pretty sure she won't be electrocuted in the water. She can feel her teeth chattering.
"Maverick!" she shouts his name, unsure if it's even as loud as it would be normally if she screamed.
Tempest makes it to the stairwell. In the dark, she makes her way up the stairs to the next floor. It's a struggle, but she manages to find the door. Breathing in, she enters the fifth floor.
There isn't rain, but she can hear water gushing, muffled, from somewhere down the hall. It must be one of the bathrooms. Tempest struggles to get closer and closer. The water is slightly lower up here, but is still at least two inches deep. In her head, she counts each door she passes. Benedict is above her, and all the floors besides the first have the same layout. She counts carefully until she gets to Benedict's room.
Tempest knocks on the door, slamming her fists.
Benedict wakes up. He can hear the water rushing. He searches his bed and finds the flashlight. He flicks it on and sees the water on his floor. He bends over to the other side of his bed, grabbing his housecoat and his rain boots.
"Coming!" he manages, wrestling on the rainboots, without socks. He gets to his drawer and shoves some socks in his pocket.
Benedict looks out, and sees Tempest, raincoat soaking wet, eyes thin as she winces away from the light. He shines the flashlight down the hallway.
"It's flooding on fourth!" she shouts.
He moves the light to the ceiling. Nothing is dripping from down here. Sixth will be fine. The building doesn't go higher than sixth.
"Okay, no flashlight?" he asks.
When she shakes his head, he passes her his flashlight. He can use the one on his keychain, which his parents made him take given his proclivity for late-night walks. It is barely as strong as a reading light, but Tempest won't know.
"Go wake up the people on sixth," he tells her. "You wake up everyone on the west side. I'll handle the east."
With the flashlight in her hands, Tempest tightens her grip. She nods at Benedict, and then again.
"You'll be okay?" Tempest asks, looking him over.
Benedict's jaw tightens, "yeah. I've got this. Go!"
Tempest doesn't need anymore of an answer. She trudges through the water, her path now lit, heading upstairs.
In his room, Benedict grabs his keychain. He puts his socks on and then starts to move. It's entirely too dark. The water will slow him down to get to Elodie's floor, and they need a Deus Ex Machina now.
The closest thing they have is Marcellus, who lives on the east side of the second floor.
Benedict turns and heads to the western stairwell. He hurries down the stairs, nearly tripping all over his clunky boots. He gets to the second floor, which is entirely dry, so at least the water hasn't hit the second floor yet. He darts past Callie's room, since maybe he won't need to wake her for a while in Marcellus can fix their problem.
He knocks on the door.
On the other side, Marcellus wakes up with a sharp breath. Elodie clings onto him tightly.
"What time is it?" he asks, blinking.
He tries to move but Elodie melts into him. It's Christmas morning, and she would rather sleep in. As always, her mother and father aren't waiting downstairs. This year, there isn't even cinnamon buns for breakfast or her brothers.
"Stay with me," she asks.
Marcellus rubs his fingers along her skin. She's prickly. It's getting colder without the power. He doesn't think he can make himself get up, nevermind she wants him to stay. It's too cold.
The pounding increases. Marcellus hears Benedict's voice, "hey, I'm not playing around. Let me in your stupid fucking room."
Marcellus groans. He sits up. Elodie feels herself freeze, crawling tightly beneath the blankets. He makes his way to the door, wiping at his eyes.
He opens the door, staring at Benedict, wincing away from the light.
"Are you seriously answering the door in boxers?" Benedict asks. "You're so unprofessional."
"I'm unprofessional?" Marcellus snorts, rolling his eyes. Instantly, he gets a headache. "I'm off the clock. Clock needs electricity."
"Why is it whenever I wake somebody up they decide to become a stand-up comedian?" Benedict pinches the bridge of his nose.
He shoves past Marcellus, flashing the light in his room. Benedict sees Elodie and flinches, turning himself around so he doesn't have to look at her.
Elodie winces at the light. She sits up, looking at him, "learn how to knock. I'm clothed."
Taking in a deep breath, Benedict flashes a light at the ground. There are so many unimportant thoughts in his head, so he focuses on what matters. Tempest is from fourth. Elodie is his partner on fifth. Tempest is waking sixth. Marcellus now has two east. Darlington is technically on the west side even though he oversees both floors, so all Benedict needs is one east, which is Moonie.
Just Moonie.
"Listen, there's a flood on the fifth floor," Benedict says.
Marcellus digs into his drawers, which is difficult with the door partially open. He grabs out a pair of sweatpants, throwing them on him. He tosses a pair of track pants over to Elodie. They land on the bed next to her.
"Sorry, what?" Elodie asks. "You didn't lead with that?"
"Last time I lead with the crises, you decided to make a joke out of it," Benedict points at her. He takes in a deep breath, looking at them both. "The floor's wet on fifth. It seems like it's raining down on the fourth floor, but I don't know for sure."
"I've got a flashlight," Marcellus tells him. "Where are people gathering?"
"Sixth," Benedict decides. "At least... maybe. I sent Tempest up there with my flashlight."
Elodie grabs the track pants. Marcellus' shirt is long, so she stands to put them on. Benedict stares at the ceiling, and she rolls her eyes. He's so prudish for someone whom she knows has found a drunk kid stripped buck naked.
Drunk people love to get naked, as they have learned.
"Okay," Marcellus throws on rain boots as well. He looks over at Elodie. His phone is incredibly dead, and he isn't sure how to make a flashlight in a minute. The flood is on her floor though. He thinks. "Elodie and I will go to fifth. I'll see if- how much water is it?"
"Rushing," Benedict answers. "I've got no idea, but it's a couple inches deep on fifth, no idea what fourth is like."
Elodie throws on her shoes. They aren't waterproof, but they are something.
"Pipes are bursting, I bet," Marcellus shakes his head. "The water was so cold. I figured it was an automatic shut-off for the winter break. The water's cold?"
"Freezing," Benedict agrees.
"Can you fix it?" Elodie swallows.
Marcellus shakes his head, "I'm not a plumber. If it's only one pipe, turning on every tap on the fifth floor might help relieve the pressure, but it doesn't sound like the kind of water that can come from just one pipe. Elodie and I will go upstairs with my flashlight to try and relieve it."
"Where's the shut off for the building?" Elodie asks, looking at Benedict.
Both of them shrug.
Marcellus nods, "get Darlington. Then, come to fifth for me. I won't leave, so we won't get entirely separated."
Benedict nods. Elodie grabs the flashlight on the floor next to Marcellus' bed. Benedict rushes out while Marcellus and Elodie start to leave to head upstairs.
~~~
Tempest goes to Galilee first, who is at the far end of the hallway. Galilee has the flashlight, as far as she remembers. Besides, Jerry isn't easy to wake up. He sleeps like the dead. Once she gets to the top floor, Tempest hurries over to Galilee's door, even with the rainboots on. She knocks on the door once, and then again, praying Galilee will wake up.
The door opens. Tempest shines the light away. It refracts in the hallway, and so Galilee is visible if dimly lit. Her hair is in fraying milk braids, possibly to hide the grease. The water's been too cold for Galilee to wash her scalp. She's in her pajamas, cocking her head and staring at Tempest.
"Are you... do you need Christmas morning help?"
"Galilee, I'm sorry to rush this, but we need to hurry," Tempest says. "The fifth and fourth floors are flooding. We need to get this place ready for people to come to stay for a few days. I'm going to get Jerry, and then we need to plan."
Galilee nods, forcing her eyes open as wide as she can. Tempest moves back down the hall. Galilee staggers inside her bedroom before cracking the window open. The cold air hits her, and she is sure she is awake enough to move. She closes the window. Then, she finds her flashlight.
Tempest gets to his door. While Gally throws on a sports bra and a hoodie, she can hear Tempest knocking and calling out Jerry's name. It'll take at least two more minutes to get him moving, so Galilee starts to think.
She has so many fuzzy blankets which she bought for nights with students. The lounge couches aren't quite long enough to sleep anyone besides Moonie. It's the middle of the night, and people are going to be tired. If they want mattresses and not the floor, they might need to use students' rooms. That'll cause another debate though, and Tempest makes it seem like they don't have time. Galilee's brain is moving to slow to register anything other than getting the others up here and then to sleep.
Jerry stumbles out of the room. He squints at Tempest, backing up.
"Cold?" he asks, grabbing a sweater off a hanger. "I have another big sweater."
"Thanks," she says. Tempest unzips her raincoat and throws it on underneath, since the water is freezing.
"Decide to have a shower?" Jerry chuckles.
"My floor is flooding," Tempest tells him. "You don't have a flashlight, do you?"
Jerry moves back into his room, looking around. The first aid kit doesn't have one. His phone might, but it's at ten percent and the flashlight won't turn on with such a low battery. Even if it did, he wants to wait for a single bar, to call the super as soon as he can.
Now, Galilee pulls on running shoes, grabs her keys in case she needs to get into the office for the masters, and she heads into the hallway.
"What's the plan?" she asks.
Tempest shrugs, "Benedict is waking up the east side. I'm handling the west."
She counts them out. She did all of six. Benedict is five east and she is four east. Going down, they need Darlington, Elodie, and Ro. Darlington will have a flashlight.
"What's our plan?" Jerry asks. He leans against his doorframe and slides down onto the ground.
They all stare at each other. Only Jerry was on logistics last time, and he shouldn't have even been there.
"We need, people will need things to get warm," Galilee says. "If we are getting people, tell them to pack up anything they don't want to be damaged."
"Jerry, do you mind greeting people, even in the dark?" Tempest asks. There is no sense running around and doing anything.
Jerry nods, still slumped over.
Tempest breathes in, trying to calm herself. There is no Darlington here.
There are many things Galilee fears. Even as a big sister, she is used to being told what to do. Her parents were the directors of their vlogs and her life.
The ultrasound is in Tempest's room. She doesn't have a digital copy.
"Tempest," Galilee turns to her, breathing in. "Go to your room and grab anything you need. As much of it as you can. I'll get Darlington. Then, you can get two west and I'll get one west. Okay?"
Tempest doesn't protest. Jerry waves them off. The light is too bright and he wants to sleep.
The pair rush to the stairwell. In her running shoes, Galilee is much faster. She hears the water rushing on fifth. There is a puddle in the stairwell on fourth, oozing in from the rest of the floor. It is already starting to cascade down the stairs.
"It's going to be slippery!" she shouts out to Tempest.
"Okay!" Tempest shouts back.
As Galilee continues on, Tempest makes it to her floor. The water is coming down harder, it pools into her rainboots, already past her ankle and approaching mid-shin. Tempest gets to her room and grabs her suitcase. It's wet, but she doesn't care. In a reusable grocery back, water resilient, she throws in every sentimental thing. In the extra space, she grabs pajama pants and sweaters, and more socks since her feet are freezing and soaked.
Finally, Galilee gets to the third floor. There, she sees Benedict hand up to Darlington's door.
"You got it!" Galilee yells down the hallway, shining her light at him.
Benedict blinks back, "Galilee?"
"You've got him, right?" she presses on.
Benedict nods his head. They can both hear rain.
"Yeah, keep going down!" Benedict shouts. "If you can, can you wake all of one? I'm trying to help Marcellus stop the flooding and I don't think I'll get to Moonie."
"Sure thing!" Galilee says.
Something creaks.
They shine their lights up. Halfway between them, the ceiling is starting to sag. It's going to cave.
"Shit," Benedict shakes his head. He hadn't thought about structural damage. They don't have carpeted floors anymore but linoleum. Nothing in the building, other than the bedsheets and the clothes of the students, is there to soak up the rain. Even then, the bulk of it isn't there.
"Shit," Galilee agrees, screaming back.
The sound, shrill, wakes Darlington. He was in and out of sleep, hearing mumbling. Someone is shouting outside. He bursts to his door, opening it. Benedict stands on the other side.
"Flood," Benedict says, rushing the words as fast as he can. "Go!"
Darlington grabs his flashlight and then goes for his socks and shoes, pulling them on as fast as possible.
The ceiling is going to burst. It's growing.
Galilee does the only thing she can think to do. She runs. Towards Benedict, sprinting faster and faster. With her keys in her hand, she can hardly breathe.
Darlington gets his shoes on and grabs his dangling keys at the entrance before bursting out the door, just in time to see Galilee jumping toward the sagging ceiling, cheaply made. With her keys, she slices a strip into the ceiling. She slams against the ground, and the water from above slams into her, pouring down from the whole above. It is freezing. She shrieks and slides, moving out of the direct waterfall. Her clothes are entirely soaked through, but the sagging ceiling drips out, rather than caves in entirely.
"Galilee!" Benedict yells.
He bites his lip and grabs Darlington, still standing in shock. They watch as she stands up.
Benedict grabs Darlington and drags him out into the hallway.
"Marcellus needs to know where we would go to shut the water off to the entire building," Benedict says. "Fifth is flooded, as is fourth, and now you. We are regrouping on sixth."
"It's in the storage off the laundry room," Darlington says. "Flooding?"
"Yeah," Benedict says.
Darlington flinches. The walkie. It's in his room. On the floor, beside his bed, since there isn't enough room in his room for a bedside table.
It's got to be underwater now. There is one left though.
~~~
On the fifth floor, Elodie is freezing. Marcellus shines the light as she throws on her winter coat. She uses her quilt as a sort of sack that she fills with clothes. Marcellus helps her carry it out to the stairwell, and they drop the pile on the stairs heading up to the sixth floor.
"Can you get it upstairs alone?" Marcellus asks.
Her whole body is shaking. She nods but then shakes her head.
"You're going into the flood alone?" she asks. "Are you crazy?"
"You want to come in without water-protected feet?" he asks, shaking his head.
Marcellus grabs her shoulders, pulling her in close. Then, he looks at her. The flashlight in her hand sags, and they are in dim lit darkness again.
"I can do this," he tells her.
"You have me," she nods, "even alone out there. You have me."
He nods. They don't need to say he is taking the flashlight. They both know. As Elodie grabs her things, he heads back into the water. She carries it upstairs in the darkness, pulling herself to the top floor. No lights are on. The door shuts behind her.
"Who?" the voice she recognizes belongs to Jerry.
"Elodie," she answers, swallowing.
She drags her stuff toward the middle of the room. Footsteps approach her. Something grabs her stuff, helping her move it. Even in the darkness, she isn't alone. It's not Marcellus helping her now, but she knows she has him.
Downstairs, Marcellus makes it into his room. A toilet is overflowing, but there is more water than that. He can hear it coming from the showers. He trudges through, pulling open each curtain. Three of the four shower heads have burst off, water shooting out of them. Most of the metal has sunk to the bottom. Marcellus turns on the last remaining shower. The water grazes his arm and he shivers. Then, he gets to the other sinks and opens them, one and then two, and then three more, and soon enough the sinks are overflowing too. It's going to do more damage to the structural integrity of the building, but more pipes bursting is going to do even more damage. Now he is thankful for his logical brain.
"Marcellus!" he hears a raw scream down the hallway. It sounds like it burns, but the call is still faint.
He heads out of the bathroom and shines his light down both ways.
On the east end, Darlington and Benedict wait for him. He trudges over, only shrugging his shoulders. Marcellus is certainly not a plumber.
"It's in the laundry room," Darlington explains. "We're going all the way down."
~~~
Tempest dumps her stuff up top, yelling to Jerry and Elodie. The light hurts Elodie's eyes. She was just adjusting to the darkness again.
Tempest hurries downstairs. She pops out onto the second floor and shines her flashlight forward. A shivering, soaking Galilee's hands wrap against Callie's door, ever so softly. Tempest hurries over to her, scooping her up just as Galilee begins to crumple to the ground.
"What happened?" she asks.
"Third is flooded," Galilee answers, gritting her teeth to stop the chattering. "Benedict said we need to handle the whole first floor."
Darlington., "did. Is Darlington?"
"Benedict has him," Galilee answers.
"Go upstairs," Tempest tells her. "Give your flashlight to Jerry or Elodie. I'll get Callie. Tell them to go for Moonie. I've got Ro after that."
Galilee nods. Tempest helps force her upright. She doesn't know that Galilee will make it all the way up, but if she doesn't, Tempest will find her shortly.
So, Tempest bangs on the door.
Callie rolls out of bed. Her shoulders ache. She coughs, and her heart freezes. It's the poisoning again. She covers her cough with her elbow, breathing in and out. She switches out of her pajama shirt, which certainly will give a show if it's Marcellus who's come knocking, for a bra and a sweater.
Then, she gets to the door.
Tempest is there, with a light. Thankfully. Callie is defenceless against the dark.
"Pack valuables and warm stuff," Tempest says. "Fifth, fourth, and third have flooded. I don't know how long we have down here."
Callie opens the door wider. She grabs her travel case and throws it on the bed. She usually brings three bags. One for hair and skin care and make-up, one for clothes, and one for art supplies. Just one will do now. All her art, as beautiful as it is, she can remake. Her eye holds an image so well. Galilee is bleeding on the floor. Galilee reading a book. Galilee.
Not Maverick, she realizes. Galilee.
"Throw a few blankets in," Callie directs. "I've got clothes."
As Tempest throws in two blankets, Callie grabs socks and tights, since tights will keep her warm as a second layer. She throws in underwear and two sweaters, and then she hopes it's enough. She grabs her kettle, for good measure, if for some reason the flood means they have no water, and boiling water is supposed to help get rid of bacteria at least a bit if they have to resort to the snow on the roof.
There's no power. She throws the kettle away. She pulls on winter boots anyway, in case the roof is their plain.
"I'll take you upstairs," Tempest says.
They head off together. Above them, there is a light source in the staircase. Tempest stops moving, hoping to see the light dip. It doesn't.
"Galilee," Tempest swallows.
Callie looks over, eyes wide.
"I... give me your suitcase," Tempest offers.
Callie shakes her head, "I'll get her going. What do you need?"
"Drop her off at sixth," Tempest thinks. Jerry always treats her hand. "Pass the flashlight to Elodie. Send her to wake up Ro. I've got Moonie on the west. That should be everyone."
Callie nods. With her suitcase in hand, she hurries up the stairs, most of which are dark but every so often, the light bends just enough to give her a sight to see. Below her, Tempest's flashlight disappears. Callie steps in puddles.
Galilee is shivering, her body tilted against the wall, a flashlight in her hand. She is trying to step up, but her leg is shaking. Callie bends over, helping pick her up, Galilee is freezing.
"Holy shit, Galls. Are you there?" Callie asks, because even if Galilee's eyes are open, there is no her in them. No doe eyes, no narrowing in concentration. Dull. Glassy.
Galilee mumbles something, nodding, "just cold."
It's a whisper, but it's there. Callie pulls off her sweater. The clothes are only going to make Galilee colder. She helps Galilee strip off her hoodie and then clothes Galilee herself. Galilee rubs her arms and curls her toes, trying to get blood to circulate through them. With her suitcase in one arm, and Galilee in the other, Callie moves them upstairs.
Down below, Tempest is changing her mind. She knocks on Ro's door, taking off her rainboots so that she can sprint to Moonie's room without twisting an ankle. The soles of her feet ache.
"Get up!" she shouts all the way down the hallway. "Get up! Wake up, both of you!"
She reaches Moonie's door and begins pounding. She starts to run back.
On the other hand, Ro peers out the door. She can only see shifting light, unaware of how hard Tempest is pumping her arms to run back and forth, "what the fuck?"
"There's a flood!" Tempest yells.
Ro darts back into her room. She grabs her phone, and with its flashlight, she gathers her shit. Being an international student, she doesn't have many sentimental items in the country, let alone in her dorm. Things break in transit. Things will be destroyed tonight.
She starts to pack all her spare batteries, which are only powerful enough to charge phones. She throws together some blankets as well.
Then, Moonie opens the door, "what?"
"There's a flood!" Tempest shouts. She said she'd help Moonie, but she also said she'd help Ro. Everything got lost in the confusion. Moonie's room is closer, so she heads toward their room. "Pack everything you've got that's warm and sentimental."
"Can you help?" Moonie asks.
Tempest nods.
Moonie's heart is racing. Everything matters to them. Their dorm room has photos and posters, souvenirs and trinkets. Moonie gets out two bags. She tears down everything that she can and throws it in one while directing Tempest on what to grab of hers for the other.
There will never be enough space to fit everything Moonie has ever come to love.
~~~
Racing down to the basement is nauseating. Part of their duty as residence staff is patrolling the buildings. Darlington has walked these halls more times than he can remember, checked every bathroom dozens of times, and looked through the laundry room on the off chance they find a student unconscious on the floor inside or a machine going haywire. Doing this movement is thorough. They check every stairwell. Only in fire alarms do they move so quickly down one, and even then, they move slowly. You have more time to get out from a small microwave fire in a building this big than you realize.
They aren't trying to get out though. They aren't battling fire either. Water isn't something you neutralize easily.
They get to Darlington's floor and Benedict grabs them all, stopping.
"What's the plan, down in the basement?" he asks.
Marcellus looks to Darlington, panting only slightly, "we don't have much time. This amount of water's going to cause a lot of damage. We might see a floor collapse."
"Galilee already sliced open the ceiling so the water could get out," Benedict adds. "It would've caved in otherwise."
It hadn't occurred to Darlington exactly what Galilee was doing. Now, it makes sense. He nods along.
"We just get in and out quickly," Darlington decides. "It's probably still dry down there. I'll go for the walkie and masters. Benedict, you can start to pack food and I'll come help. And Marcellus, you go to the laundry room main."
The guys nod.
They race down the stairs further and further, pacing the second, and the first, and then, they are in the basement. Darlington leads the charge since he is wearing shoes meant for moving. He splashes into a puddle and then shines the flashlight at his feet.
The water down here is deep. The basement door is submerged.
"Shit," Marcellus rubs his chin.
Darlington listens to the rumbling behind the door.
"I bet it's a pipe in the laundry room," Marcellus shakes his head. "Washers use so much water. We've got a dozen of them."
The three boys stand still. The water is sloshing against the stairs. Darlington is still in it, still freezing. He shakes his head.
"Change of plans," Darlington tells them. "I'm going for the walkie and masters. Benedict's going to go with Marcellus into the laundry room."
Benedict shakes his head, "you shouldn't... we need food."
"We need to let people know the tunnels are going to flood," Darlington tells them. "There's exposed wires down there."
There's no talking him out of it.
Marcellus nods. He rushes down into the water, which freezes him and breathes in.
The unit offers a first aid course for the residence assistants to take, as long as they are willing to take it during exams the school year prior to starting their jobs. All three of them have taken it, but none at the same time. Benedict is a first-timer, so he took it in the spring. Marcellus and Darlington are both returners and because of how inconvenient the course is scheduled, neither of them took it again after their first time. They all know the same parroted stuff.
In drills off the Atlantic coast, the navy trains to get someone out of the water within seven minutes. It isn't the water that will kill them, but the winter. The best of swimmers cannot beat hypothermia.
There's going to be debris in this water though, unlike the ocean. It's just above Darlington's knees.
Marcellus grabs the door and shoves it open. Darlington joins him, and the push is just enough to get the door to go. Benedict trails in after, biting his tongue to avoid the cold.
They can hear water rushing. The laundry room and the office are at opposite ends of the hallway.
Darlington trudges through the water. The water is deep enough that he could swim through it, but he might kick the body. It, at least, doesn't smell like sewage. He gets to the office door and jams his key in.
Down the hallway, Marcellus and Benedict are already in the laundry room, which is much closer. They unlock the first door and use their full body weight to ram it open. Water gushes out past them, flooding through the basement. It goes from knee-deep to waist in seconds, and both boys freeze. Benedict's jaw opens, and he swears it locks because it can't move.
Benedict gets to the walkie, and then he grabs the master keys as he hears the deep and monstrous roar of the water. He holds his flashlight and the walkie above his head, hurrying back. He leans against the walls in the hallway to brace against the water. Marcellus sees new shadows of his on the wall and turns to see Darlington, pointing the light. Waist deep.
"I'm cold," Benedict says.
"Go get food," Marcellus tells him. "Now."
In swimming lessons as a kid, Benedict was told that submerging his head was the best way to get warm. As crazy as it is, he submerges himself, completely underwater. Then, he pulls himself upright and tries to walk over to the kitchen.
Darlington gets with the water to the stairwell. The door is still swung open, thankfully. He moves into it and runs up to the next floor. His clothes are so heavy and cold once he's out of the water. He leaves the walkie up there but brings the flashlight.
Marcellus ventures into the laundry room. He gets to the back door, only to realize it's locked.
"I need the masters!" he screams out.
Darlington hears him. He goes to Marcellus, the master keys wrapped tightly around his fist. He doesn't see Marcellus, but he sees Benedict, flinging himself against the kitchen door. It opens, and Benedict goes in.
Darlington goes for Marcellus. He enters the laundry room. The water is soapy. Someone probably left detergent in here, and the water has decided to claim it. Darlington sees Marcellus at the door. Marcellus holds up his hand. Darlington's legs have locked from the cold.
He tosses the keys to Marcellus. They soar through the air, and Marcellus nabs them by the lanyard, the keys dipping just into the water. He snatches the keys up, soapy and all, and jams them into the utility closet. Effortlessly, he turns the key. The closet door swings open. Water rushes in around him as he looks around. The water main, with a valve. He grabs his hand and twists it.
Benedict has one box of things that don't need to be cooked. He can't get it too heavy, or it'll be hard for him to carry above the water. Already, his hands are locking. He swears his bones creak. He mutters something to himself, retreating into the hallway.
Darlington meets Marcellus in the middle of the room. Together, they pull themselves into the hallway. Benedict sees them. The three push to the stairwell. With a door still propped open, they make their way up. Benedict gets up first and once the food is on the first floor, Benedict takes off his shirt and pants.
"Unprofessional," Marcellus says with a chatter.
Benedict glares at him, "you both should strip. The clothes will only weigh us down and make us colder.
Both men look at each other. They remove their clothes as well.
~~~
Elodie finally feels useful when Callie arrives with Galilee. She runs down the stairs, where Tempest, Moonie, and Ro are making their way up together. Each of the three already has a flashlight, or something similar, so when Elodie greets them, she pants.
"We're missing a bunch of people," she whispers. "Benedict and Marcellus are trying to, you know, stop the water. Don't be too worried when you get up there and we are missing people."
Tempest nods, her brow sweaty. Elodie takes one of Moonie's bags from her, and Tempest pauses to breathe.
"They're fine," Tempest tells her.
Ro's bag is heavy too, since she's stuffed it with every warm thing she can think of carrying, "heroes they think they are, I bet they went to the water main, wherever that is."
"Yeah, for sure," Elodie knows they did, but isn't sure how she can point that out without revealing her and Marcellus, and whatever they are. Secrets are still something she is holding onto. At least, she should figure out what they are before anyone else does.
The four of them get to the top floor. Everyone sets up in the hallway. In Galilee's bedroom, she holds onto Callie, while she switches into dry pants and socks. Just that already helps so much. Callie holds her hair back, pulling it into a bun.
Jerry waits outside the door, ready to check Galilee's hand. Ro's picked a spot beside his stuff, and he looks over at her, a shadow in the light. Some vacation for her this has been. Moonie sits anxiously, tapping their foot. They want to go searching, or really do anything other than sit idle. There isn't much left to do besides sit on this floor. There isn't much left besides this floor.
Galilee and Callie exit her room, both fully clothed and much warmer. Callie sits on the ground with Galilee, who is wrapped in a blanket. They lean on each other. Jerry takes her hand and peels off the bandages, cleaning the wound. It's too cold to even sting at the alcohol. Jerry starts to redress it.
The east door opens. On the other side, Marcellus, Darlington, and Benedict are only wearing boxers. Marcellus shivers as he carries their wet clothes and shoes. Benedict sets the box down on the ground. Darlington feels himself start to curl in too.
They are descended upon. Tempest runs over to Darlington, throwing a blanket on him. His lips are purple, and he mumbles something she doesn't understand. He made it though, somehow, miraculously.
Elodie runs into Galilee's room. She grabs towels, lots of them, and throws one at Ro. She rubs it on Marcellus' face and torso with one hand, and throwing their wet clothes down the hallway with the other.
"We can trade back," she offers, since she's wearing his clothes right now.
He nods at her. His hands touch her face, like icicles. They are wrinkly too, from being in the water. She squeezes his hand.
Ro grabs Benedict. Jerry finishes the bandages and runs into his room. He prefers bigger clothes, but he doesn't think any of his pants will fit Darlington. Maybe Benedict, but Jerry does have thin legs. He dashes out of the room and hurries back, barreling past Moonie.
They stare at the chaos, eyes running over everyone. Moonie grabs the flashlight Ro abandoned, and shines it on everyone. They count twice. Ten people. They are eleven.
"Where's Maverick?"
Something groans beneath them.
Bang.
A few people scream as the floor shakes.
~~~~~
Let me just say, holy fuck. Like, so many damn words. Realistically, that's too many words. My editing was subpar because of the quantity, so let me know if there are any mistakes (I often use Elodie and Callie's names interchangeably, and even Maverick and Marcellus too).
Anyway, bring your pitchforks. Any predictions for the next chapter?