Chapter 6 - THE FLOOD AND THE ESCAPEWith a deafening hiss, high-pressure water from the estate’s underground cistern burst through the aged copper pipes lining the vaulted ceiling. A torrent of freezing water crashed down into the vault, instantly blinding the guards and soaking the room in chaotic spray.
“Shoot! Shoot!” Emmett roared, stumbling backward as the blinding cascade hit him square in the chest.
Gunshots echoed wildly through the stone chamber, deafening and erratic. Sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off the iron filing cabinets, shattering glass and splintering wood.
“Run!” Manuel grabbed Rosalie’s hand, pulling her down behind the heavy oak desk just as a round punched through the mahogany inches above their heads.
The water level on the stone floor rose rapidly, ankle-deep and freezing cold, carrying papers, debris, and dust into a swirling vortex. The guards, blinded by the deluge and slipping on the slick stone, lost their footing. One crashed heavily against a steel shelving unit, knocking himself unconscious.
“The secondary drainage tunnel!” Rosalie yelled over the roar of rushing water, pointing toward a low, rusted iron grate tucked away behind the main desk.
Manuel didn't hesitate. He kicked violently at the rusted hinges of the drainage grate until the metal snapped with a screech of tortured iron. Crawling on his hands and knees through the freezing water and mud, he pulled the heavy data drive out of his pocket, checking to ensure it was sealed tight in its waterproof casing.
“Go! Go!” Manuel pushed Rosalie ahead of him into the dark, narrow tunnel just as Emmett—dripping wet, furious, and weapon drawn—lunged toward the desk.
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Emmett fired twice into the darkness, the bullets pinging off the stone tunnel wall inches from Manuel’s boots. With a final heave, Manuel pulled himself into the narrow pipe and kicked the secondary maintenance hatch shut behind them, throwing the heavy iron latch just as Emmett’s fingers clawed frantically at the other side.
Darkness, silence, and the smell of wet earth surrounded them as they crawled deeper into the forgotten bowels of the estate.
