Page 98 (1/2)

“I can’t explain,” Paul said, “but I’ve grown attached to this ship and I’al yet Not after all she’s been through”

“Who are you?” Galand husband?”

Paul gave her a quick kiss, took her flashlight, and ran for the stairs He heard her calling over to the Condor as he raced down into the dark

Four flights down, he could already hear the sound of water co noise as if a fire hydrant had been busted wide open

As he reached the bottoed calfdeep into water

“Chief, where are you?” he shouted

“Aft bulkhead!” a voice shouted froed toward the stern, past the boilers and coal bunkers, to the old engine roo froe, which was the lowest section of the ship where all the bilgewater collected Beneath it lay only the cold sea

As Paul played his light around, he spotted water blasting in through a ruptured seah the co down the ladder like it was a gigantic drain The water level was rising with alar speed

“We can’t stop this,” Paul said, suddenly shocked back to reality “We have to get out of here”

“I can’t,” the chief said “I’m trapped”

Paul saw nothing holding the chief in place “What are you talking about?”

“My legs are stuck in the sediment,” the chief shouted “The shock wave from the explosion liquefied the muck When I dropped down here to take a look, I sunk knee-deep into it It ht as well be quicksand”

Paul stepped onto the ladder, grabbed the chief’s hand, and pulled with all his ht where he was Paul aiht down into the water The chief was indeed sunk up to his knees

Paul stepped down another rung as the water swirled around hiot into a position where he could use ain It was no use

“Wiggle your feet”