Chapter 168
- Evan -
When we returned to the Maxwell house, Becky was still asleep, probably drained after all the recent events with the Silence police and the new family growth and completion. It was great, but a lot to take in for some of us.
The house was quiet.
A few hours had passed by, as we all slept but me. I lay on the floor next to Kaysi, looking up at the ceiling, hearing the creaking of the old beams as they did from the rising sun, warming the home in the cool of the morning.
Kaysi started shaking. I gave her my blanket; it's not like I needed it anyway.
I watched as her body responded to an invisible battle. It started small, a twitch in her fingers. Then her breathing shifted, short and uneven, as if she were trying to run inside her own body.
"No—" she cried out in her sleep as she bolted upright with a gasp.
What part of me was barely dozing off was now instantly awake.
"Kaysi. Hey—hey, it's me."
Her eyes are open, but they're not here.
She's somewhere else.
Her hands grab my shirt like she's drowning in it.
"It's filling again," she whispers. "The beams—they split from the inside—Evan, the water isn't breaking in... It's being let in."
Her voice is hoarse, terrified in a way she hasn't sounded in a long time.
I cup her face.
"You're here. Maxwell House. Safe."
She blinks.
The nightmare recedes slowly, but it doesn't vanish.
"That wasn't just a dream, was it?" she asked quietly.
"No, I think not, Kaysi. I would trust your gut on this one as much as we have been through."
"The governor's still in town for the next few days," she says. "He's finishing the plans for the festival setup and expansions."
My stomach tightened.
"You think this is connected? Maybe an accident or something?" She asked.
"I think I spoke carefully. "That is something worth looking into, so nothing goes wrong with the city underwater. If he's here inspecting things, he may already be on top of it. But it doesn't hurt to ask."
We left early in the morning to meet with the governor to confirm our suspensions. Better not to drag the whole team into politics again on a hunch, but if need be, we would fill them in.
We tracked the governor down at the closed-in area next to the harbor district, where temporary platforms are being constructed for the closing ceremony.
Governor Sterling stood near the scaffolding, pointing workers in different areas, flanked by aides and the city engineers. He's polished. Controlled. Irritated by default.
He looked important, busy,y and like a man who didn't like interruptions.
When he spotted us, young kids, his expression went from serious focus to mildly annoyed.
"Yes?" He asked before we could ask for his attention.
Kaysi stepped forward. Calm and respectful. "Sir, we won't take long. I had a dream last night; it felt... structural, water instability, something underground."
He blinked at her.
"I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but I rely on my engineers who have already done perimeter checks from outside to in. Thanks to that, we found your group. We go off of facts, not intuition, here."
He was arrogant, controlled, and polished.
"We're not asking you to shut everything down," I added. "Just check maintenance logs, the foundation report, and the sewer pressure level. Just double-check to be safe. If something's wrong, hundreds of people could be endangered.
That made him stiff.
"My office has run the city's infrastructure for many years," he replied sharply. "We are in the middle of the festival preparation. Do you understand how much this event brings to Shell City?
There was.
Money.
His public image and social schedule.
"We're just asking you or your men to take a second look," Kaysi pressed.
His jaw tightened.
"I will not disrupt a citywide celebration! I have work to do. If you have any questions, ask my staff."
He snapped his fingers and gestured to two of the silent police. Escort them out of here and the festival.
We left with them as they escorted us to a small, old building behind the construction area.
"I don't think this is the way to the staff he was talking about," Kaysi muttered.
They opened the doors.
In here, you will find what you're looking for.
As we entered, we saw the stored items, and they pushed Kaysi and me down and sealed the door shut behind us with a metallic finality that made my stomach drop.
"Shit," I muttered.
Water burst from the pipes along the walls as the small building began to flood like something alive.
This didn't feel like a leak or accident; it felt intentional.
The force slammed into us, cold and violent, knocking us back against the concrete floor.
"This is definitely not an accident." Kaysi breathed.
The waters climbed—ankles, shins, knees—rising with terrifying speed as more pipes ruptured along the ceiling.
The roaring sound filled the room.
It was like we were inside the throat of something ready to swallow us whole.
I lunged for the floor, slamming my shoulder against it.
It didn't budge.
"Evan, your shoulder," Kaysi grabbed my arm.
My shirt had ripped, and a small bruise was on the top.
"This is nothing compared to what we have been taught. We need to find a way out."
Kaysi scanned the space, her eyes sharp despite the chaos around us. Industrial shelving lined the walls, stacked high with heavy crates and sealed supply bins. The rising water shoved against the lowest shelf levels, shifting the balance.
"We need higher ground if we can't get out." She said, "Who knows how long we will be in here?"
"There isn't any."
The water was now up to our waists.
Cold bit into every muscle fast, stealing our breath. The room wasn't very large—maybe thirty feet across—but the ceiling suddenly felt impossibly far away.
Kaysi grabbed one of the shelves and tried to climb.
"Just maybe we can get higher up."
The water pressure shifted the base, and the entire steel unit groaned.
"Kaysi—"
It tipped and came crashing forward with a deafening metallic scream, slamming her down into the water as the crate exploded loose and scattered.
By the time I reached her, the water was to my chest and her neck.
The shelf had pinned her across the torso and shoulder, wedged awkwardly against the floor and other shelves.
"I'm fine," she gasped, already pushing against it.
She wasn't.
The waters reached her chin.
I braced both hands under the steel frame and heaved.
It barely moved.
"Evan," she said quietly. There was no panic in her voice.
That scared me more.
The water swallowed her.
Everything became distorted and mute as the waters pushed against my ears.
I shoved downward and managed to shift the shelves just enough to free one of her arms—but not enough to pull her clear.
My lungs burned.
I kicked a bit upward, breaking the surface as the water was now a foot above my head. I went only long enough to drag in a desperate breath.
This time, I wedged my shoulder beneath the shelving at a different angle and shoved against the floor and wall with everything left in me.
She was finally free, but we were still in trouble; the waters were only a few inches from the ceiling.
"Kaysi," she coughed. "I need to tell you something." The words tumbled over each other. "I am sorry about everything. Josh, Abyss, your memories."
Her eyes locked on mine now. This may be our last chance to speak. I had to let this go.