****************
Rebecca looked around her in the water. Her underwater contacts were doing just fine, and she could see around her clearly. She saw two shapes beside her: Laura and Xarissa. Laura held her eyes shut so as not to get the salt in her eyes. Rebecca looked up. She had been trained to last at least five minutes under the water without having to take a breath. They all had. But Caitlin had always been the slowest swimmer out of them all. She looked up to see Caitlin’s shape in the water, but it wasn’t getting closer. It was kind of drifting. Rebecca looked at Xarissa, motioned to the button, and began to swim upward.
****************
As soon as the signal clicked on, Sarah closed the doors and drained the room. She grabbed her gun and jumped up, ready to shoot anyone who didn’t look familiar. The doors to the inside slid open, and Xarissa and Laura wobbled through. Sarah sighed with relief for a minute, then realized two people were missing. “Where’s Rebecca and Caitlin?” she asked.
****************
Before Rebecca even reached her friend, she spied the red leaking out of her shoulder and dirtying the water. Caitlin must have been shot. Rebecca quickly grabbed her hand and started swimming as fast as she could towards the submarine while dragging her friend behind her in the water.
****************
Sarah waited and waited. When was the light going to turn on?
****************
Rebecca felt herself losing breath. She had to hold out for longer! She needed to save Caitlin! She could see the submarine get bigger and bigger, closer and closer. She was almost there. Just a little while longer…
****************
“Sarah!” Xarissa shouted. “They’re powering up their guns!”
Sarah looked at the screen and all the complex buttons and monitors. “We need to wait for them!”
“We won’t be able to stay here for much longer!” Xarissa cried. “Soon we’ll be a sitting duck!”
“I’m not leaving them!” Sarah replied, staring intently at the hatch bulb. Come on, guys! She thought. Hurry!
“It’s either them or all of us!”
Finally! The light beamed on! Sarah’s hand shot out as quick as a snake’s tongue. Her heart leaped into her lungs as she watched for the second signal.
“Sarah…”
There it was! She closed the doors and drained the room. As that was happening, she started the engines back up and set a course back to the Washington coast.
****************
Wearily, Rebecca slammed her fist on the button to open the inside door. It swung open, and she tumbled out onto the floor.
****************
Xarissa was the first one to spy the blood seeping out of Caitlin’s left shoulder. “She’s been shot!” she shouted. “Laura, help me!” Laura rolled Rebecca’s unconscious body out of the way and helped Xarissa drag Caitlin out into the middle of the floor. Xarissa searched for the first aid kit while Laura pressed her hands to the wound, trying to staunch the blood as best she could. “I can’t find it!” Xarissa cried.
Laura immediately began to rip off her shirt. She balled it up and pressed it on her friend’s shoulder. Xarissa gave her a weird look. “What?” Laura asked. “We’re all girls here. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
“Right,” Xarissa replied, continuing her search.
****************