of his shorts.
Lauren heard the splash and yelled out anxiously, ‘You OK?’
Somehow, James managed to stop himself from falling on his face, but the putrid water had splashed up his arms and there were even a few trickles running down his cheeks.
‘This is it,’ James shouted furiously. ‘I quit. If we get out of this alive, I’m never going on another mission.’
He heard Joseph sobbing up above, ‘I’m not going down there.’
Then another voice, belonging to an adult. As the metal ceiling hatch clanged shut, James realised Lauren and Rat were in trouble. He thought about climbing back up the ladder, but they had the gun. There wasn’t much he could do to help.
*
‘What the hell are you kids doing down there?’ Ernie shouted, pointing his gun at Lauren and Rat as he looked in the corridor entrance.
Lauren was startled and let go of the hatch so fast that she almost caught Rat’s fingers as it slammed shut.
‘I just went down to double check the explosives,’ Ernie continued, as he stepped towards them. ‘Georgie was thumping on the door. Head bleeding, she’s in a real bad way.’
‘Stay back,’ Lauren shouted, picking up the M16 and noisily clicking the safety to emphasise that she meant business.
‘Whoah, little lady,’ Ernie said, grinning like the move was a big joke. ‘Put that thing down. It’s not a toy.’
‘Don’t patronise me,’ Lauren said, pointing the gun up high, selecting single shot and firing a round at the ceiling. It made a hell of a racket in the enclosed tunnel, enough to rouse the three toddlers.
Ernie caught a dose of reality and backed off a little. ‘Well what’s your plan? If you stay here, you’ll get done by the explosives.’
Lauren didn’t know what to say. Rat got off the floor and stepped forwards with his hands in the air. ‘Hey, Ernie. You know who I am don’t you?’
‘Sure, Rathbone. Why don’t you both come over to me so we can talk about this? We’ve got to get you and the little guys to the church quickly. Once Eleanor’s ordered the doors closed, nobody gets in or out until she’s received the message from God.’
‘Listen to me,’ Rat said. ‘This is the truth, Ernie: I swear as an angel on pain of eternity in a fiery hell. My father called me to his bedside before he died. He’d spoken to God and received a final message. He knew that Susie was going to kill him in a few hours. He told me that the Ark had been penetrated by devils and would be destroyed tonight, not from without but from within. He told me to leave and go into hiding. He said that when I’m older, God will contact me and tell me how to gather the angels and rebuild the Ark.’
By the time Rat finished speaking, he’d walked to within a few steps of Ernie and was holding his arms out wide, demanding acceptance. Lauren couldn’t help being impressed by Rat’s speech and the sheer balls he showed, facing off a man pointing a gun at him.
‘Give me the gun, Ernie,’ Rat boomed, sounding eerily similar to one of Joel Regan’s taped speeches. ‘My father told me that this Ark has been poisoned by devils. Give it to me.’
Ernie looked uncertainly at the end of his gun. Rat wanted to appear strong and hoped Ernie couldn’t see how badly his hands were shaking.
*
James had shuffled ten metres across the tank when he heard Lauren’s warning shot. He was scared that someone had been hit and thought about going back, but finding the exit was the most useful thing he could do.
His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and he could now discern reflections off the water and a crack of light coming through the hatch at the far end. Not wanting to fall again, he slid cautiously across the oily floor, feeling out the ground with his toes before shifting his weight.
It took James two minutes to reach the corner, though it seemed way longer. There was a ledge, like the one he’d fallen off at the other end. He stepped up and shuffled along. The TAG units had a searchlight sweeping the compound and the cracks along the edge of the exit hatch lit up every time the beam swung past.
He felt around, growing increasingly frustrated as he realised that there wasn’t any ladder. He reached up, and even went on tiptoes. The metal rectangle was out of reach, but the darkness made