161 Meters Down

Underwater Catacombs

"I said open the goddamn hatch!" Lucas raced towards the hatched. He held onto the metal handles as if he could not wait for Sebastian and Rogelio to process his command.

The image of their boss rushing towards them snapped the three that even Bernardo rushed towards the hatch and gave a hand to open it, not minding the rattling of the tables around them.

"Are you out of your mind? The seawater will get inside the building! You are releasing the pressure!" Kristina's sense of duty kicked in, now of all times.

 She dashed towards the two, not minding the added weights of tanks at her back. "Fuck!" Kristina screamed when one of the lights directly above her shattered due to the continued vibrations.

'I needed something to move them! To hell if I die! There are hundreds of people inside this building!' Kristina thought. Her gaze sharpened under the flickering lights.

Her eyes found the cluster of untouched tanks at her side. They were the spare tanks that Bernardo left as the latter rushed to aid his comrades. Not minding that she might get shot for her choice of action, Kristina took one oxygen tank and lifted it above her shoulders.

Her knuckles turned white as she bridged the distance between them. Their back was on her, grunting from the friction of the hatch while the glass walls clattered from the continued vibrations. "I said stop it or you will kill tons of people inside the hotel!"

Veins protruded around her neck as she screamed her profanities, making Lucas look at her. "What –"

A resounding thump resonated when his hand that was holding her silencer pistol met the tank Kristina swung with all of her might. "Fuck, woman!"

The rattle of the gun kissing the tiled floor was muted by the sound of the shelves falling and crashing onto the ground as the vibration tripled in a fraction of a minute.

"Boss!" Rogelio was about to aim at her when Lucas snapped.

"Fucking continue what you are doing, you useless dimwits!" Lucas clenched and unclenched his hand which took the hit from the tank that she was holding as her life depended on it. He cocked his head and curled the corners of his lips as his eyes remained menacing. "Leave this woman to me. I always love the chase."

"Bastard!" Kristina held the tank with both of her hands. She aimed the tank's bottom part toward him. She did not move from her position neither did she. It was as if, they were eyeing each other who would make the first move.

Her gaze kept on darting to the gun between the two of them which was at least two meters from the both of them. Her chest heaved upon the pounding of her heart. Kristina hated the way he was looking at her as if he was amused with her antics.

'Well, excuse me if I do not want to die just yet.' Kristina though. A deep knot lodged between her brows. Her wavering gaze was now locked in his black-colored eyes that reminded her of the predators she watched in N*tGeo Wild. A cold drip of sweat trickled down her spine while her shoulders remained tense. She was waiting for that moment when he would look down at his gun. Because when he do, she would bash his head up with the tank in her arms."I have no time to deal with your rebellious streak, woman."

"Neither do I."

This was her first time being confronted in front of such a man. Kristina's train of thought went to the gutter when she saw his eyes move toward the location of the gun. She did not need to think twice. Kristina raced towards the gun.

The adrenaline kicked in. The tank, though full, was carried by Kristina in one arm as she extended her right hand toward the gun. Pounding heart and widened eyes, she slid against the tiled floor while kneeling on the ground. Her back bent to lengthen her range of grasp only to end up being kicked by the man whose strides beat her.