161 Meters Down

Earthquake

Everything under the sea was magnified. So when the sea bed shook, the sand swirled like a thin veil around Kristina and the group of four men. With zero visibility around them, Kristina could only see their silhouettes because of the overhead flashlights they were all wearing.

Kristina's oxygen intake increased as her chest heaved. Bubbles escaping from her mask were now buried by the cloak of sand swirling around them as the trembles of the sea bed continued. 

Thousand-year-old statues started to shake while the surrounding light flickered as the wires connecting to the primary circuit were getting tangled by the falling debris of the ruins.

"Boss!"

"Señorina!"

"Is this a fucking earthquake?"

Sebastian, Bernardo, and Rogelio did everything to avoid the falling debris that could potentially crush them into a pulp. At the same time, their mouths screamed for the other two who were separated from the three.

Though they were separated not too long ago, the falling debris piled up. It acted as a wall separating them. With the visibility now down to zero, there was nothing but swirls of sand around them.

"We have to go back.," said Kristina. 

She was now the one who was clutching both of Lucas's arms. Her voice was loud in an attempt to surpass the roars of the falling debris. Her heart ached upon the thought that a thousand-year-old civilization would now be buried again. It was as if nature wanted the lost city of Mayan to remain buried forever.

"I can't leave my men alone out there! You told us yourself that this place is like a fucking maze, so no one is leaving, especially you, not until my men are here, woman." Lucas returned the favor by pushing her away, only to pull her again when debris was about to hit her shoulder.

The blue light inside his diving mask made it possible for Kristina to see the popping veins around his foreheads, yet she could not see a hint of distress from his charcoal black eyes piercing straight to her wavering ones.

"Fine. But let me remind you that every second we spend here is very crucial to the hundreds of lives in Poseidon Hotel, so let us do this quickly. We will do this my way, you understand?" Kristina pointed her index finger to Lucas and turned around where they came from.

One stroke, nice and slow. Two strokes, nice and quiet. And in Kristina's fourth stroke, Lucas's yelling voice was muted by the ringing noise, followed by the statue crashing down a hairbreadth away from her.

"Jesus, woman! Have you got no eyes? Are you sure that you work here? You could have died many times, and fuck it let me lead!" Lucas pushed the wide-eyed Kristina to his back. Now, their positions were totally flipped.

"I-I don't know that –"

"Shut up." Lucas cut him off. He was using his flashlight aside from the light produced by the overhead light. From time to time, he would look back at her as if he was making sure that she was still following him.

Kristina could only swallow the lump in her throat. She knew she was not the best when it came to disaster preparedness. But Kristina damn well knew the directions. As she said, she knew the catacombs like the back of her palm. And so, Kristina, who the brusque Russian godfather saved, dared to open up her lips again.

 "Watch out. You will hit a wall if you go straight up. Turn right."

Upon her sudden eagerness to help his cause, Kristina would not wonder why he gave her a pair of raised brows – though she did not miss the slight curl on his lips before he nodded his head and went on to follow her. "Looks like you made up your mind and decided to be useful, huh."