Chapter 12 - The Iron Lung.The frigid water of the sound was a sensory nightmare of darkness and biting cold.
Ethan fought through the agonizing pain in his shoulder, forcing his right arm to pull him toward the surface.
He breached the water, gasping for air, his eyes frantically scanning the darkness for Rosa and Lily.
A few yards away, he saw Rosa struggling to stay afloat, one arm wrapped tightly around the terrified toddler.
"Swim toward the pilings!" Ethan choked out, fighting the heavy current that threatened to pull them out to sea.
He kicked toward them, using his good arm to grab the back of Rosa's Kevlar vest.
Together, they dragged themselves under the massive concrete pier, seeking refuge among the dense forest of wooden support beams.
Above them, the helicopter hovered low over the water, its powerful searchlights cutting through the mist like glaring, mechanical eyes.
"They are going to see us," Rosa whispered, her teeth chattering so violently she could barely speak.
Ethan looked at the rusted metal grate of a storm drain embedded in the seawall just a few feet away.
"We have to go into the drainage pipe," Ethan commanded, his voice tight with pain.
"I can't take her underwater," Rosa cried, clutching Lily, who was now shivering uncontrollably.
"It's only for ten seconds," Ethan promised, moving toward the rusted grate and kicking it with his heavy boots.
The corroded iron gave way, splashing heavily into the dark water.
"Take a deep breath and follow me," he instructed.
Ethan took a massive gulp of air and submerged himself, swimming into the pitch-black tunnel.
Rosa looked at her daughter, kissed her wet cheek, and told her to hold her breath.
She plunged them both under the freezing surface, blindly kicking her way into the dark pipe.
The ten seconds felt like an eternity of suffocating, icy terror.
Finally, Ethan’s hand grabbed Rosa's shoulder and pulled her upward.
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They broke the surface, gasping loudly in a small, enclosed subterranean maintenance chamber.
They were safe from the searchlights, but Ethan was losing blood at an alarming rate.
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