stuff he could easily trade on the Black
Market…This time, he found nothing of value in the cab and swam on toward his
final destination.
As expected, and
without much trouble, his flashlight located the pharmacy’s sign from the day
before. Flynn dived through a gap in the wall and swam straight for the row of
silt covered cabinets at the back of the shop. His hand wiped the black slime
away, revealing the cabinets’ glass doors. Behind them were shelves stacked
with vacuum-packed medicine. Flynn pulled at one of the doors, but it was
sealed shut by the thick crust of a dozen giant clams. Not wasting any time, he
rotated his arms, backed up and kicked the glass with his heel. The glass
cracked and caved in a little. He gave it another kick and it imploded. Water
rushed in, sweeping the packages into a frothy whirlpool. Avoiding the sharp
pieces of glass, Flynn grabbed at the floating packs, and began to stuff them
in his sack. He had practiced these moves many times. As always, Flynn was fast
and efficient.
Halfway through
his scavenging run, Flynn stopped, turned and swam away. He had been holding
his breath for about three and a half minutes, and he knew it was time to head
back to the diving bell for some more air. A few moments later, he was inside
the bell’s dome and immediately noticed that the air in the capsule had become
stuffy… It needed more oxygen… Flynn reached up and pulled on the piece of rope,
hanging above his head. Up on the raft, the rattle would tell Madison that she
needed to pump him some more fresh air. They had practiced the drill a hundred
times that day, so Flynn had no reason to worry. He headed straight down to the
pharmacy again, without giving the oxygen pump a second thought.
Back at the
cabinets, he gathered the remaining floating packs, took one last look around,
and his eyes fell on an overturned vending machine. It was lying on the floor,
half-buried in sea shells and kelp weeds. With its backside cracked open, there
were a few soda cans that had spilled out, and Flynn collected them quickly in
his sack. He then reached inside the vending machine, hoping to find some more
of its valuable stash. As his hand closed over a can, Flynn suddenly felt an
electrical current run through his whole body. His hand shot back out of the
crack, followed by a huge eel. Its jaws snapped shut, inches from Flynn's
fingers. Instantly, the eel coiled back into the vending machine, its mouth wide
open, waiting to strike again. For a split second Flynn thought about killing
the eel and taking it home for dinner, but then decided to let the creature
live… It would have been too risky! He was now dangerously close to running out
of oxygen again. It was time for Flynn to turn around and swim back to the bell.
Once inside, Flynn
realized that the air had become much worse than before. “What’s she doing up
there!” he shouted, grabbing for the rope. He gave it a sharp tug, then rested
his feet on the bell’s platform and waited… A few moments passed. Nothing! No
fresh air was coming down the hose. “C'mon Madison!” Flynn’s voice sounded
hollow inside the little dome as he looked up in frustration… He was beginning
to feel dizzy. The air inside the bell was now heavy with carbon dioxide.
And then, the bell
lurched violently, sending Flynn crashing into the wall behind him. If he had
not grabbed hold of the hose, he would have slipped out of the bell and into
the watery abyss below. What the hell was that? Flynn’s mind was now racing…
Was it a seal… or a shark? Flynn shone his flashlight through the clear plastic
wall into the darkness outside. He could see no farther than a few feet anyway...
Seconds later, he felt another jolt, and then to Flynn’s surprise, the diving
bell began to move. This was all wrong, he thought, trying desperately to keep
his balance. Something was dragging the bell slowly to the right with Flynn
still inside it, and with very little air left for
Market…This time, he found nothing of value in the cab and swam on toward his
final destination.
As expected, and
without much trouble, his flashlight located the pharmacy’s sign from the day
before. Flynn dived through a gap in the wall and swam straight for the row of
silt covered cabinets at the back of the shop. His hand wiped the black slime
away, revealing the cabinets’ glass doors. Behind them were shelves stacked
with vacuum-packed medicine. Flynn pulled at one of the doors, but it was
sealed shut by the thick crust of a dozen giant clams. Not wasting any time, he
rotated his arms, backed up and kicked the glass with his heel. The glass
cracked and caved in a little. He gave it another kick and it imploded. Water
rushed in, sweeping the packages into a frothy whirlpool. Avoiding the sharp
pieces of glass, Flynn grabbed at the floating packs, and began to stuff them
in his sack. He had practiced these moves many times. As always, Flynn was fast
and efficient.
Halfway through
his scavenging run, Flynn stopped, turned and swam away. He had been holding
his breath for about three and a half minutes, and he knew it was time to head
back to the diving bell for some more air. A few moments later, he was inside
the bell’s dome and immediately noticed that the air in the capsule had become
stuffy… It needed more oxygen… Flynn reached up and pulled on the piece of rope,
hanging above his head. Up on the raft, the rattle would tell Madison that she
needed to pump him some more fresh air. They had practiced the drill a hundred
times that day, so Flynn had no reason to worry. He headed straight down to the
pharmacy again, without giving the oxygen pump a second thought.
Back at the
cabinets, he gathered the remaining floating packs, took one last look around,
and his eyes fell on an overturned vending machine. It was lying on the floor,
half-buried in sea shells and kelp weeds. With its backside cracked open, there
were a few soda cans that had spilled out, and Flynn collected them quickly in
his sack. He then reached inside the vending machine, hoping to find some more
of its valuable stash. As his hand closed over a can, Flynn suddenly felt an
electrical current run through his whole body. His hand shot back out of the
crack, followed by a huge eel. Its jaws snapped shut, inches from Flynn's
fingers. Instantly, the eel coiled back into the vending machine, its mouth wide
open, waiting to strike again. For a split second Flynn thought about killing
the eel and taking it home for dinner, but then decided to let the creature
live… It would have been too risky! He was now dangerously close to running out
of oxygen again. It was time for Flynn to turn around and swim back to the bell.
Once inside, Flynn
realized that the air had become much worse than before. “What’s she doing up
there!” he shouted, grabbing for the rope. He gave it a sharp tug, then rested
his feet on the bell’s platform and waited… A few moments passed. Nothing! No
fresh air was coming down the hose. “C'mon Madison!” Flynn’s voice sounded
hollow inside the little dome as he looked up in frustration… He was beginning
to feel dizzy. The air inside the bell was now heavy with carbon dioxide.
And then, the bell
lurched violently, sending Flynn crashing into the wall behind him. If he had
not grabbed hold of the hose, he would have slipped out of the bell and into
the watery abyss below. What the hell was that? Flynn’s mind was now racing…
Was it a seal… or a shark? Flynn shone his flashlight through the clear plastic
wall into the darkness outside. He could see no farther than a few feet anyway...
Seconds later, he felt another jolt, and then to Flynn’s surprise, the diving
bell began to move. This was all wrong, he thought, trying desperately to keep
his balance. Something was dragging the bell slowly to the right with Flynn
still inside it, and with very little air left for
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