Salt by Colin F. Barnes Page B

followed him as he gracefully kicked his flippered feet and propelled himself toward the long, dark shape hanging under the water.
    Eva’s muscles tightened with cold and the terrible suspense of expecting a shark to suddenly appear out of the gloom. She and Ade had surveyed the surface while they got ready, and with the aid of the moon, they had concluded there were no fins apparent.
    It didn’t mean they weren’t there, waiting, in the dark.
    Ade’s light bounced off a tall angular shape: the sub’s sail.
    Eva could make out the two black fins, or planes, sticking out either side like wings.
    Within a few more feet, Eva could make out the links of the heavy chain wrapped around the sail and through the handles that opened into the lockout trunk or escape hatch.
    They drew nearer, all the while Eva scanned her periphery, waiting for something to come darting out of the shadows, but all she saw were small, frenzied schools of young mackerel.
    A graceful ray glided far below her, reminding her of a stealth plane as it cut through the water, its fins undulating with unseen currents.
    Ade kicked his legs harder and approached the sub’s sail. He gripped the chain and turned to give Eva the okay sign again.
    She kicked harder and caught up, placing her feet on the hull of the craft.
    It seemed strange to be standing on top of a submarine out here, she thought. But she remembered why she was here. Using the illumination of Ade’s diving light, she found the heavy-duty lock holding the chains together. They wove through the two large metal handles on the escape hatch, holding it closed.
    Taking the key from the pouch, she fitted it into the lock and turned it. Although she couldn’t hear it, she felt the mechanism click into place and the chains loosen. It was her turn to give the okay sign as she removed the key, replacing it back into the secure pouch, and pulled the chains from the lock.
    The hatch slowly opened without the tension of the chains holding it closed. Ade went first, holding the light in front of him as he dove down into the dark of the escape tube.
    He had told Eva earlier, at the surface, how it would work.
    They would enter a separate chamber with its own pressure. It would be full of water if someone had recently left it, which it was. Once inside the chamber, the submarine had controls to expel the water and pressurise it, meaning they could open a second hatch into the main submarine compartment.
    The lockout trunk was exactly as Ade had said, full of water, but he was already scanning the controls on the bulkhead and lighting his way around.
    Eva gripped the handles of the interior hatch that led to the submarine to hold herself in place as she waited. At least in here she didn’t have to worry about sharks.
    Something slid against her leg, and she yelled out with surprise, sending a column of air bubbles upwards. She kicked out as something brushed her leg again, as though whatever it might be was inspecting her, testing whether she was food or not.
    Ade swung round, shone his light.
    Eva’s heart raced. She had the urge to just kick out and get the hell out of the tight confines of the lockout trunk. With her and Ade in there, with no other lights, she felt trapped. She spun round, trying to see what had touched her, and briefly felt something tap against her flipper.
    Ade questioned her with the okay signal, and she shook her head. He swam closer, placed his hand on her arm, and shone the light down into the dark water. Something quickly swam away, but as Ade tracked it, she saw it.
    An eel. Just a harmless eel.
    Eva controlled her breathing, letting her heart rate drop.
    Ade grinned behind his mask before turning to examine the controls once more.
    A few minutes later Eva sensed something start to shift and move as though the submarine had woken from its slumber. Lights came on, making the water glow.
    A deep rumble stirred the water before forcing it out through pressurised jets. Eva clung to