Dark Feelings (12)
The twelfth episode in the Dr Pascha Lyle series published exclusively on Substack
Hello everyone,
I’ve reached the more action focussed episodes now in my first ever fiction, Dark Feelings, and I could barely be more excited to share them!
If this is your first Dark Feelings post, you’ll want to start with episode one.
Please enjoy and let me know how you’re finding it. I’ve deeply appreciated the comments thus far.
The torch shakes in my frozen hand.
Is this why Harley did a double take when she saw me at my rooms, because she saw Michael kiss me?
A broken, raspy scream cuts through the tumult of the rushing water and I freeze in the near darkness, listening through the unrelenting din of so much water gushing. Another yell, this time a deeper voice, and words I can’t make out reverberates through the tunnel.
Afraid of being seen, I fumble the torch off, pressing my back hard against the wall. A second later, a fast-moving beam of light flashes, then extinguishes, on the other side of the vertical shaft of tumbling water from the grate above, and a female scream slices again through the liquid cacophony, “Help!”
Then I’m running instinctively, idiotically, through the icy deluge, gasping as it smacks my head with force, filling my eyes, ears and mouth. Once through the ragged column of water, I keep stumbling, not away, but toward what I’m certain was Harley’s scream. My prerogative to help the girl illogically overrides my desire to hide, even if she was only my patient for 20 minutes.
My heart pounds as I throw myself forward in almost knee-deep water. I turn the torch back on, but hold it down, not wanting to show myself. I’m shocked by the constant refuse floating past my shins.
Another scream, closer now, assaults my ears as beams of torch light continue to bounce off the walls just up ahead. I edge forward clutching my torch close, almost losing my nerve, but then where else can I go anyway?
Suddenly, I’m smashed sideways into the filthy water, winded by the impact of a body crushing me. I’m pinned in a long moment of panic, thrashing underwater in suffocating blackness, until the weight lifts off me, and I jerk bolt upright gasping for life.
A blinding light hits me full in the face, and a man’s voice I know so well, spits into my teeth, “You woke up, Pascha!”
Jay.
He’s got a bright torch strapped on his forehead so I can’t make out his features, but I know it’s him. Before I can speak or react, Jay clamps my throat in one hand, turning me momentarily to stone as he hisses in my ear, “Good to touch you again.”
From the back of my throat, bypassing my terror, I hear myself yell in animal rage. Coming back to life, I hurl myself away, out of his grip, toward the faint glow of my torch that lies under the murky water.
Jay grabs my hair before I can reach it, wrenching me up, but my head already hurts so much, it makes little difference. Then his elbow’s around my throat, and the thought I’m going to blackout floods through me. Instinctively, I thrash and kick backwards into his shins with my boot heels.
I claw in the blackness but the arm at my throat crushes harder. I try to scream again, but this time nothing comes out. I’m overpowered, flailing pointlessly in rage.
Death looms close, the pictures on the walls of violence and death, they all feel like predictions now. I scan for options, but I can’t focus, can’t escape the pressure at my throat. I’ m falling inside myself, losing my grip on this filthy hole.
A primal sound shocks me back from the edge of unconsciousness, just when I thought nothing could. Then there’s more splashing, surging water and dull light, whirling over the walls and roof of the tunnel.
Is it me screaming? No. I want to scream, but I can’t.
It’s Harley.
An impact, and I drop forward into the water, my knees crumpling as I’m released, gasping like a fish on the edge of death. Then I’m dragging myself up the wall, gasping and struggling to brace against the gushing torrent that seems to be rising by the second around my legs.
I see my torch shining like a faint angel under the water and dive for it, turning to point it at the grappling shapes of Harley and Jay. Both wear head torches, like some surreal warriors, sparring wildly, the water hampering every movement.
Harley’s quicker and Jay loses his footing, as I shine my torch hard at his face, hoping to disorient him and help Harley, like she helped me, while I try to think what to do next.
With a shock, I realise that the tunnel seems to give way to a drop not far behind them, the water apparently falling to a level below. Another wave of panic rips through me as I imagine plummeting deeper underground. If this is the way out, it doesn’t seem like a safe path.
Jay must know the danger, the risk of being swept into the waterfall, because he launches forward, flailing and punching at Harley, trying to swap places with her and force her towards the danger. He doesn’t catch her, but she falls backwards dodging him, slamming into me, both of us crashing hard into the concrete wall of the drain.
I crumple to hands and knees just above water level, in near darkness, feeling wildly around for the pale submerged torch that’s fallen in the water again. I have to fight constantly now against the push of the torrent towards the fall.
Jay’s head-torch re-illuminates Harley beside me as he looms towards us. Taking the opportunity, I lunge forward, slamming Jay on the head with my torch as hard as I can. I’ve never hit anyone like that before and I reel, off balance, but I think I did some damage.
Hurt and enraged he comes at me again, shoving me back into the wall harder then ever, and I slide down, winded and struggling to regain myself, blurry from water and dirt in my eyes. I cough up filthy, blood-tasting water, rolling to get onto my hands and knees, trying to keep my head above water, searching again for the damn torch. Squinting, I see Jay lurching as the silhouette of Harley flashes through his torch beam.
Harley wails, and the shape of Jay stumbles backwards again, his head-torch moving erratically in the dark, nearer to the drop. Grabbing it, I thrust my torch forward, illuminating him, and Harley launches an object, maybe a piece of brick or concrete, hitting Jay right where his head-torch sits.
His scream mixes with the din of the water and he falls, scrambling, swept towards the waterfall, yelling as he’s submerged and tumbles out of sight. His bloodcurdling, choking voice echos, descending, gurgling, screaming in terror for his life.
I drag myself to my feet, wanting to look for him. He’s been my nightmare, but he was once my patient too. I can’t bear the thought of anyone dying down here, not even Jay.
I edge forward in horror, but Harley grabs my heavy, wet clothes, pulling me back against the wall as the current pushes us hard in the direction Jay has just fallen. I hold the light shakily pointed at the waterfall, seeing nothing but the gushing torrent pouring over the edge.
He’s gone.
A massive sob of relief and pain comes out of me as I hold tight to Harley, so we don’t get separated and swept after Jay. It’s getting harder to resist the current. Very soon it will be too strong. We have to get out of here.
I scramble onto the narrow ledge along the wall and sit against the curved wall, shaking hard. Then, I help Harley to pull herself up behind me. I feel my teeth chattering, my whole body shaking.
“Show me how we get out Harley! I need you to show me the way out…” I plead, hoarse against the increasing volume of the water.
“Stay on the ledge! Get back to The Chamber, then take the other tunnel!” Harley yells into my dripping hair.
Nodding, I get to my knees, moving slowly so as not to slip off the ledge into the current. I’m hugging the wall desperately, feeling unable to trust my balance, my aching body, or my overwhelmed senses.
I shuffle forward, but look back to see Harley pulling furiously on a big metal loop in the cement wall, leaning her entire body weight dangerously backwards.
“What are you doing?” I yell, but the hatch she’s dragging on gives, and for a second she disappears behind it, dangling on the very edge of the elevated ledge.
I grab for her, but she rights herself and turns her head to illuminate a dark locker within. A pale figure, dressed in what looks like a hospital gown in the torch light, is lying crumpled in the tiny, dank space. I can’t put the pieces of what I’m seeing together for a second.
How did Harley know they were there? Did she do this?
I can’t risk her shutting the hatch, so on my knees I lean in, reaching to grab the arm of the wan figure in the small space, to feel for a pulse. The head is turned away, but the body looks male. I can barely believe it when I feel a faint pulse. He’s alive!
My head spins, and I have to pause, close my eyes hard, and open them again, trying to clear watery muck from my vision and see clearly. The figure is unmoving, but breathing. Slowly I turn the head, as gently as I can, then lift my torch to shine it directly into their face.
“Oh my god,” I sob, not hearing myself over the roaring echo, but trying anyway, “Anton, Ant…can you hear me?”
I intuitively check his vital signs as best I can, lifting his eyelid to check his pupil dilation with the torch and scanning him for obvious wounds. There are none I can see. It’s like he’s drugged, sedated and freezing. My dear friend is unresponsive, his pulse weak and uneven, but he’s alive.
I turn to Harley for help, but she’s not there anymore, either swept away soundlessly, or gone of her own accord,
“Harley! Harley!” I yell hopelessly, not knowing where to turn the light and look for her first.
There’s no response, no sign of her torch. No sign of her in either direction.
I turn the light back to Anton, yelling his name, rubbing his arms hard and slapping his cheeks to try to wake him and get him out of here. There’s little chance I can move him alone along the narrow ledge but
I’m crying with an ungodly mix of terror, shock, and relief, a wild cocktail I didn’t even know existed until now. I’m going to have to try to get us out, because we can’t just wait here to drown.
I’m dragging Anton onto the ledge precariously, when lights bright as day suddenly illuminate the tunnel.
Then, there’s yelling, just audible above the roaring torrent, “Pascha!”
And I’m screaming back as hard as I can,
“We’re here, we’re here!”
I see human shapes, sloshing towards us around the curve from The Chamber, filling the tunnel with glaring light. It's so beautifully bright I can’t look directly at it yet.
Four figures in yellow suits wade towards us with massive torches, fully illuminating the dank space. Then, two of them are yelling questions at me over the din, simultaneously clipping a harness and ropes around me without hesitating for a second,
“Can you walk?” one yells, holding my arm, and I see it’s Nate, zipped up in a waterproof overall, only his face showing beneath the tight hood, worried and pale in the surreal shadows.
“Yes,” I almost sob, seeing in the light how near death Anton is, his lips blue and skin translucent with cold, “But he can’t…”
The others are already rolling Anton into an emergency rescue sling, bracing themselves against the water, which is almost thigh deep now and incredibly strong.
But we’re mercifully clipped onto ropes now, joining us to anchor points, as we fight our way out against the current, away from Jay, away from the raging subterranean waterfall, and away from likely death in the darkness.
Can’t wait for next episode. Thrilling !