James Axler – Way of the Wolf

Through the open door, he could look up the corridor leading to the access tunnel. He stared hard, searching for Albert. But he heard the crash of the water first, then the dwarfs screams of fear.

Albert was still fifty yards out when the wall of water overtook him from behind. His legs buckled and he went down, sliding across the icy floor. Miraculously he forced himself to his feet, making another attempt to reach his goal.

It might have taken him nine or ten seconds to cover the last bit of the distance.

Ryan knew that the second wall of water was going to give the dwarf maybe three seconds at the most. The race was over even though it hadn’t finished.

“Wait,” Doc begged.

“Can’t,” Ryan said hoarsely. “If I do, mebbe I’ll chill us all. Little man did his best. He’s not going to make it.” He pulled the door shut, activating the jump sequence. “Mebbe I waited too long now. That water hits the gateway as hard as it’s going to, mebbe it’ll rip it right out of the floor.”

But it didn’t, withstanding the battering force of the wave. The outside room filled with water immediately.

Ryan took his seat on the floor, listening to the roar of the water slam against the mat-trans unit as the metal plates on the ceiling and floor began to glow. The familiar gray mist began to fill the chamber, unknotting the worry in his stomach.

He coiled his hand in Krysty’s as the jump began, holding on to her.

Albert, slammed into the armaglass walls for just an instant. The dwarf had his mouth open, trying to scream in wild-eyed terror, giant bubbles emerging as his lungs emptied, frozen for that brief flicker of time like a nightmare. His legs kicked violently, and he tried to claw his way into the chamber. He hung on for a while, fighting against the surging current rushing by to fill the lower regions of the redoubt.

Then he was gone.

“Alas, poor Albert,” Doc said, his voice strangely calm, indicating that he had slipped back into dementia with the horror of it all. “I fear he is too deep in the brine this time.”

Ryan let go of his senses as the jump pulled at him, then closed his eye.