Chapter 6 - The Oxygen of Truth
The air in the small archive room was rapidly turning stale. From somewhere behind the wall, the heavy, rhythmic thrum of the ancient coal boiler began, its exhaust pipe rattling violently.
"Liam," Nora whispered, her hand clutching his arm. "The vent... she closed the intake vent."
Liam ran his hands along the brick walls, his flashlight beam searching for any opening. High up near the ceiling, a small, rusty metal grate was hissing softly, releasing a thin, sweet-smelling vapor into the room.
Carbon monoxide.
"We need to break the door, Nora," Liam said, his voice cracking with panic. He grabbed the metal pipe he had used to break the padlock, throwing his entire weight against the reinforced glass of the door.
The glass cracked, but it didn't shatter. It was wire-reinforced safety glass, designed to withstand heavy impacts.
"Again!" Liam screamed, his muscles burning as he slammed the pipe into the frame. The wood groaned, but the steel deadbolt held fast.
Nora slumped to the floor, her breathing shallow and rapid. "Liam... I can't... I’m so tired."
"No, Nora! Stay with me! Look at me!" Liam knelt beside her, pulling her into his lap, trying to shield her face with his jacket. "I locked you out, Nora. I let her poison my mind. I am the reason we are in this room. You have to survive so I can spend the rest of my life making it up to you."
"I... I never stopped loving you, Liam," she whispered, her eyelids heavy. "Even when the room was cold."
With a sudden, desperate surge of adrenaline, Liam stood up. He didn't use the pipe on the door. He looked at the boiler exhaust pipe running along the ceiling.
If he couldn't break out, he would have to shut the boiler down from the inside.
He climbed onto the metal shelving unit, his hands burning as he grabbed the boiling hot exhaust pipe. With a primal scream of rage and pain, he threw his weight downward. The ancient copper joint buckled, snapping with a loud hiss of steam.
The boiler let out a violent, metallic shudder, and then, with a deafening bang, the flame went out.
The hissing stopped.
May you like
Liam fell to the floor, his hands covered in severe burns, but his eyes were wide with a fierce, survivalist light.
"We have time, Nora," he gasped, crawling back to her. "We have time."
