Hit Squad by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page B

we’ve got out,’ I panted. ‘Hurry!’
    As we ran, the tunnel sloped down and the stones underfoot became damp and slippery. We had to slow down so as not to fall over. I could hear people – the guards – shouting, their
footsteps pounding along the corridor above.
    Up ahead, Cal careered around a corner and disappeared from view. Dylan followed. Tania and I sped around the corner after them, then skidded to a halt. I stared at the scene in front of me.
    The stone path we’d been running along widened out slightly, then disappeared underwater. The tunnel itself ended a few metres away, where an iron fence – like a portcullis –
rose up out of the water. Its top reached right up to the tunnel ceiling and it was bound on both sides by the tunnel walls.
    Beyond it the lake stretched away into the distance.
    ‘No wonder it was damp,’ Dylan said.
    I nodded, my heart drumming against my throat. The fence was constructed of narrow metal bars. The space between them was far too small to slip through.
    There was no way to get past.
    ‘We’re trapped,’ I said.
    Dylan looked over her shoulder, back towards the tunnel we’d just run through. The guards’ footsteps thundered down the stone steps.
    ‘There has to be a way,’ Cal said.
    I looked round, desperate. Light reflected off the water, dancing over the damp, mossy walls. Across the tunnel an iron lever stuck out from the wall. I raced across the slippery stone. Grabbed
the lever. Yanked it down.
    With a rusty clank, the iron fence that blocked our exit shifted. The bars rose up, creaking as they disappeared into the stone ceiling overhead.
    I looked down at the water level. The fence was rising up but the bars were not yet clear of the water surface. The guards were closing in, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
    ‘Come on.’ I seized Cal’s arm. ‘We’ll have to swim under the fence.’
    He looked at me. A moment passed. The guards’ yells grew even nearer.
    ‘She’s right,’ Dylan said. ‘Take a deep breath first,’ she ordered, then took one herself.
    With a splash, she landed in the water. A second later Cal jumped in after her. They disappeared under the surface.
    ‘Let’s go!’ I turned to Tania. She was backing away from the water’s edge. ‘No. I no swim.’
    I stared at her. ‘You’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘Trust me.’ I held out my hand. A beat passed. The guards were surely almost here.
    Tania nodded. I gripped her arm and, together, we leaped into the water.
    The shock of the cold wet made me gasp. The water was freezing. My clothes clamped to my body. Beside me Tania was thrashing about in a total panic, creating waves of icy water that
splashed over my face. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a guard rushing round the corner.
    ‘Stop it!’ I yelled. I raised my hand and slapped Tania’s face.
    Tania instantly stopped moving.
    ‘Breathe!’ I commanded. I took a deep breath myself, then forced my head under the water, dragging Tania behind me. She didn’t resist. Still gripping her arm, I dived down,
towards the fence. The water was murky, but not particularly deep – just a few metres. The iron bars of the fence were clearly visible just ahead. There was a gap between the bottom of the
fence and the ground – only about a metre or so, but enough room to swim under. Dylan was through. Cal was forcing his way under. As I swam towards them, the fence stopped rising.
    I swam hard, dragging Tania behind me. Panic rose inside me again. Was she okay? I couldn’t look round. I had to get us both under the fence and out of the water as soon as possible.
    I was already running out of breath. I focused on the fence ahead. Cal was through now. And then the fence gave a judder. I felt the vibration through the water.
    No. I watched, appalled, as the fence began to lower. It was only a metre off the ground, getting closer to it every second.
    I swam even harder, hauling myself and Tania through the cold, gloomy