Claire: Mark! The cover is closing!
Mark: Push up! Try to stop it!
Claire: It’s too heavy! It’s motorized!
Mark: Take a deep breath! Hold on to me!
The thick gray cover slid all the way across the frame and locked shut with a heavy mechanical latch[cite: 1]. Sunlight vanished completely[cite: 1]. Total darkness swallowed the pool, leaving us submerged in cold, muffled water with almost no air left in our lungs[cite: 1].
Victoria: Die with her[cite: 1].
The menacing whisper echoed through the speaker system mounted underwater[cite: 1]. I held my breath, kicking down toward the blue floor where Lily was still anchored[cite: 1]. Mark was already pulling on the iron chain around her ankle, his veins bulging against his neck as he fought the heavy shackles[cite: 1].
Mark: Pull her up! I can't break the lock!
Claire: The key! She threw the key into the drain!
Mark: Swim up! Try to find an air pocket near the edge!
I grabbed Lily’s hands and pulled her tiny torso toward my chest[cite: 1]. She was floating in her white dress, her eyes wide with terror under the dim glow of the underwater lights[cite: 1]. My lungs felt like they were on fire. The baby inside me kicked violently against my stomach[cite: 1].
Claire: Mmmmgh!
Mark: Stay close! I’m going to kick the drain cover off!
Mark slammed his shoe into the intake vent at the bottom of the wall[cite: 1]. The plastic grate shattered on the second hit. He reached his fingers inside the dark opening, feeling blindly through the rushing water for the brass key Victoria had dropped down the deck drain[cite: 1].
Claire: Did you get it?
Mark: I feel metal! Hold her arms up!
Claire: Hurry, Mark! She’s stopping!
Mark: Got it! I got the key!
Mark shoved the key into the small padlock binding Lily’s wrists[cite: 1]. The spring inside clicked, releasing the iron cuffs[cite: 1]. He jammed it into the ankle lock next. It popped open, and the heavy chains sank to the bottom of the pool like stones[cite: 1].
Mark: Grab her! Push toward the wall!
Claire: There's no air! The cover is sealed totally flat!
Mark: The emergency override switch! It’s behind the filter panel underwater!
Claire: Where?
Mark: Next to the ladder! Hold Lily!
Mark kicked toward the deep end wall and shoved his arm behind the chrome filter housing[cite: 1]. He found the red plastic toggle and ripped it down with all his weight[cite: 1]. Above us, the mechanical motor shrieked as the gear shifted into reverse[cite: 1]. The pool cover stuttered, then slowly began to roll backward[cite: 1].
Claire: It’s opening! Mark, it’s opening!
Mark: Get her out first!
We burst through the water surface into the bright daylight, gasping for air[cite: 1]. Water poured out of Lily’s mouth as she coughed violently, wrapping her arms around my neck[cite: 1].
Lily: Mommy! Mommy!
Claire: I’ve got you, baby! I’ve got you!
Mark: Claire, get on the deck. Now.
Claire: Where is Victoria?
Mark hauled himself onto the wet tile, his wet clothes dripping onto the stone[cite: 1]. He wiped the water from his eyes and scanned the crowded estate lawn[cite: 1].
Mark: She’s heading for the main house.
Claire: Don’t let her leave!