The Lonely Girl (Life After The Air Bubble.)

Laura had turned 17 years old just two weeks earlier and had wanted to get away from home for just a short week with the friends she had made with whom she had been studying hard together at college for the past year. She had developed an intense love for the beach. She loved the sun, the sand, and the waves. She loved feeling free and alive.

She was on vacation with her friends, enjoying a week of fun and relaxation. They had rented a beach house near a secluded cove. They spent their time swimming, surfing, sunbathing, and partying. Laura decided to go for a walk along the shore on the last day of the holiday, the week had passed by so quickly. She wanted some time alone, no, she needed some time alone, to clear her mind and appreciate the beauty of nature around her.

She walked barefoot on the warm sand, feeling the breeze on her skin and the salt in her hair. She smiled as she saw a group of seagulls flying overhead. She felt free for the very first time since that horrific night when her so-called boyfriend Paul had thrown her to the ground and attempted to rape her. These memories still hurt when they reared up inside of her thoughts, but they no longer controlled her.

Indeed, quite the opposite now. Her friends that she had made at her college were such a supportive influence, hell, which was exactly what she needed. It was these friends that had initially suggested the idea of a short holiday away, but today, she wanted a little alone time. So, a nice slow amble along the beach was what she had chosen. This past week away by the beach with her friends had been just what she needed to clear those dusty cobwebs away after studying for her mid-term exams.

Scuffing up the warm, fine sand as she kicked her bare feet whilst wandering under the old Victorian-style pier sand as she walked, Laura stopped abruptly in her tracks with a loud "ow, what the hell!" and tumbled to the ground rubbing her left toe as she had suddenly hit something hard. It was at that moment, as she stared at the red mark on the toe, that she spied something else too, something shiny in the sand. She stretched out her left arm to pick it up. It looked like an old coin, with strange unintelligible symbols on it. Her thoughts wandered away for a brief moment as she pondered over where it could have come from and who had dropped it.

She started to look around, finding more coins scattered on the ground just below the top layer of sand as Laura excitedly brushed aside the wet golden grains that had been dampened by the receding tide. She followed them curiously, wondering if they were leading to something.

They did.

She reached a spot where the sand was darker and harder. There was an iron grid embedded within around a foot of harder sand that had been compacted by the sheer pressure of seawater when at high tide. It looked like a drain cover or a manhole. Her face quizzically focused on it, attempting to rationalize why on earth there was a manhole under a patch of sand beneath the ancient pier.

She tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. She looked for something to pry it open with. Finding a piece of driftwood nearby. and gouging out an outline around the edges of its four corners, Laura set about using it as a lever. She pushed hard and managed to move the grid slightly.

She heard a loud clank and then a hiss as a sudden gust of air erupted out of the hole under the grid. It smelled musty with a whiff of salt, and damp. She peered into the hole and saw nothing but darkness below.

Laura felt a surge of curiosity and excitement through her body.

What was down there?

An underground cavern?

A hidden treasure?

A secret passage?

Laura had definitely never planned for any of this to happen to her as she went about her walk that morning, but her interest was piqued, she wanted to find out far more. She grabbed her backpack from where she had left it on the sand and rummaged through it until her hands fell on the flashlight, she pulled it out, slid the rubberized switch, and turned it on. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and slid into the hole, discovering a set of rigid metal rungs concealed under slimy strands of seaweed. To her complete surprise and shock, these turned out to be human-designed rungs of a ladder descending into the depths of what was a dark tunnel. I grabbed my flashlight and decided to explore. 'Maybe this was an old war bunker that had been forgotten for decades?' she mused to herself.

Either way, Laura was up for a bit of exploring now. The past trauma that had been forced upon her by her ex, combined with a year of intensive therapy and the self-confidence she had developed whilst at college and establishing some true friends had boldened her to the point where she wasn't much afraid of anything these days. Laura descended the steps and entered the cavern, which suddenly opened out into an even darker and narrow tunnel, just big enough to accommodate one person. It was damp, musty and she could just make out hearing water dripping from the walls. The tunnel was narrow and low, so she had to crouch down as she walked. There were wires and pipes running along the ceiling and walls making progression through the tunnel much slower and harder, as she kept snagging her t-shirt on them.

After walking for about ten minutes, Laura reached a door with a sign that displayed the words 'Warning: Explosives.' Hesitating for a moment, but then pushed the door open, which gave way to a loud moaning creaking sound.

Inside was a large room filled with crates and barrels. Some of them had labels that said 'Dynamite,' 'Grenades,' 'Mines' and other weapons. There were also maps, radios, uniforms, and tin helmets scattered around.

It began to dawn on her that this was an old ammunition depot that had been hidden under the sand. It must have been used by the soldiers during the war to store their supplies. Laura felt a rush of excitement as she eagerly set about exploring the room. This was an amazing discovery. Who knew what secrets and stories this place held, what stories had been told within its walls even?

Laura fumbled into her bag for her phone and snapped some photos of the room. Then, suddenly she noticed another door at the far end of the room. This time though, there was no sign on it. Wondering what was behind it, she attempted to open it but this time it wasn't going to budge for her.

With her thoughts on how she was going to get the door open, she didn't notice the sound of water rushing in behind her until it was too late. She turned around and saw a wall of seawater coming towards her through the open grill, rapidly filling up the passage. She realized with horror that she had miscalculated the tide times and that it was now rising faster than she expected. This was nothing like what she had ever experienced, 'why the hell was she down here, that bloody ex of mine deserves to be here instead,' she thought, almost grinning. She had no time to think or panic. She had to act fast.

She remembered listening to her dad many years ago, on one of those few rare days when his head wasn't drowning in a bottle of alcohol which was rare, about how to escape from a flooded cave; her dad had worked as a deep-sea rescue diver long before had met and married her mother, but had gotten himself caught within a fast-rising cave back then, which had led to brain damage after he had found himself lodged between rocks under the water. He had been rescued by his fellow divers, but they had been too late to reduce the effects of oxygen starvation and the lethal effects that deep pressure dives posed. She knew she had to find an air pocket or a dry chamber where she could wait for help or for the water level to drop. She also knew she had to keep calm and conserve her energy and oxygen. She quickly put on her snorkel mask which thankfully was still in her beach bag, she had loved snorkeling with her friends over the last week, but this was something different and certainly unexpected, Laura took a deep breath before diving into the rapidly rising water.

She swam back towards the opening where the ladder was fixed to the side, hoping it was still reachable. But as she got closer, she saw that it was completely submerged and blocked by debris. She felt a surge of despair as she realized she was trapped inside. She looked around for another way out, but all she saw were dark walls and murky water, and good god, the seawater was icy.

She decided to swim further into the cave along the tunnel, hoping to find another exit or an air pocket. She checked her watch and saw that she had been underwater for almost five minutes. She felt her lungs burning and her heart pounding. She knew she didn't have much time left.

She spotted a faint light ahead of her and swam towards it with all her strength. As she got closer, she saw that it was coming from another opening in the ceiling of the cave. She felt a surge of hope as she reached it and emerged into an air-filled chamber.

She gasped for air and looked around. She saw that she was in a large dome-shaped room with colorful paintings on the walls and strange symbols on the floor. In the center of the room, there was a pedestal with an ornate metal box on top of it.

She wondered if this was what she had been looking for: an ancient treasure hidden under the sea, perhaps another route into the over cave that was hidden by the locked door. But before she could investigate further, she heard another sound of water rushing behind her.

She turned around and saw that seawater was gradually seeping in through cracks in the walls and floor, submerging the area fast. Laura realized with horror that this room was also doomed to be flooded soon. She gazed at the box on the pedestal and allowed her mind to wander if it contained something valuable or perhaps useful.

However before she could decide whether to attempt to open it or leave it alone, she heard another sound: a voice. The sound was garbled and echoing from what seemed like from above her and slightly ahead of where she was. Sluggishly swimming although now it was beginning to be more of a struggle for her as her body began to feel heavy and tired, as the oxygen held within her lungs was emptying. What looked like a pair of arms reached out to her, grabbing her and hauling her upwards onto the warm sands above.

"Laura, what the hell, it's Julie, what happened, where did you go?"

As Laura lay on her side, the warming dry sand was comforting her as she anxiously breathed in deep gulps of fresh sea air. "I found a hidden entrance under the pier when low tide was in, so I wanted to go exploring around a little before we all had to go home later today."

Julie gazed down at her college friend, tears gently forming in her eyes as she spluttered out her words, "if I hadn't been exploring this part of the beach myself after reading the note you left in the hotel, I wouldn't have discovered you, you wouldn't have been going home Laura today at all."

Laura grinned back up at her friend, "After my ex and having to put up with my drunk dad, and a mother who always gripes about everything, I just wanted to let go a little bit, it's been a long couple of years."

"Yeah, well next time Laura, why not simply go on a train ride, it's safer!" replied Julie and hugged her friend tightly.

*****

Speaking of train rides, have you read Train Ride To Oblivion?

*****

Thank you for taking the time to read this😊. I hope you have enjoyed this article today. Please read and click the heart after reading ❤️ to show your support.

If you fancy tipping me or pledging your support in these ways too then I'll have to hug you🤣😊.

Tips are a great way to show your support and help me in continuing my writing journey, and are amazing to get😍👍...

More of my articles can be found by clicking on my profile page. If you are feeling adventurous and creative, then why not join us at the Vocal+ platform by clicking on this here?

Or why not come and chat with me over on Medium too, where I also write too?