The Wolf should punish the Bunny for such bad manners! But you see, the Wolf decided that since the impudent behaves like this, he may have connections in an authoritative circle of predators! Well, a simple Bunny cannot say something like this to a wolf without having someone behind him. What if it’s Hippopotamus himself?! (I remember the tactics of my mother: for all my attempts to stop the fairy tale, continue to be offended, sad or angry, she invented new stories about the brave, ill-mannered, stupid, smart, etc. Bunny, depending on the situation. The main secret is to tell like nothing happened).
«The Bunny, elated with success, once met a wild Boar, who wanted to eat the Bunny»…
«Boars don’t eat Bunnies,» Yu interrupts angrily, but this anger is feigned. Well, if only she did not concentrate on the narrow tunnel!
«You’re right, they don’t eat. But they really want to try»…
I continue to talk some nonsense about the brave Bunny and his exploits, when at the end of the tunnel such a long-awaited light appears. Now the screams of other players are clearly audible, the clearest of all is the alarmed voice of Alex:
«Lavina! Lavina, damn you, where are you?!»
«Until the flooding of the cave system remains: thirty minutes»
The main thing is not to think about anything! Continue to crawl and in no case be silent…
«Once the Bunny met the Fox. «I’ll eat you,» she said. «No, you won’t,» the Bunny replied insolently. You see, he was also very cocky. «The Bear, the Wolf and the wild Bear are my close friends and told me in all details about your intimate relations with them (in my mother’s version, these were always more harmless options like «stealing food», but in this place I already, as a rule, laugh and am fooling around with her). The Fox blushed all over with shame. And yet she ate the Bunny. But the redness has not completely disappeared, since then Fox has been walking red».
At this moment, someone’s hands grab Yu by the shoulders and pull first her, and then me, out of the hated manhole.
«What a stupid fairy tale», says Yu, smiling weakly.
«You are welcome», I smile in response, «by the way, it’s called «Why the Fox is red.»
Barely catching my breath, I look around and see the worried faces of the participants. The cause for alarm is obvious: we are in a dead-end light grotto. Its walls are significantly lower than the previous ones, but still smooth, without a single ledge. Angel and Blonda are palpating them, while the others are sitting in the center and discussing something violently. We join this company at a merciless voice:
«Until the flooding of the cave system remains: twenty minutes.»
«We have no choice… will try to rise to the surface as the grotto is flooded, like corks… If we made a mistake… we will pay dearly for it», Planck offers, breathing heavily. One can see how difficult our expedition was for him. From time to time, the elderly man pauses to clear his throat and catch his breath, «be prepared for the fact that the water level may be insufficient to get out of here… The walls in the grotto are no more than 10 meters high. But even if there is only one meter left to the brim, we are lost. Besides, no one knows the landscape on the surface»…
«We are in the right place!» Angel rejoices, «Look what I found!» he holds out his open palm, on which lies a stone, exactly the same as we found in the dugout with food yesterday. Only with a 1/2 fraction carved on it.
«Great job Angel!» Alex grabs a stone and shoves it in his bosom, «Now there is no doubt that these things will be useful to us in the finale».
«And you decided that this stone will be more comfortable with you?» Runner asks hostilely.
«Guys, no time to quarrel», BeBe interrupts him angrily «look!»
We watch in horror as water pours out in a thin stream from the manhole from which we have just come.
«The narrow tunnel will create a pressure as soon as the water accumulates in sufficient volume in the grotto, where this very tunnel begins», Planck announces, «We’d better move to the opposite wall and get ready».
«And what about Martha?» BeBe exclaims with horror.
Our eyes turn to her. Martha sits calmly on the floor, and only her pale face betrays her inner state. There is a painful silence.
«Until the flooding of the cave system remains: ten minutes.»
«We all go to the back wall and hold on until the water reaches the neck. After that, we sail calmly, slowly, waiting for the water level to rise. Save your energy! Martha, listen carefully! Me, Joleo and Runner will take turns keeping you afloat. Most importantly, you must relax and in no case resist, no matter how scary and uncomfortable it may be. Clear?» Alex commands an orderly tone.
«If you start to panic, I’ll have to let you go,» Runner threatens. Alex gives him a warning look.
«Martha, this could mean death for both the drowning man and the rescuer. We are already too exhausted, running along the grottoes».
Martha just nods, unable to utter a word.
«I’ll take care about Martha myself,» Angel’s gentle voice sounds.
The players all, as one, turn their heads in surprise in his direction. Confused, the guy continues:
«I’m a professional swimmer and as a swimming instructor I had to take a course on rescuing drowning people. Besides, unlike you, I still feel a little bit of energy in me».
«Because you sat on your ass in safety while we were trying to find our way out!»
«Runner, shut up!» Alex turns to Angel. «Okay, so we’ll do it.»
«Well, finally „Baby“ will be good for something», Runner throws angrily, but no one argues. It won’t be easy to get out on your own, let alone help someone who can’t swim.
I catch a glimpse of Blonda’s proud, admiring gaze directed at Angel. Her eyes literally glow with happiness. Well, it’s already clear to me that I know absolutely nothing about human relations. Now Angel, so handsome and cowardly, became a hero for Blonda and Martha. I don’t have time to finish thinking this thought, as a female metallic voice announces for the last time:
«Until the flooding of the cave system remains: zero-zero minutes.»
At this moment the water from the tunnel bursts into our grotto with a terrible roar.
Despite all the fatigue, adrenaline is pouring through my veins. Like all other players, I hold myself firmly against the wall.
Leeloo is standing next to me:
«Don’t worry, remember, I’m a great swimmer. Save energy, we’ll need it,» I hear through the deafening roar of a powerful jet of water.
The water hits my heels, ankles and knees, but I try my best to keep the balance. Gradually, its level rises and when it reaches the neck, I break away from the wall and start paddling. Under normal conditions, this would not be that difficult. But now, exhausted, scared to death, I can hardly move my
