I woke up from the shock of falling off the bed. A rumbling sound was coming from far away. What is that sound? I got up, swaying with the room as it shook. The pen on the desk was trembling from the vibration.
In a daze, I opened the door, and as it creaked open, water from outside the room rushed in. Why is the corridor full of water? I was jolted awake, and goosebumps ran down my body.
The temperature of the seawater soaking my bare feet was cold. Only then did I smell the salt, and I immediately retreated back into the room. I was worried the door might not close, but it slowly shut.
I sat on the bed, wiped my wet feet with the blanket, and put on long socks and the sturdiest hiking boots I had. In the waterproof backpack my younger brother bought me as a job gift, there was a flashlight I had bought for camping but never used.
I stuffed the bottle of water I was drinking, the guidebook, and the candies, chocolates, and energy bars scattered around it into the backpack. I also pushed in the towel I used for washing my face and the whale stuffed animal next to it. Realizing all my clothes were in the dryer, I put my wallet and the pad on the bed into the backpack and closed it. It took more courage to hold my phone and open the door than before.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and pressed the button to open the door. It opened more slowly than usual, as if it were malfunctioning. My feet, which had only been slightly wet before, were now submerged up to my ankles. A wave of fear washed over me. Why is the water leaking? The underwater base might have many leaks, but it wasn't built for humans to live like fish.
Is this normal? I wondered, touching the corridor wall with my hand. Could it be that the dormitory flooding is a common occurrence and I just didn't know? The thought made my head spin. The cold of the wet pants was the only thing that made the flooded underwater base feel real.
The dormitory bedroom opens with a fingerprint or by swiping the electronic watch on my wrist. The pad can also be used. My location is in the Baekho-dong building in the west, which houses 80 people. To escape, I need to go to the central stairs next to room 40 and head to the escape boat. What if people are sleeping in the rooms? If they haven't woken up yet? Or if this is normal and I'm overreacting?
I recalled a sentence from the underwater base guidebook: "If water is leaking into the underwater base, it is not a normal situation." I clenched my teeth, looking at the seawater swaying at my ankles. With 80 rooms, I need to act now. If this is normal, I'll just have to act a little crazy.
"Get up! We need to escape right now! The water is leaking!"
I knocked on the door next to mine, but no one came out. My room is 38, and the room next to it, 37, is where Wang Wei, a Chinese chef, lives. I didn't know if he was in the room. I kept knocking and even tried the pad with my fingerprint, though I knew it wouldn't work.
In movies, doors open with fingerprints or something like that. Surprisingly, the door opened immediately. I didn't know why it opened. Seeing the empty room, I immediately went to the next one, knocking and pressing my fingerprint. The door opened immediately, and no one was there. I shouted and kept opening the doors of the adjacent bedrooms.
"Get up! We need to escape! The seawater is rising!"
After opening about ten rooms, I finally found someone sleeping. He was 180 cm tall, wearing headphones, and curled up under the blanket with his upper body bare. I ran in and took off the headphones.
"Get up!"
His hands waved away like he was swatting flies. I pushed him off the bed with force, and he fell to the floor. He cursed in a foreign language I couldn't understand. It was probably directed at me, but I didn't have time. I kicked him while he was on the floor.
"Get up!"
He staggered to his feet, cursing at me, but his expression changed when he saw the water flooding the room.
"Get out now, kid!"
I didn't hear "kid" in Korean, but he must have cursed me a few times, so we were even. I read "Carlos" on the doorplate as I left and went to the next room. After opening two more rooms, Carlos burst out. He was wearing a shirt and shoes, but the water was already up to his ankles.
"What's happening? Why is water flooding the base?"
Carlos's face was pale with fear. Seeing the fear in his eyes, I realized this was a serious situation.
"I don't know! When I woke up, it was like this. Open the doors from 37 to 1 and wake people up!"
I shouted and opened the 52nd door with my fingerprint, but no one was there. Carlos was pressing his phone and wrist pad.
"Only the room owner, the deputy team leader, or the team leader can open the door. Or someone from a special department. I can't open them."
I remembered the bedroom door opening and emergency procedures from the guidebook. Can I open them because I work in the medical department?
"Then knock!"
When I opened the 54th door, I found someone sleeping under the blanket. I pulled it off. They were curled up like a fetus, and I recognized them as soon as I saw their face.
"Mr. Jin, get up!"
Mr. Jin frowned and sat up, then screamed when he saw two men in his room. I bowed my head slightly and said,
"Water is leaking into the underwater base! Get dressed and come out!"
Mr. Jin's room is on the opposite side of the research dormitory. I glanced at the name "Martina" next to the door and opened the next room. As I kept opening the doors, Mr. Jin changed into regular clothes, put on glasses, and came out, his face pale with fear.
"Mr. Jin, can you open the bedroom doors?"
"I'll try."
"My room is 38, and I haven't checked the lower numbers yet!"
As I opened the 60th door with my fingerprint, Mr. Jin shook his head, fiddling with his wrist pad and phone.
"There's no emergency message. I'll activate the alarm."
When I opened the 62nd door, a deafening alarm started.
[Beep! Emergency! All residents in Baekho-dong, evacuate to the escape boat. Emergency! All residents in Baekho-dong, evacuate to the escape boat.]
I realized Carlos was gone. Mr. Jin said he hadn't seen him since he entered and left his room.
When I opened the 64th door, there was a cat inside. It looked very unhappy about our intrusion. Meow! [Beep! Emergency!] The low meow of the cat and the emergency alarm were deafening. Mr. Jin said,
"It's a Russian Blue."
That's not the issue. Mr. Jin was in a daze, identifying the cat breed, and I was equally stunned. Animals are not allowed in the underwater base. A cat?
The cat, which had fluffed up its fur and was about the size of my forearm, looked at me as if asking what to do. Mr. Jin took off his cardigan and held it like a net. He motioned for me to go to the right.
"Go left."
I lifted the blanket from the side of the bed with both hands and went to the left. I lunged at the cat, which was howling on the desk. The cat slipped through the small gap under the blanket, and Mr. Jin, as if he knew I wouldn't catch it, covered it with the cardigan. Meow! I've never had a cat, but its meow was as loud as a tiger's.
While Mr. Jin was covering the cat with the cardigan, I emptied a backpack in the room. I stuffed the cat into the backpack like a feather and zipped it up. I slung the backpack over my shoulder.