18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 511

The dog breeder down the road would often swing by to trade some of his fresh produce for our leafy greens. My sister and I had taken over the gardening duties, and Stella, well, she was either kicking around a soccer ball or making videos every day.

The ball always rolled to the right. Day by day, you wouldn't notice much, but if you compared it to a video from a few weeks back, there was something new to see. The ball was moving faster. That meant the slope was getting steeper.

Lately, Stella would get these sudden jolts while half-asleep, as if her body was shaking. She thought it was muscle spasms. The temperature of the seawater under the ice sheet should be uniform, not uneven enough to create those irregular ice blocks. The only explanation was that something under the sea was pushing up the ice, slowly causing the surface to tilt.

Jasper compared the photos of the hydroponic solution; the tilt was definitely more pronounced than it had been a fortnight ago, though not dramatically so. Then, like a lightbulb moment, Stella exclaimed, "Could it be that the land itself is rising, pushing against the ice?"

It was just a theory, but it took Jasper and Rosie's breath away. Was the land actually moving upward? Their hearts raced! But how could they find proof of such a thing?

The ever-practical Rosie suggested, "Sis, you know how folks drill holes to trap gators and seals? Maybe we should drill our own hole to see if there's a mountain under the sea." Drilling was possible, but the Arctic ice was getting thicker by the year, some layers several meters deep. Breaking through wouldn't be easy. Besides, the sea was freezing, and none of them had the Russians' cold-water swimming endurance, not to mention the dangerous creatures lurking below.

But what if the land was indeed rising? Stella, itching with curiosity, rummaged through their storage in Arcadia and, lo and behold, found an underwater camera. Fired up with enthusiasm, they decided to go for it. Concerned about prying eyes, Stella and Jasper set up an igloo in the backyard while Rosie kept watch from a snow mound.

Once the igloo was sturdy, thanks to a smoky fire, they brought out the silent cutter. Oddly enough, the ice was tough as nails and wouldn't budge. They broke up the ice chunks and hauled them back into Arcadia. The task was enormous; it took them a full day to break through the ice, nearly wrecking the cutter in the process. A good thirteen feet of ice.

Without a moment's rest, they set up the underwater camera and dipped the pole into the icy water. They snapped several pictures, but it was too dark to make anything out. Cursing the useless camera for not having night vision, Stella, not one to give up easily, volunteered to dive down.

Jasper, worried about the danger, insisted he should go instead. But what good would that do if he couldn't avoid danger as she could, with Arcadia as her refuge? Watching her brother and sister-in-law bicker sweetly, Rosie couldn't stand it any longer, "Why don't you both go? I'll stay up here and hold the rope?"

One to explore, the other to protect; together they wouldn't need to fear the danger below. The sea was bone-chillingly cold, but they had wetsuits. If they were quick, they wouldn't freeze. The agreement in place, they pounded stakes into the ice, tied the rope securely, and Stella and Jasper jumped into the icy abyss wearing their diving gear.

The water was so cold it almost turned them into human popsicles. Jasper turned the dive light to its brightest and, holding Stella's hand, they swam towards the direction of the container. As they drew nearer to the massive shadow, Stella's hand brushed against the rough surface of a reef. A real mountain, firmly pressing against the thick glacier's base. Blood rushed to her head, driving back the numbing cold.