The hum of the ventilation system died instantly, leaving only the sound of our own breathing and the howling wind outside.

In the pitch dark, a bright red light suddenly flared on the keypad by the door.

It began to blink rapidly, accompanied by a high-pitched, repeating beep.

“They’ve bypassed the main breaker,” Nathan said, his voice coming from the darkness near my left shoulder.

A heavy grinding sound started from the top of the steel door.

A shower of bright, orange sparks began to rain down through the gap at the ceiling.

The sparks hissed as they hit the concrete floor.

Emma screamed first, her high-pitched voice cutting through the heavy dark.

Then Lily and Sophie began to cry, reaching out for my hands in the shadows.

I pulled all four of them close to my chest, burying their small faces in my thick woolen sweater.

“Shh,” I whispered, though my own heart was hammering against my ribs. “Keep your eyes closed, sweethearts.”

Nathan clicked on a small, high-intensity pocket flashlight.

The beam of white light sliced through the rising gray smoke, illuminating the panic room.