Plumbing Emergency, pt12

Cody dug and tore at her ankle-bindings with frenzied abandon. Part of her screamed to take care of that problem once she was out of the basement, and above where the water could reach, but still she didn't do so. With good reason, she thought: The basement door always stuck, and she'd really have to nail it hard to get it to open from the inside. That would make noise, and if the burglars were still around and heard, they'd very likely come to investigate. She didn't fancy her chances against them with her feet still tied - or with them untied either, for that matter. She hadn't done very well the first time around, after all. So, she stayed where she was and worked feverishly to get loose before she ran out of breathing room, or was forced to risk an encouter with the villains minus the use of her legs.

Still, it was taking an agonizingly long time, and she was acutely aware of the narrowing gap between the rippling surface of the water and the basement ceiling. The knots were viciously tight, and all her struggling thusfar had only served to pull them tighter. Making matters worse still was the fact that their prolonged soaking had caused the ropes to swell. All of that, combined with the fatigue-and-fear weakened state of her coordination, turned the work into the stuff of nightmares. But she pressed on, her jaw clenched in strain and her brow furrowed in determination. Even in her current condition, the young catgirl's fingers were more deft and sure than they had any right to be, and the knots slowly began to give way before their dogged onslaught. Finally, she felt one of them slip loose, and this time she did give a soft, growling note of triumph. With the first knot defeated, the rest began to follow more quickly, and Cody knew it was only a matter of moments before she was blessedly - finally - free. And it probably wouldn't be a moment too soon, as the water sloshed up over the top of her shoulders...



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On to Plumbing Emergency, The End