Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 46 Outside Alone Part 2:

A/N: So it is not as long as I would have liked and it is totally unedited, but I kept my promise. As an aside I would like to note that this story has recieved over 5,000 votes! So excited! Next update will be coming soon. Cheers!

Chapter 46: Outside Alone Part 2:

                My time in the water that night was one of the longest short traumas I have ever encountered.

The full weight of how absolutely stupid this idea was hit me only after the sharp coldness of the black water slapped against me. The impact made my body involuntarily go rigid, attempting to fight against the flux of water that pulled me under like a vice grip. I didn’t even have time to try to get my bearings before the water slammed me against something hard and metal face first.

The shock of the blow made my head crack back. In a lapse of concentration I sucked in a breath of water, choking at the sudden pain that engulfed my face and neck.

I didn’t even have time to think of a curse before my hip slammed into something sharp and whatever air I had in my lungs to cough up the water I had swallowed left me in a silent scream of pain. The rushing water roared in my ears and the strong current of the boat ripped my body in directions I never thought I could move.

It was this second impact that caused my body to go limp and while it hurt like a bitch I probably owe that moment my life.

It was only after my body relaxed into the current that the river sent me sputtering to the surface. By some miracle I still had enough air and wits in me to beat the water out of my chest with my handcuffed hands while kicking wildly to keep my head above water.

It wasn’t until I was able to take halfway full breaths that I had the wherewithal to be aware of my surroundings.

I could still hear the boat engine, but I could no longer feel the rippling current made by its wake.

It was dark where I was in the center of the river. The brighter lights in the center of the city had not carried through into what must be the lower districts in the outskirts. If I squinted eyes I could I could make out what I believed to be the lights on the security boat getting smaller as it traveled away from me upriver. The combination of the boats fast pace and the natural river current had put a fair distance between us. My vision was blurry and I didn’t know whether it was from the water, the blow to the head, or both.

The only thing I did know for sure was that I needed to get on shore as fast as possible.

They could notice my absence at any moment (if they hadn’t already) and even on the best of days I couldn’t outswim a speed boat. With my hands cuffed, my waterlogged backpack weighing me down in the water, and my disoriented mind I could hardly consider this one of the best of days.

Making the decision to start swimming to the closest bank, I turned myself in the direction of the current and thrust my hands in front of me as I kicked my legs as hard as I could.

What was probably only minutes felt like hours of struggling to get out of the main current. The backpack kept pushing my torso down into the water and while my extended arms helped to keep me afloat, they were useless when it came to pulling me through the water. Once I was out of the main current the struggle to stay above the water became harder because of fatigue. It probably took me a good two hundred meters to get to the muddy river bank.

                As I pulled myself up onto the bank, my whole body shivering so hard that my hands were having trouble making purchase, the injuries I has sustained from the completed stunt started to make their way to the forefront of my mind.