What's Left Of Us

IV

Water dripped slowly from the faucet, echoing throughout the bathroom. My feet padded across the damp floor, a shiver running down my spine as I got closer. Humid air surrounded us, fogging up both the mirror and my brain. I could feel my heartbeat in my wrist, pounding painfully due to my injury. Adrenaline kept me moving, one step at a time, closer and closer to him.

"Jared buddy? Wanna come back to your room now?" I asked the boy sitting in the bathtub. He stared off, water filling the tub and beginning to spill over the edges. He was soaked and still dressed, but he didn't even seem to notice. Water trailed across the tile and out the door and began to flood into the rest of the house. I reached over ever so slowly to turn the faucet off all the way, but his head whipped around as soon as my hand was on it.

"No," he said forcefully. I froze, immediately stopping what I was doing. My breath picked up, panic setting in. He reached out a hand towards me, and I tried to back away ever so carefully to avoid it. "No."

He grabbed my wrist and I screamed, trying to pry it away from him. He kept his grip tight as he pulled me closer to him, until he yanked me into the tub. My head went under, the freezing water shocking me as everything around me began to disappear. Suddenly, the bath had no bottom, and Jared was nowhere to be found.

I felt like I was being dragged deeper and deeper under the water, my new surroundings clearly much different than a tiny, dingy bathtub. The water was dark and icey, and it fought back against each one of my strokes. There was a current, no waves, making me realize I was most likely in a river of some sort.

The water screamed in protest as I broke free from underneath the surface. I gasped for air as I quickly swam towards the edge, all the while the water stabbed at me and begged me to give up and succumb to its dark depths. I fought with all the strength I had left in me, working and swimming against the current. My feet kicked as hard as they could, and I took the largest strokes I could manage. All I had left was my adrenaline.

My hair was a knotted, wet disaster that covered my face, preventing me from being able to see clearly. I took shaky breaths as I took one stroke after another. I could see a glimpse of the edge, not too far in front of me now. It was enough motivation to get me through the last few feet, my bare toes grasping for the ground beneath me. My hand gripped the muddy earth under the water just as my feet finally found the squishy ground.

I dug my hands into it, sand making its way underneath each and every one of my fingernails. Then, I pulled. I pulled with everything, screaming as I felt my wrist snap, but pulling more anyways. I reached forward, finally feeling the dry, dead grass. I yanked myself harder, bringing my body onto the surface, until I was finally laying mostly on dry land.

Coughing heavily, I puked up water and dirt and whatever else was left in my stomach. I curled my legs out of the water, wrapping myself up in a little ball, completely free. The water lapped at my toes, only making me squeeze my legs even closer to myself. The cool breeze made me begin to tremble. I scooted further away from the river, rolling over to lay on my back. As I brushed the gross hair out of my face, it flopped onto the ground beside me.

Crickets chirped all around, as well as the occasional buzzing of a bug flying by. I was in the woods, far from the house, completely alone in the dead of night. With no idea how much time had passed, the damage that had been done, or even where I was, I could only assume the worst. I had failed them.

I slowly began to get up with limbs aching and my entire body trembling. The world spun, causing me to stumble as I took a step forward. My body felt like it was on fire, yet at the same time, I knew hypothermia was probably starting to kick in. Leaves crunched under my toes as I kept walking, one step at a time, slowly increasing my speed. I could only hope I was heading in the right direction.

I felt something damp trickling down the side of my head. As I reached over to touch it, I moved my fingers back to my face so I could see. It was bright red blood, alerting me that I had managed to get a head injury as well. Not to mention my wrist was absolutely destroyed. The chances of me making it out of this alive were slim to none at this point. I could only hope I lasted long enough to save the children.