𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇, simon riley

huit

DO NOT TRY TO BREATHE.

Mari's lungs burn from lack of oxygen, but an attempt to inhale will drown her. The minute Mari had hit the lukewarm water of the basin below, she'd known something was wrong.

The notion had been confirmed when her vest had hooked on something, leaving her fumbling blindly underwater with what she assumed was some sort of old netting wire.

Mari's panicked fingers work at them, to no avail. It reaches the point where she thinks that taking the vest off is the only way to go, but the amount of zippers and buckles required is sucking up seconds she doesn't have.

Her gun is still gripped tight in one elbow, she can't afford to be weaponless behind enemy lines, no matter what.

Lungs burning, Mari tears relentlessly at the netting, her head aching. She slumps back in the water. Is this it? It'd be a shame, she thinks. To have made it all the way here and die underwater.

The murky basin reduces itself to shapes and colors as Mari blinks slowly. Maybe its for the better. She knows that it's all just the lack of oxygen seeping into her brain, and it's a struggle to keep her mouth closed.

But if she really has to pick, she'll die lungs burning before she's swallowing that water.

Maybe its for the better, the thought pops back up. She closes her eyes, and her brother is the one she sees. Gabriel. What would happen if she stopped fighting?

Then, a rush of bubbles.

She can sense it as they hit her eyes, which she instinctively closes. A large hand wraps around her forearm, and an even larger figure is tugging her upwards.

Mari's fingers weakly brush the edge of her vest, finding that a small square of the wire is still there, roughly cut from the large sheet. She uses her last bit of energy to kick her legs, gripping onto whoever cut her free.

When her head breaks the surface, against her own better judgement— Mari can't help but inhale as if it's her last breath. Her lungs flood with oxygen, and relief courses through her chest before she collapses.

Simon drags her to shore easily, unsurprised that she's unconscious after being under for the past six minutes, and only slightly worried. Or at least, that's what he's comfortable admitting at the moment.

He heaves her onto the rocky shoreline, covered by a large rock formation, one hand on his gun the minute he sets her down. Simon flips her on her side, checking her pulse. It's sluggish but steady, and his stomach flips every time he loses place of where his fingers go, worried that her heart's stopped.

But it hasn't, and Mari coughs as she comes to, gagging on the sour river water.

She sits up slowly, leaning her head into her hands as she gets her bearings. She curses under her breath, side-eying Simon, who glances at her with darkened eyes.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken such a big breath," Mari mutters. Simon furrows his brows under the mask, clearing his throat. "...What?"

"When you're underwater without oxygen, immediately taking a giant breath of air upon reaching the surface can cause your lungs to explode. Or, knock you out." She coughs again. "You're supposed to take a slow breath."

Simon doesn't know what to make of this. For someone who'd almost just died, Mari seemed... unconcerned. "You're seriously spouting off bloody facts about drowning right now?"

She tilts her head, whipping around and standing up quickly, wincing as the world shifts underneath her.

"Easy," Simon grunts, placing a hand under her arm to support her. Mari looks up at him, and down at his hand. Just that little gesture makes him so aware of the fact that for the second time today, he's touching her, glove having been discarded in his desperate search for a heartbeat.