Summerguard

CHAPTER 38: Aid and Litter

~NICKY~

HOLY SPRINKLES! Paxton jumped out of the chopper. If this is love, I need to update my life insurance. 

BOOOM! The explosive concussion throws me backward and jolts the Blackhawk harshly. My head thrums and everything is vibrating at an unusual frequency. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!!

MSG Rao maneuvers the Blackhawk and attempts to stabilize it while I catch my breath and look down towards the water. My heart nearly rips itself out of my chest and does tappy dances when I see Chrysos hanging onto a piece of debris. From the side, I see a figure bounding towards the water and paddling quickly to the treading girl. Spades! That's my boi!

Wait, where's Paxton? OH, NO! I skim the water's surface amongst the flying debris and broken bits, but I can't see her. She has a unicorn head for goodness' sake!

That is your battle buddy down there and you will leave no man behind! I don't care if you don't want to get wet. Everyone is wet. I am wet. Deal with it, soldier! You are a f*cking Marine! Marines love pain. You love pain. You don't get outta the water till I say so. NOW DIVE, PERRY!

"Dropping!" I shout quickly before jumping into the water. All my proceeds go to Spades!

I freefall and pray that I am less than a hundred feet from the water. I close my eyes and brace for impact.

SPLASH! NICOLA!

"Ack! Ke Ack! Aghhhh! Plrttt!" I cough and clutch my side as trillions of knives of pain shoot into my ribcage. It's fricking freezing and ew something is in my mouth. 

I don't care. Suck in the pain, Perry. You have a mission. Suck it in and get your f*cking head into that water. 

I shake off the dizziness and breathe before plunging back into the water. 

The water is extremely murky and remnants of particles and debris sting at my eyes, but I keep them shoved open. I have to find her. I dive deeper and thrash my head back and forth in search of her. Come on. When air runs out, I push to the surface and gulp in a gallon of oxygen before diving back down. Her parachute should be silver. It should stand out in all this muddy browns and yellows and black. Come on. I shove debris out of my way and continue swimming through the dirty waters. The wind from the chopper above is not helping and continues churning the muck around me. I resurface and with one final gulp, I swim to the bottom of the floor. 

A ton of trash, mud, and mossy stuff. I swim past the broken parts of the plane that keep raining down and scan my surroundings.

THERE! I see a tangled mess of what looks to be string and chords and in the mess is Paxton! I'd recognize those rainbow beads anywhere. Sh*t. Her head is bowed down and she doesn't seem to be moving. I take the knife from her hand and viciously attack the chords tangled around her body. Come on. COME ON! String after string snaps and breaks. My lungs are screaming at me to surface. My mouth is urging me to open up and let out the carbon dioxide. My body is screaming at me to breathe. I can't. I can't. I am too close. 

COME ON! With one final pull, I grab Paxton by her collar and although her entire weight is deadweight, I scream and release my breath in the water. I shove my feet onto the water's bottom and propel us up. I see the sun! I keep pulling her and keep pushing us to the surface. ERGHGH! I clutch my throat when my mouth loses its fight and sucks in water. Shoot, my hand slips and I cry out as Paxton starts plummeting down.