The Essence of Water

NEW VERSION Chapter 25

"You're quite welcome," he bows.

I place them on the table and yawn. I didn't sleep well last night. Aiden didn't stir once but I kept waking up with a bitter taste in my mouth and sour feeling in my stomach. Even now, I can feel it deep inside that something isn't right. We started planning our trip back to town yesterday but I can't shake the feeling. I keep telling myself that I'm paranoid.

"You look exhausted," Aiden tells me honestly.

"I think I'm going to lie down and take a nap." I sleep but for what feels like a minute before I wake covered in a cold sweat. A terrible shiver runs down my spine and I sit up straight. The afternoon sunlight trickles through the bedroom floor and Aiden is kneeling in front of the fireplace, stirring it with the poker. I pull the covers aside and stands as Aiden heads for the door to get more wood.

"Aiden wait!" I yell out.

I stop at the couch as Aiden stands in the doorway. He stands staring at the woods and then he turns. Two tranquilizers stick out of his stomach and shoulder and he looks down at them with shock. I react before I actually think. I jump forward and grab Aiden's arm and yank him away from the door.

Gunfire shatters the air around me. I slam the door shut and fling the blank across the door and drop to the ground next to Aiden. I pull the darts out and throw them across the room.

"Aiden," I grab his face and he looks at me.

"Still here," he assures me.

The gunfire has stopped but I know that doesn't mean we have any time. I push on the trap door from the other side and it flies open violently. I grab Aiden underneath his arms. "This might hurt," I push him into the hole and then jump down after him. I land on my feet this time, expecting the drop and look up at the square of light above my head. I take a half a second to say goodbye, because safe haven is safe no longer exists. The water closes the door above our heads and then drops into an orb to use for light.

I get Aiden to his feet and I wrap one arm over my shoulders and hold onto his waist with my other. He leans heavily on me and together we walk down the dark passage. "Adie, how did they find us?"

I'm breathing hard and there's a sharp pain in my stomach. "I don't know," I tell him honestly. We aren't safe. We have to run. Where do we go? My body shakes with adrenaline and anger. This was supposed to be my safe haven. When we reach the trap door I push it open and stick my head out, it's clear. Aiden is fading. I feel his weight pressing down on me more with each step. When we emerge onto the rocks Aiden's legs give out and I'm not strong enough to keep him up. We both fall onto the rocks and catch him before he falls over the edge. Sweat runs down the sides of my face and down my neck, I shiver.

"Sorry," he tells me. "I keep doing this to you."

Shouts rise in the air and branches snap in the woods, they will be on us soon. "No more running," I say. "I'm going to annihilate every single one of these bastards and send them to hell where they belong." My vision flips but before I can get to my feet Aiden grabs my arm.

"Adie wait. You're bleeding." I look down at my stomach, red stains through my shirt. I lean over him, my feet are cold and my knees rub painfully against the rock, my jeans do little to protect me from the chill. Aiden swallows hard and focuses on my face, fighting the slow drug in his system. "You can't fight them, Adie," he tells me. "Not like this, they'll kill you."

"I'm not the same person as I was before," I argue. "I've changed. I won't leave you behind, I can do this."

"That's what frightens me. Adie, I need to know that you will be safe from harm. I cannot live unless I know you are safe. Please don't do this," he begs.

"Don't you dare ask me to leave you," I cut him off. I try to stand again but he has enough strength to hold onto my arm and I've lost enough blood that I'm feeling weak in the legs. I can hear the men shouting, searching for us. It won't be long until they find us.

"I would never ask you," he assures me. He leans up and kisses me. It reminds me of our first real kiss, the one in front of the fire, full of heat and want. "I won't ask," he whispers and lets me go.

I'm falling.

I tumble around like clothes in a dryer. Wind roars in my ears, drowning my thoughts. The fall would kill any other human but the river rises to catch me like a soft pillow and I fall into its cold embrace. I spin through the water, trying to regain my senses but the pain in my stomach spreads and I take a deep breath of water and fall unconscious.

Memories of when I lived with Henry and Gretchen resurface. They were the closest thing to a life and family that I will ever experience. I want to see Henry again, to thank him and hug him. I didn't realize how much I missed him until now. Henry was always there for me when I was little. I always came home with scraped knees and splinters in my fingers but he would always set me on the toilet and give me Band-Aids and make me feel better. I feel a tug on my consciousness as the pain in my stomach pulls me out of the darkness.

"Adie." My name. "Please don't be dead." I think I'm still breathing. "Adie come on sweetheart, open your eyes." I know that voice. Something wet and warm rubs my face. There is a whine and a sense of familiarity that follows the sound. I open my eyes, because I don't want this dream to go away.

"Henry...?"

"Oh thank you, God. Thank you, God." I don't know where I am. There is a dim light on the horizon. We're surrounded by trees and there is a river at my feet. A dog licks my face repeatedly and Henry pushes him away.

"Jack?" My voice sounds broken. I feel broken. I think I might actually be broken. This is too good to be true.

"Adie, look at me. Stay awake." Henry's face looks just as I remember so I manage a small smile.

"I think...I need a Band-Aid," I tell him and grimace.

Henry chuckles, it sounds forced, like a release of nerves. "I don't think a Band-Aid will quite cover this kid. I need to get you home. Do you think you can walk if I help you?" I don't think I can even manage to keep my eyes open.

"Sure," I say because for Henry I'll try.

I know it should hurt more than it does but somehow my brain isn't processing the pain fully. Henry half carries half drags me to a truck parked on a bridge. I can't help but notice that both things are new. Jack stays by my feet the entire time, whining. The longer I stand the more the pain starts hitting me and the more awake I feel.

"I think I might be sick," I tell him but I don't puke. I'm dizzy and nauseous but I don't puke. Henry props me against the truck while he drops the tailgate and pushes me into the bed. Jack jumps up and lies down next to me. He's whines again and presses his nose to my cheek. Henry starts the truck and I cry out every single time the tires hit a bump in the road. I want to pass out again, but I keep myself awake and focus on the pain.

I was shot and somehow I made it to Henry. This is real, not a dream.

The ride is short and Henry gets me inside the house as quickly as he can. He sets me down on the floor and clears the kitchen table off. He finds one of Gretchen's outdoor plastic tablecloths and throws it over the wood to keep the table safe.

"Up you go," he heaves me onto the table and I cry out and bite against the nausea. He goes back outside and when he comes back, he has his black kit with him. I've seen him use it before when he needed to help one of his sheep.

"I'm not a sheep you know," I tell him. I feel cold and yet my body is slick with water and sweat. I think I'm actually dying this time.

"I know you aren't, kid," he assures me. He has a syringe in one hand and small bottle in the other. He's measure something out. I vaguely remember him tranquilizing a sheep with a cut from a fence before he stitched it up.

"I trust you," I whisper.

"I know," he says. He rubs alcohol on my arm and I don't even feel the needle. "I've got you kid." I close my eyes before the needle is even out of my arm.