Body of Roses - l.h.

.15

Luke's P.O.V

I felt it; the water filling up my lungs cutting off my air way. My eyes snapped open though everywhere I looked was blurry and blue.

For a second I thought it was a wave of dizziness coursing through me from the hit I took when I blacked out but as my air way cut off more and more I realized that I was under water.

I felt my body begin to panic, not sure of what to do first and not ready to die. My legs automatically began pushing myself up off the smooth surface of what felt like a pool floor only to be dragged down again.

I searched for whatever was keeping me anchored until my eyes landed on a large cinder block that had a rope tied around it and my ankle.

I tried once again, pushing myself to the surface now knowing that I had extra weight to carry, but the block wouldn't budge.

Kneeling down, I began trying to untie the knots around both my ankle and the slab of cement but it was as if whoever tied them went to scouts and completed all their knot badges.

I searched the pool for anything sharp enough to cut it but there was nothing around me. My hands moved to my hair in frustration knowing that there was no other choice but to stay here and quietly die.

I let my hands trace over my face and down my neck, halting once I felt my shark tooth necklace that I always wore beneath my shirts.

Ripping it off my neck, I leaned back over the rope and began sawing away at it. At this point I didn't know if all this work would even pay off. I began hacking at the rope and pulling with my arms allowing it to give away.

Finally I began to feel the rope start to lack around my ankle telling me that I was near freedom. With one last pull I was able to rip it apart from my ankle and began my journey to the top.

I was lucky that the pool wasn't that deep as I finally surfaced and began coughing up water.

My eyes did a quick scan of the area realizing I was still in the park though it looked to be around mid night. I somehow managed to find the strength to pull myself out of water sucking in all the air I could get.

"Didn't think you'd make it there for a second, mate." A thick Irish accent said from above me. My eyes traveled up the pant leg of the person who stood in front of me until I got to his face.

He reminded me of Jai only instead of having pits of black for eyes his were like a grey sea before a storm hit. His dark hair was also styled differently, shaved short on the sides with it quiffed in the center.

But his sun kissed skin was exactly like Jai's.

"So instead of helping me," I began, starting to get to my feet even though I'd rather just lay there for another 10 minutes until I caught my breath. "You decided to sit back and watch the show."

"Hey mate, I only just got here when I saw you using whatever you had to break free of whatever was tying you down." He put his hands up in surrender telling me that he was innocent.

"I'm Kean." He extended his arm out for me to shake but I ignored it.

"So I'm guessing you aren't part of Jai's gang or else you would have had another cinder block ready and pushing me back under."

"Jai?" His eyebrows shot up. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time." I studied him for a moment trying to figure out if we've ever met. "When Jai use to live back in Ireland I was his secondhand man in his gang."

My eyes moved down to the dog chain that was tied around his neck, an exact replica of mine.

"So was I," I told him and he cracked a smile.