Arwa

11- The Flood

I had spent a while now with Chimaera. Hours had spread into days, days into weeks, we spent so long with each other that it had been over a month since I had tumbled down that mossy hill and saw him hop from that tree, dropping honey as he went.

I think the break had benefited me too.

We had learnt that our abilities helped each other, and my supposed 'Enhanced Strength' (which I still didn't believe was true) did help out a lot. He'd taught me how to make fishing spears, light fires, climb some difficult trees as well as even teaching me how to make some simple medicines. We had even started to grow crops and I had taught Chimaera how to make cakes and egg fried rice when I found a a bag of rice in the bottom of his medicine bag. He said Mynx used it for luring out ground squirrels, I can't believe he had been doing that all this time!

I knew I didn't really enjoy home too much, but this little break was actually nicer than I thought. Not needing to worry about bills or work or therapy cessions. But I had to go back, I couldn't say here I-

No. Everything's fine. Everything's great. Everything's normal.

Yeah, well everything was 'normal' until me and Chimaera woke up drowning.

The whole den had been filled with water and was still going up. We heard thunder chatter around us as I lunged for Chimaera and began to wake him up. I saw his eyes flutter open as water dripped down onto his head and the adrenaline kicked in.

By then I was already grabbing both our clothes as well as essential items like food and Chimarea had now grabbed his satchel, his pack of medicines and my wrist as we began to rush and wade out.

I just noticed again as he grabbed my wrist that I've had those metal shackles around me for this whole time. From that... place. That awful white room with that awful screen. I don't wanna go back there. I don't wanna go back there ever, ever again.

The water was now up to my neck and had already consumed Chimaera as rocks, roots and dust broke away and crumbled over our heads before it tumbled over the exit and blocked our path. The water was now filling my eyeholes as we floated there with no way to escape. No way to escape except from those rocks. Rocks that could be punched with a large enough force.

I-I can't do it. I can't break it I'm normal, I'm not strong, I'm a normal person I need to go back, I need to go back home I-I-I just can't I can't-

Then it came again, it always comes that blinkin' bloody red noise that screams at me from all sides and makes me wanna scream with it as it tumbled over and over and over and over me again and again. My brain just feels like it's gonna break and my eyes feel like they're gonna bleed as I shake my head the water all over me, Chimaera tugging on me and the thunder and wind howling as if it wants to topple everything in its path.

And everything's too much and I'm just staring at the rocks as the red sound makes me wanna bust and I'm gonna die, this is the end, this is the end I'm gonna die. And- and then...
And then it speaks:

Blood.

And then it's broken. The rock. I broke it, and I'm trying not to die as Chimaera pulls me through, oh god Chimaera that Angel in disguise that saviour that's helped me through all this. Now I feel the water drain out my mask, I see Chimaera's horns peek out the water as we keep going we keep pushing.

Now we lay, wet, tired, completely exhausted as we just breathe in and out, in and out. Minutes pass until I look at him, he looks at me and we just grip onto each other's hands like we both just wanna hope we're still alive. Not in a love way, we both knew that, just in a way that we both did to stay alive.

We soon get up, staring at the den (it shouldn't really be classified as a den, it's now just a bundle of wet rocks) that used to be his home, rain pouring over everything, drenching us even more if that were possible.

"I'm sorry." Is all I'm able to say, but there wasn't much we could do now. Chimaera turned to me, his fur full of water as his ears drooped down. "It's... fine. That water'll be trapped in 'ere for ages now. Everythin' will be ruined." But we now turn to the things we've salvaged, there's a small amount of old bread, some dried fruit and of course a couple of honeycombs.

Yet we weren't really bothered about that. Chimaera had been able to grab his basket pack of medicines and more importantly, flint, steel, a dry pack of wood, a torch handle and a compass.

It was pitch black, no stars in the sky and mud felt like it was dripping down our heads as we scurried to get to the torch and lighters. Chimaera now poured what I only guessed was flammable liquid over the dry torch handle, arching his body over everything to keep dry before striking the flint and steel together with vigour.

Then the torch was lit.