𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩-𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨 || ʲ. ʰᵒˡˡᵃⁿᵈ

_fourteen_

         . . .
        
         . . .
        
         . . .
        
         It was. . .so cold.
        
         . . .
        
         So. . .so gods-damned cold.
        
         Your face felt numb as you gasped for what little air your water-filled lungs could intake, coughing as your arms flapped around in the freezing and unforgiving waters in an effort to stay up. It was disorienting how you saw nothing but vague shapes in the dark waters; every little movement making your heart spike in fear of getting eaten. The fear of the possibility of finding a beast was perhaps scarier than actually finding one.
        
         You felt the tip of your blade scraping your thigh each time you so much as kick a leg to try and stay afloat, the oh-so smart idea of strapping it on inside your pants perhaps not so smart now when it hindered your chances of swimming.
        
         Another wave crashes on the side of your head and you're left choking for air once more, trying your damndest to remember what little of the surviving skills you remembered from Sarah's extensive teachings. Keep calm, the only attention you should ever strive to try and get should be from normal people, asses the situation, and try to preserve your energy.
        
         . . .
        
         Which was gods-damned impossible when you were in a storm, in the middle of the sea, with it too dark to see if there were any beasts in the water, all while trying to make sure you wouldn't fucking drown.
        
         In your hazy state of mind a moment of peace washes over for whatever reason, before reality is quick to crash as your heart sinks to your stomach in realization.
        
         "JACOB?!" You completely ignore the last part of her advice—at least, from the ones you could remember—and use what little was left of your strength crying out, nails scraping the edge of some piece of wood and on instinct chasing for that. "JACOB!"
        
         You grunt as you unceremoniously throw yourself onto the floating crate, hugging it as a wave falls over you and threatens to throw you right off. Finally sort of above water you look on in the distance with nothing short of a panic attack; the outline of the Inevitable so far out as shadows of boxes danced across the thrashing waves. But at this point, you had other pressing concerns.
        
         "JACOB!" You end up coughing as seawater slaps you as soon as you opened your mouth, gagging and struggling to keep yourself on the crate. "JACOB! JACOB WHERE ARE YOU?!"
        
         Some morbid, hidden corner of your brain played with the idea of him already being long gone; images of him getting dragged downwards by the currents flashing unwantedly in your mind.
        
         . . .
        
         No. . .not again.
        
         "JACOB!" The cough that came after made a sharp pain in your throat, nails digging deep into the splintering crate as you tried your damndest to clear your sight. Tears, seawater and rain alike rained down your face in an endless stream, feeling the effects of actual burning in your eyes as you fought back a whine. "JACOB! JACOB PLEASE! I CAN'T LOSE YOU TOO!"
        
         You felt pathetic screaming out your woes into a thrashing ocean that couldn't care less, momentarily having a wave hit and soak you once more and almost completely throwing you off your crate.
        
         . . .
        
         "Y/N!"
        
         You almost didn't hear it.
        
         Thunder clapped and lightning flashed hot white in a display of ruthlessness that completely numbed your senses for a moment, left a blank mess staring at the merciless waves. But. . .but you weren't one to mistake that voice.
        
         "Y/N!"
        
         Your eyes widened as your head whipped in the direction of the shout, this time definitely knowing it was tears that rolled down your soaked cheeks as you see a boat heading right for you. It struggled to remain upright as a disheveled Jacob steers it, seeing the faint light of a lamp by his feet as he grunts and struggles against the currents. "Y/N! HANG ON!"
        
         You could do nothing but nod pathetically as you did as told; trying to ignore the stabbing—literally—pain in your leg that came back to your attention now that you weren't all that distracted.
        
         A large wave crashes on the small vessel and for a moment you lose sight of it, but soon enough it emerges relatively unscathed and closer but just now without the light.
        
         As soon as it was within arm's reach you dived right for it, knuckles in a white grip on the edge as you hastily heaved yourself up. Jacob's own shaking, cold hands grab your elbow and helped you up, crashing onto the flooding boat and barely being able to sit yourself up properly. No words were exchanged as you got to scooping water out with the bucket attached to the thing with a fraying rope; working the fastest you've ever worked when freedom was so close.
        
         Jacob struggled to turn the vehicle back around when the waters threw him this way and that; curses and grunts being all that you recognized as he worked.
        
         . . .
        
         . . .
        
         . . .
        
         The Inevitable looked so far away even no matter how hard the blond paddled; some pessimistic part of you disbelieving that you had even done any sort of progress whatsoever. But Jacob pressed on; working tirelessly on getting the two of you closer and closer to the ship.
        
         "Jacob we're not going to make it." It slipped before you could even think, still scooping and throwing out water and trying to be faster than the ocean that seemed to be fond of chucking it right back. He grunts in effort in response. "We are. . !"
        
         "Jacob it's already so far away! We're never going to make it!" The gods seemed to agree as thunder clapped again, this time louder and more threatening than any of the ones before. It left a slight ringing in your ear as your hands shook barely holding the bucket. You weren't sure if the stinging you felt in your eyes were from tears or the ocean. The blond makes a grunt of acknowledgement, but you knew it was getting harder for him to keep verbally responding. At this point it hurt to breathe through the worsening panic. "Oh gods I never even got to say goodbye to Sarah. Or apologize. Or thank her. . .or even talk to her!"