One Stupid Thing

Bon Voyage

As I am dragged beneath the surface with no time to scream for help, I realize that this is in fact not a log, but an alligator. It lunged for me like predator to prey, closing its teeth-filled jaws around my abdomen and pulling me under. Pain shoots through me. "Help!" I manage to yell into the air just as I am pulled down once more and I receive a mouthful of swampy water.

I fight with every ounce of strength I have, trying to grab onto anything I can touch and pull myself from the gator's deadly grip, but the more I pull the more pain I am in as its teeth pierce through my skin and the water around me turns red.

Every chance I get to scream out for help I use. Flailing my arms around in the water, I land a hard blow to the gator, causing it to lose its grip. I get to my feet and yell out once more. "Sarah! John B! Po—" My last word turns to a shriek of pain as the gator latches onto my leg and pulls me down again.

I feel my whole body go limp in its jaws, almost admitting defeat until I see a distant splash. Energy courses through me and I fight to overturn the gator. We barrel roll and I gasp for air when I am on top before I am turned back under. That's when I feel two hands grip tightly around my arms and I am hoisted out of the water.

"Stella! Go!" It's John B. He fends the gator off to allow me to slowly swim away, but then I hear silence.

"John B!" Sarah is dashing towards us with a knife in her hand. She hurries past me and comes to John B's rescue, thrusting the knife into the water and impaling the gator until it let's John B go and it swims off in defeat.

"Holy shit! Are you okay?" Pope asks me, hurrying up to me. I nod quickly even thought my side and leg burns like my body is being set on fire. John B scrambles towards us as well. We both gasp for air and wince at the pain of our injuries.

"Go!" Sarah pants.

"Get to the Twinkie now!" Pope hoists John B up, and helps him make his way to the van. My sister hurries up to me and I throw my arm around her shoulders as we follow them. All of us are too in shock to speak.

With the help of the others, we all manage to climb on top of the Twinkie, which is surprisingly easy now that the water is so high. My eyes go wide when they scan my body and notice the deep wounds that the gator inflicted; the worst being the one across my side. The wound on my leg isn't quite as bad but it still hurts like hell. I gasp for air and try to breathe through the pain, but as my body expands, my wounds do too.

"Fuck," I breathe out. I tear my button-up off and lean back onto the flat surface. Blood smears down the side of the van but none of us care.

Pope examines my wounds with a dim expression that gives me little hope. "I'm pretty sure that'll get infected," he says to me grimly.

"Gee, thanks for the positivity, Pope," I manage to croak out.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." He grabs onto my button-up and tears it in half with ease. "It's gonna hurt like hell but you need to press onto this."

I nod reluctantly and, as instructed, place the half of my old shirt over my major wound and press down. I bite my tongue and scream internally as the pain shoots through me like a lightening bolt. Pope tends to my leg which doesn't hurt nearly as bad.

Sarah sits beside John B and is gently taking care of his injury too. "Yeah, you're lucky. It didn't cut into muscle too much."

"Lucky we got attacked by an alligator and my car is underwater," John B barely makes out between deep breaths.

"Do you have something to wrap it with, and stop the bleeding? It can..." My sister trails off as John B reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his father's bandana. Yes, the one that he tore a piece off of and once gave to Sarah in place of a wedding ring. She stares down at it solemnly, but quickly pushes away her emotions and takes it from him.