Dark Moon Rising

Chapter 6

The current tossed her about like a rag doll. Fighting the current until exhausted. It's useless. She thought and sank to the ocean floor. The air in her lungs depleted. Opening her mouth, she took a breath. Saltwater and sand entered. Ugha! She choked. Is this how I am going to die? Her life started to flash before her eyes.

Unfamiliar images of a woman who looked like her and herself blurred in and out of her mind's eye. Opening her eyes. Saltwater stung them. Right in front of her, her spitting imaged stared back at her. In slow motion, she reached out.

"Fight Alex." The woman said and faded.

Water started to fill her lungs. Reality hit and her fight-and-flight mode kicked in. In desperation, she pushed off the floor. On her way up, she bumped into something. Driftwood? Grabbing hold, she pulled it closer. JENNY! Her mind registered as the limp small body rested against her. Tightening her grip, she propelled them to the surface with fierce kicks.

When they broke the surface, Alex coughed profusely. Seawater spewed forth. Gag. Her eyes, nose and lungs burned. Jenny didn't breathe. Oh no! Turning her onto her back. She opened her mouth and tilted her head back. Took a deep breath and blew it into the little body. Her little chest didn't rise. Please don't die. She sobbed. Tried again. Her chest rose and she started to cough. "Thank goodness. Hold on, honey," she soothed when she started to cry.

Panicked Jenny gripped her tightly around the neck. Ugha! Alex coughed. "Honey, you are choking me." Ugha! "Please slacken your grip so I can get us to shore?"

The frightened girl relaxed her grip slightly. "I want my mommy."

"I know sweetie." She tried to pry her grip loose. "Why don't you get onto my back," she suggested, "that way I can get us back quicker?" The pressure around her neck released and immediately shifted to her shoulders.

Alex scanned for the coastline. "Damn!" She muttered at the spec in the distance. Think! You are in the middle of the ocean. Something slimy brushed against her legs. SHARK! Her mind screamed. Immediately, she started to swim. Stay calm you idiot! Her mental-self berated. Stopping, she quickly looked under the water. Phew! No shark. She thought, relieved. Think Alex! Eyeing the speck of land. Must be the beach. We will drown if I swim directly. She started assessing their bleak situation. Splashing will draw sharks. With the extra weight, the best option will be to go with the current, not against it. Work smart not hard. Her mental-self advised.

Deciding to go with the current, she let it do most of the work. After a couple of minutes, the beach became visible. Relief flooded her. When she was sure that the distance was right, she gave powerful kicks. Riding each wave until her feet touched the seabed again. Exhausted, she stumbled forward with Jenny clinging to her back like a little monkey.

Unable to keep upright, she dropped onto her knees. Crawled, desperate to get them as far onto dry land as possible. Breathless, she struggled up. Forced her aching muscles to move. The child felt like a ton, but she kept going.

"Every... thing's... gonna be fine," she reassured her through chattering teeth and short breaths.

Dry loose sand made walking extremely difficult. She kept her eyes on the two figures emerging in the distance. Diane. She sighed, relieved.

"Mommy!" Jenny yelled, jumped off Alex's back, and started to run in her mother's direction.

"Jenny!" The woman cried relieved when she heard her daughter's voice and ran towards her. Jenny jumped into her mother's arms. "Thank you... if it wasn't for you my daughter would be dead." she said when Alex reached them. She just nodded, too exhausted to speak. "Let's go home." She told her daughter.