Game of Life

Chapter 13

"Swim?" I echoed questioningly. "We're going in there?"

"Of course!" Severin purred. "It would be much too easy for you if I were to just leave you all out here when she's in there, come on now. That wouldn't be fair."

With a wave of his wrist, our clothing was replaced with scuba gear. Weighted shoes covered our feet, an oxygen tank on our backs and a wetsuit over our bodies. "You have an hour's worth of oxygen. So I'd get to it."

"Can you at least..." I waved my hand at the beast, still gazing expectantly at us.

"Ah..yes I suppose I could do that." He let out an ear splitting whistle and the dolphin backed out into the deepest part of the lake again. "Anything else, my dear?"

I shook my head and walked towards the lake, feeling the sand squish underneath my shoes. When I reached the edge of the water I paused. I didn't want to go in there. I could barely swim, let alone fight, underwater. Just get it over with, I scolded myself. With one final deep breath I dove under the murky water, the oxygen mask was uncomfortable but it worked and that was all I cared about.

I swam out a ways, until my feet barely touched the ground, heart racing with fear, and gazed back at the shore, thankful that at least a few of the others had decided to join me so I wouldn't be up against that thing alone.

Severin gave us a few minutes to adjust to the water before snapping his fingers and whistling again.  Screams rose up from the beach and I couldn't hold back a snicker. Severin must not have appreciated their lack of participation, as he picked them all up and threw them, without care, into the water.

"You aren't leaving the lake until it's over," he added when those closest to the shore tried to run out of the water and promptly slammed into a barrier. "Oh and I'd watch it with the lightning, water is a great conductor with this many bodies in it."

I gave myself another five seconds of fear. Counting down slowly, taking a few deep breaths, then dove under the water. The weight of my shoes kept me trapped at the bottom of the lake and the goggles allowed me unhindered sight. I could see those Severin had thrown in clutching their ears and I felt slightly bad for them, the pressure change must have hurt a lot, but it was shortlived as I remembered that they had planned to abandon us to fight this monster alone.

I slowly made my way to the deepest part, feeling my own discomfort increase as my ears popped. The dolphin swam overhead, shifting the water with its movements as it circled our group. How are we going to beat this thing? I remembered Severin's words. Water is a conductor. But all we would do is kill ourselves using it here. 

Without warning the dolphin attacked, snatching people up from the floor and swallowing them whole. Running out of time, think Calla, think! Air, Fire, Light, Dark useless, useless, usesless. Water, that could help us move, possibly push it away? Sound? Well if I got an idea I could us it to talk to the others. Lightning..Earth..Earth! That was it!

I spun around in a circle, pulling the element around me and dragging it upwards until I broke the surface of the water. A couple others followed my lead and several heads broke the surface. I pulled my mask to the side so I could talk. "We have to get everyone out of the water, then we can just light it up," I shouted. Their voice rose up in protest.

"How the hell are we going to do that?"

"I'm not going back in there!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"That's not going to work!"

"Do you have a better idea?" I snapped. Hesitantly shaking heads followed my words. "Then let's get to work!" I replaced my mask and dove back into the water. Within seconds the dolphin was after me, teeth inches from my feet. I pushed a burst of water out behind me, trying to propel myself away, while still being dragged down by the weights.

The beast was faster and kept chase. Panic clouded my mind, I didn't think, just shot off a burst of lightning.That was a mistake. Searing pain spread along my body as the tank at my back exploded. A ball of fire against my skin. The dolphin stopped in its tracks and backed away, shaking its nose.

Thankfully, somehow, the water cushioned the explosion so I wasn't consumed in a fiery death but it still hurt, still left me in agony at the bottom of a lake with weights strapped to my feet.

Pressure pushed at my lungs, begging for air. I struggled to move, to do anything to get out of here before I drowned, but I was helpless, in pain and out of air.

I don't know how long I laid there before my vision clouded and I was consumed by darkness.