Submerged

Rescued in Pieces

I could barely move, my arms and legs felt like someone had tied a brick to them, keeping me on the floor of the cave, cold hard rock pressing into my hips and shoulders. I will most certainly have bruises if I ever get out of here, I thought. I knew I had to get back out there and search for the exit if I ever was, so I left no time to sit and pity myself.

The water was a little less chilly than when I was last in it, but not warm. It still made my skin tighten and my jaw chatter a little, which hurt immensely where I was struck. I dunked in and popped back up on the other side, scanning the giant cave. The worms were still glowing, and the water was still crystal clear and beautiful. Maybe if I wasn't stuck here against my will it would be more enjoyable.

I started right in by taking a few deep breaths to prep my lungs, and lightly kicking my way toward the right wall. I was going to look in crevasses and on the walls. If I missed it yesterday, I was not going to miss it today. The jagged rocks under me were intimidating as I carefully pushed on, grazing the wall with my fingers. I didn't see an opening anywhere yet and it didn't help that it was so dark in the cave. I swam around for a while, getting tired and taking breaks on little shelves in the cave walls here and there, soaking in the shapes and shadows of everything. I was halfway back to the entrance to my little cave on the left wall when something caught my eye.

Directly above where my little cave was, there was what looked like an opening. It was jaggedly round shaped and darker than the rest of the cave wall. I cut across the giant pool and swam as fast as I could to it. When I reached it I couldn't see up that far, so I looked around for a place to climb. I would have to get up there to see if it really was a way out. If he got me in here, he was carrying me, and I know he isn't a ninja. I could do it too.

I found places to put my fingers and I hauled myself up, adrenaline pumping through my muscles, using strength I didn't know I had. I put my toes and fingers carefully in crevasses, pressing my body against the rock to keep my balance, scraping my knee when I brought my leg up a couple times. Oh well, that's not the worst that has happened to me so far. I felt a shelf under my fingers when I reached up, so I put my other hand up and pulled with all my might, my feet scraping the wall to find a place for leverage, I felt one of my toenails rip and I let out a screech of pain. It echoed through the cave as I grunted loudly, pulling myself up onto my elbows so my chest was on the edge. I saw a dark hallway and nearly cried with joy. I found the way out. Finally.

I tried to muster up my last bit of strength and pull my body up the rest of the way when I heard what sounded like feet slapping on wet rock. It started soft, but got louder and louder and soon it was echoing through the whole cave. I suddenly got so scared, thinking it was Aquiam coming back to kill me, I tried to lower myself back down slowly and my fingers slipped. I slid on the rock to suddenly that my jaw hit the edge and my teeth cracked together. I dug with my fingers to keep from sliding more but I was losing my grip to quickly. My knees ripped on the ledge looking for something, but all they found was sharp rock and I could feel the warm blood starting to drip down my shins.

Then I was falling. I wasn't holding on to the ledge anymore and my body was so heavy feeling, I felt like I was falling under the weight of an elephant. I didn't even realize I was screaming until I hit the water and saw the bubbles escaping from my mouth. I scrambled in the water, trying to find up, kicking and waving my arms around, when I struck something with my foot and a sharp pain shot up my leg. I screamed again, but this time the water filled my lungs and I felt that all too familiar burning need for air. An overwhelming urge to cough up the water I just inhaled made me take a deep breath of, you guessed it, water. I felt suffocated.

I was drowning again.

...Mikko....

   ~~~~~~~~~~

I was making my way through the tunnels that I knew very well, left here, right there, down this corridor and another left, when I heard a loud scream.

I knew exactly who it was, and my stomach flipped as I broke into a run, my feet slapping the wet rock with every step. I kept a strong run, pushing off the tunnel walls with my hands when rounding a corner so I didn't have to slow down. I could see the glowing at the end of the tunnel and forced my legs to run faster. In that moment I was so glad I was not built like my cousins who had tails. I would never be able to run like this. We could never swim as fast as running.

Just before I reached the end of the tunnel I heard another loud scream, this one sounded as though from pain, and then a splash. I cried out "NO!!" and slid to the edge of the tunnel, lading on my knees and stopping just before I slid off into the water. There was so much bubbles down there, I didn't know where she was. I didn't want to jump because I knew what was down there, and if she just fell onto those jagged rocks, i wouldn't be able to save her with both of us injured. I spun around and lowered myself off the ledge, placing my toes and fingers in specific places that I learned as a kid to prevent falling.

I was fast and reached the water in no time, jumping in and searching for Sophia's body. Under the water I found her, floating face down just below the surface and surrounded by a thick dark cloud. She was bleeding from somewhere. I grabbed her arm and yanked her up with me, and I held us both above water.

"Sophia!" I yelled, slapping her face, "Hey! Open your eyes, Sophia," I shook her. I had to get the water out of her lungs, quickly. I flipped her on her stomach and swam under her, pushing myself up so she was on my back. I grabbed her legs and held them tight to my chest, hauling us both up out of the water. I used one hand at a time climbing up the cave wall to get to the ledge, a couple times I had to let her balance on my shoulder so I could use both of my hands. When I felt the edge I got up far enough to lay her on the rocky floor, probably hitting her head, but all I could think about was getting her to breath. I pulled myself up with one arm and started pumping her chest. I did mouth to mouth and more compressions for a while, slapping her cheeks and yelling her name for what seemed like ever.

Then she coughed and spit water all over me, flipping onto her side and heaving violently. She coughed up a lot of water before she was able to breath and I waiting impatiently, holding on to her. She gasped for a moment and looked up at me. A smile broke across her red face and she threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly and letting out a weep of joy.

"Mikko, I thought I would never see you."

I held her tightly, holding back tears of my own. "I found Aquiam, I made him tell me where you were." I gritted my teeth thinking about him. "I cannot believe what he did to you, and that he thought he could just get away with it." She held me and shushed my babbling, "I'm just glad you are ok." 

She pulled away from me and grabbed her leg, where I then saw was the cause for all the blood in the water.

"I don't know about ok," She said glumly.

I reached over to her leg and put my open hand on the wound gently. She jerked a little and sucked air between her teeth