Mr. Misty-Eyed | Josh Dun

dream sequence | thirty-two

The sun shown brightly from above as I clambered across the ice. It was such a beautiful day and I thought nothing would have been able to ruin it. Birds chirped from the tree line not too far from where I was, singing a happy tune as they watched the scene unfold in front of them.

Bryce's body had disappeared so quickly under the surface, her fingers struggled to grip onto my hand as her weight pulled me down to my knees. I cried out loudly, though there was no one around to hear my pain. I hunched over the hole and stared into the darkness, my free hand reaching into the water to grab her wrist before her fingers could slip through my other hand. I couldn't lose her like this.

It felt like needles had pierced through my skin as the freezing water enveloped my hands, my wrists and then most of my arms. My grip on Bryce's wrist only tightened as I tried to get some sort of leverage. I couldn't breathe as shallow gasps of air moved in and out of my lungs. Tears pooled in my eyes as I tried to pull her from the dark depths of the lake.

I yelled out again as I slipped back, allowing my right leg to stretch out far enough so I could press my foot against the opening of the hole on the opposite side. I strained my body as I pushed my weight against that foot and leaned back, pulling as hard as I could on Bryce's wrist. Even in the cold air I could feel sweat form on my brow and it only burned my skin as it rolled down my cheek.

My mind was going wild with flashes of my nightmares, blinding my vision from what was happening in reality. My shadow laughed at my helpless attempts to save the stranger and the ever-growing terror I felt as it latched onto me. I couldn't let this be the end. I wouldn't allow my dreams to swallow up one of the only good things in my life.

A gurgling gasp came from below me as Bryce's head finally breached the surface of the lake. I couldn't look at her petrified face as I kept a tight hold on her wrist, but let go of her hand. I reached my now free hand down and gripped her arm close to her shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her other hand as it reached out and her fingernails dug into the ice to get some sort of traction and help heave her body from the water.

Bryce's pale skin was an irregular redish-purple, her lips turning a dark shade the longer she stayed in the water. Her mouth hung open slightly the scared wailing gasps that filled the air made my stomach churn and tears began to fall from my eyes at the horrible sound. It was as though she was trying to scream out, but because of her dropping body temperature she was paralyzed from doing so.

Bryce's drenched clothes made it that much harder to pull her from the lake, but I used it as yet another thing to hold onto to help get her out. From behind me I could barely make out the sound of other loud voices and I wondered if I was imagining them. The yells from the shoreline continued and I knew then that they were real and here to help and hopefully not my shadow playing tricks on me.

Even with my body shaking uncontrollably, I used all the strength I had left to get Bryce out. Her stiff arms found their way around my waist as she gripped at the back of my coat, my hands reaching down and tugging at the belt loops on the back of her jeans to finally drag her the rest of the way out.

I didn't stop there though as I held her trembling body close to my chest and slid backward until we were a safe distance from the hole. I fell back onto the ice, Bryce shifting sideways as she shook, coughing up the water that had found its way into her lungs. My vision blurred from lack of oxygen, though what I did intake burned because of its freezing temperature. There was a searing pain in my chest as it heaved up and down. Even with her safely out of the water I couldn't seem to stop the anxiety attack.

I held Bryce close to me, the water from her clothes seeped into mine and caused my body to shake as well. I felt dizzy and lightheaded as I gasped for more air, the voices from the shoreline getting closer. I didn't want to let go of her because all I could think about was the fact that she might disappeared like she had so many times in my dreams.

My eyes shut for a brief moment before they opened slightly to make out a man in his late 30's hovering over me. He continued to ask if we were all right and that he had called the police and an ambulance was on its way. My lips part and I tried to speak, but what came out didn't sound like me at all.

"Help her," I chocked on my words. "Just help her!"

My chest and throat constructed and before I could know if Bryce was actually okay my vision blurred once again and I was instantly consumed in darkness.

.