Chapter 1
Midsummer 2007
He'd always stayed away from deep water - it scared him, but this time was different, he jumped in to save someone; his efforts have exhausted him. He can't swim.
Did you save her?
Stripped of every thought that used to matter, he struggles. Snatching a desperate breath before going under again, he presses his lips tight, clamping his last breath inside. He sinks lower. Pressure builds, charging his head with ear-splitting pain: the sound of his heart grows louder. Deeper down, the murky water blankets the light filtering through. He closes his eyes.
Oxygen drains from his blood and lungs; every signal from every nerve attacks his ability to remain calm. His chest bucks against the urge to gulp. With only seconds to spare, his feet touch the bottom.
The brute will to live kicks in, and survival mode takes over, diverting every ounce of strength into powerful thighs. Driving up, he surges through the water, a human missile shooting for the surface. The initial burst of acceleration stalls against the mass of water. Without technique, desperation propels him further, and he thrusts his nose and mouth clear of the lake, out into the air. He sucks in a quick shot, before sinking again.
A Japanese mantra starts in his head. Mushin no shin . . . empty mind. All thought must disappear.
The instant he feels the lakebed underfoot; he drives up hard again, a bubble about to burst.
Although his mind is empty, he knows that if he doesn't make it this time, without rescue, he is finished. Flailing his arms and legs, his frantic actions get him higher, and he pushes his mouth up to clear the water. Just another inch . . .
The effort in vain, the chance missed, he slips down again.
His heart sinks. He'd always known that when the end came, it would come by water . . . the end of living on borrowed time.
Someone's words spring to mind: In those last moments, you don't see your whole life flashing by, but if you're lucky . . . you get to make some sense of it all.
Reflex takes over. He gags on the first influx of water. Watching the huge bubble of displaced air break for the surface, he sees a distorted world within it. You should have learned to swim . . .
