Breathe Deep

Water

It was quiet. Empty. Not quite dark. The rays of the distant stars that acted as the system's sun danced around him as the water bent and played with the light. It felt desolate. There was no sea life he could see. No color. Just hues. Differing shades of gray and blue that shifted with the play of light. The rocks were jagged and just as angry as the cliffside. But they seemed widely spread beneath the waves. Most of the floor was sand and bits of stone and pebble the waves clawed away from the surface. One could even call it serene; perhaps even calming.

'Calm' was the last thing on Keith's mind. He was lucky enough that the weight on his chain broke the surface tension of the water before the plunge, essentially saving his life from a rather horrible and quick end. As it splashed in below, the sea welcomed him with nearly gentle hands rising and pulling him under into a slowed decent toward the empty floors below. Keith had managed to time it fairly well and took the deepest breath he could manage just before he was overcome by water. He struggled. He had hoped that once he was below sea level, he would be able to work with some of the buoyancy it would provide to counter the mass of the weight below him. He was immensely disappointed. The thing was still too heavy. He kicked his legs as hard as he could, but neither lifted enough to make any sort of difference in his situation. The weight was still pulling him down at a such a speed he wasn't even able to bend down and attempt reaching for either of the shackles at his ankles.

Ah, fuck! His head started to ache, and it was building quickly. He rolled his jaw several times and swallowed until, finally, the pressure in his skull equalized. The distance between him and the surface was mounting, and Keith was really starting to worry. He had to already have passed twenty feet, judging by the amount of squeeze on his sinuses before he equalized. And he still hadn't hit bottom yet. That was going to cut the amount of air he had in his lungs by quite a bit. He was in trouble. He was in big trouble. If only he had his arms. But the amount of chain between the shackles on his wrists were hardly as generous as those at his feet. Four or five links at most. That didn't even give him enough to set his hands shoulder-width apart. He started looking around him, scoping his shifting surroundings for anything that he might be able to use. His jaw was starting to tire a bit from the constant equalizing. Keith really hoped he would stop soon. More for the fact that it would be less work to reach air again, but also for the possibility he would find more leverage once he hit sandy ground.

Much to his relief, it wasn't much longer when he finally came to a stop. He could hear the muffled 'thump' of his chained weight into the sand beneath him. Finally! Keith Managed to curl into himself enough and reach the chain between his legs. It was awkward, having to fondle around with his hands stuck behind him, and the air in his lungs constantly pulled him back upward and away from his goal, but he managed. It was a difficult workout, but he had little choice. He worked his wrists under his feet and was able to bring his arms forward and pull himself closer to the ground. If he could just lift the weight enough to get the chains around his wrist to the other side, things would be a million times easier. For one, he wouldn't be so tangled between his legs and arms just moving.

He reached the weight. Shit, is it heavy. It was an odd shape for a chain weight. Pyramid in structure and his chain was welded to the top of it. Ok. He planted his feet as firmly as he could and yanked with everything. It lifted, bubbles of air slipping through his teeth. It wasn't enough. The chains were too thick to slide under as far as he could get it. Jesus Christ! And how the hell was he supposed to slide the chain under anyway when he was too busy lifting the fucking thing? He couldn't hold it anymore. It dropped back to the ground, a fine dust of sand and dirt clouding around it and his legs. He was tired, and the chain slipped from his grip. He scrambled to grab it again, but it was too late, and the chain forced his arms behind his back again as he floated back up. He could feel himself running out of oxygen. And energy. And hope...