Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 33

April

Levi came out of fucking nowhere. I didn't even hear his running footsteps from the other direction; I was too focused on trying to make a clean entry into the water. But of course, I bumped into him midair and bounced off like a rubber band, hitting my hip on the side of the dock before unceremoniously rolling in. I don't know what happened to him, but he somehow stayed dry, because I didn't hear another splash. I swam behind a nearby motor boat, only coming up when I knew I was safe from sight. My clothes were heavy and all my weapons were making it hard to stay afloat. I gripped onto the boat as best I could, keeping my hand out of sight. Out of sight, out of sight. Ooo, the water was cold.

There was no other sound other than my breathing, and I took the chance to look behind me. Levi was, indeed, dry. He had his back pressed up against the stone wall, as hidden as he could be, slyly getting his combat knife from its holster on his hip. He caught my eye and seemed to finally breath, smile on his face. He cares I'm okay. He was really worried about me. 

I heard footsteps and chatter, and Levi seemed to also by the disappointed slump in his shoulders and drop of his head. It broke my heart, but he made eye contact with me again and pointed his finger down, face deathly serious. "When I say," he mouthed. He raised his eyebrows. I nodded in response, and shrunk more into the water as I saw them congregate up top. Throwing knife girl, bow and arrow girl. Big, wide guy in a red shirt. Two of his cohorts, lanky one in a blue hoodie and the other, decently built one in a dark green flannel. The five of them scanned the perimeter. I hid behind the boat as their eyes drifted downward. Their chatter was understandable. I peeked back, finding them all in a circle, disregarding Levi four feet below their very shoes. They didn't think to look along the wall, the idiots. And they didn't spot me.

"You think they both jumped?" The guy in red asked. 

"Yeah," the blonde archer replied, slinging her bow on her shoulder. "They ran into each other, there's no way they didn't both go flying into the water."

"Well, shouldn't we get outta this place then?" The brunette girl asked. I watched as the tall, spear girl came up beside her, as well as the crossbow wielder from before. Except tall girl didn't have a spear, it was a sword sheath at her side. Katana, more specifically: razor sharp, Japanese samurai sword. Where the hell did she get that.

"They can't have gone far," the tall girl announced. "They're probably still out on the dock." I saw Levi eye his gun five feet away from him on the dock. He gave me the signal to go under. The last thing I saw was him lunging after it. 

I didn't hear anything else going underwater. It was quiet, very quiet. Pretty nice. Water was still freezing. I was kind of sinking, but not at the same time. It was like I was suspended in some weird, viscous liquid that maybe me feel like an embryo. Floating through nothingness in sweet, sweet, calm and security. 

I started to feel some pressure on my lungs, but nothing of concern yet. Nothing like what happened in the warehouse. There was no skylight; we thought the air conditioning cap was it, but nothing. Nada. Zip, except for a door and a staircase.

So naturally, I went down the door and was able to take out three with throwing knives and shots, avoiding all fatal areas. I went for hands, shoulders, knees and legs. Two ran. That's all they had protecting the office Hailey was in. I helped her climb out the window and instructed her to go to the car, thinking it was too easy, and she was shaken up but not as badly beaten as imagined. Yet getting her out was too easy, I knew it, I knew, and I didn't trust my gut. I headed straight out into the hall, down he tall rows of stacked plastic barrels and planning to go out the front door. A chorus of handgun clicks and metallic scrapes stopped me my in my tracks.