CHAPTER 19
SAM
I am awoken by shuffling footsteps. I look over to see Billy dwale towards the front door. The drugs Jacob had put Billy under had obviously not worn off yet. I get up, wincing as I put weight on my bad leg. My rib cage feels as if it is on fire. I put my arms out to steady myself, and waddle after Billy like a small toddler pretending to be an airplane.
He walks through the front door and it closes behind him with a slam. I scoff and walk quicker, beginning to feel my leg again. I speed up some, realizing the weight of the situation. Hunter and Jacob had told me to watch him. I can't let them down. I swing the door open and close it behind me, another slam. Billy is walking towards the lake behind the house. I look around, but see no zombies, another possible obstacle. I try to run, but the pain quickly shoots through my leg, so I settle with a slight sprint. Billy steps into the lake.
I move faster, trying my hardest to ignore the pain in my leg, which feels as though it had been set on fire. I realize that I am barefoot, my feet sticking in the thick mud circling the lake. I cringe slightly as I think of the germs, but focus harder on the matter at hand. Jacob had recommended for me to stay off of my leg, but I can't let anything happen to Billy while Hunter is gone. He is now waist deep in the dark waters.
The moon is reflecting off of the lake, the ripples causing it to wave, as if in greeting. It seems almost peaceful, rather out of touch with the extreme stress I am currently under. I jump slightly when my legs greet the icy lake, the water soaking my grey pant legs as I move forward. My ribs are eased of the pain for a moment when I touch the water, but when I move again, the pain hits me like a train. The hit against the water almost brought me to a complete stop, and I had a minor panic attack. The cold water is now lapping at Billy's chest, as he laughs and splashes around. He seems to be enjoying a summer day at the pool in his head.
I scream his name, hoping to attract his attention long enough to stop him. I begin swimming after him, silently begging that my leg won't slow me down too much; I am typically a great swimmer. My eyes are closed as I glide through the water swiftly, moving as gracefully as I normally do. My hair, having been put back into its braid, was clinging to my neck. I can feel that the hair tie had come out, the braid coming loose.
I bob my head back to the surface and open my eyes to see Billy take a deep breath and dive into the deep waters below him, for he had been treading water and smiling just a moment earlier. I scream his name again, take a deep breath, and dive down after him, much against the throbbing pain of my left side. I realize that to find him, I have to expose my eyes to the frigid waters. I open them, and watch my contact lenses float away, making it even blurrier. The brackish water stings at my eyes but I have to save him.
I see him open his eyes and wave at me. I point at the surface, encouraging him to go back up, but he shakes his head and swims deeper. I swim after him, wondering how long we can hold our breaths. It comes to my attention that he might be able to hold his breath longer than I can; he is rather full of hot air. I mentally giggle at my joke whilst I swim down. If he's so full of hot air, shouldn't he float? I can't see anything in the darkness, and I begin to wonder how deep this lake is. Fact, I note, the center of the lake is almost always the deepest.
I am blindly swimming down when suddenly, I feel a sharp burst of bubbles beneath me, and I realize his breath has given out. It is much darker now than at the surface, and my lungs are burning for air, but I swim after him. I manage to catch up to him, and up close I can see he is unconscious, but a few bubbles tickle my face as he exhales. I grab under his arms and swim straight up, seeing the light of the full moon shining above me. It still looks as if it is waving. I feel Billy get slightly heavier under my arms and I swim faster, knowing he doesn't have much time left.
I shoot air out of my nose, speeding me up as if they were rocket thrusters. Only a few more feet. I drag Billy up, raising his head above mine. When we break the surface, his weight pushes me back under before I can grasp a breath. My ribs burn so terribly that I think they may be broken. I feel Billy starting to move, and I let go. I watch as he swims for the surface, his legs kicking me lower as he swims away.
I can't feel my lungs anymore, and I know I have used the last of my air. I feel the weight of the water push down on me, and my brain locks my body into self-paralyisis, a trick which, I had read, happens when it tries to conserve the last of its oxygen. I sink down further, looking up at the moon as the corners of my vision blackened, closing in until all I saw was the moon. It still looked like it was waving, but now I was sure it was waving a final goodbye.
+ + +
I had a crazy final week, and I had done some things I'm not proud of. Maybe it's better for the world that I disappear, I didn't necessarily perform the greatness that everyone had expected for me. This can be my final act, one for the better. This relaxes me, and for the first time ever, I don't feel any stress. I close my eyes as I feel the waters seem to welcome me as I sink down.
Drowning is not the greatest way to die, I realize. My body is still struggling even though it has chosen to lock in place. Finally, I involuntarily open my mouth and I feel the brackish water flood in. It burns at my throat and nose, and yet I feel numb. As the water gets into my lungs, I think of overfilling a water balloon; will my lungs pop? I am feeling extremely dizzy as I suffocate, the weight of the water crushing every inch of me. My ears start ringing, and the last thing I hear is a large splash, and then, nothing.
+ + +
BILLY
I look around. I am in the mud circling the lake behind the house, having just swum from the center. I am unaware of why I am here, and I try to take in my surroundings. I look into the lake and see something sinking down. It takes me a moment to recognize that the white blotch in the dark water is Sam. I jump back into the water and swim for her. I manage to grab her and drag her to the shore. I sit down in the thick mud with her on my lap, my arm sore but bearable.
She is paler than usual, almost stark white. Her hair is almost black from the water, and all messily strewn to one side of her head. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't seem to be breathing. I hold her cold body closer, my tears splattering onto her face. I look at her, knowing she will never wake up.
I walk into the house and grab my shovel. I dig a deep hole on the other side of the lake, and lay Sam in it. I don't bury her yet, however. I want to let Hunter say goodbye, and my arm is sore.
