Fearless?

Fearless? - Chapter Thirty-Nine

Since you got so upset about Azelie dying...

 

‘Everything we do in life is based on fear, especially love,’ 

- Mel Brooks

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Cole watched her fall, a yell choking up his throat as he watched her hit that water, a million thoughts running riot around his mind as he watched her sink to the bottom of the river while being swept down the rapids. He barely had time to think, to realise what he was doing, but Cole dived in after Azelie, not even bothering to think his actions through, the only thought in his head was for Azelie, a prayer hoping that he hadn’t jumped in too late.

The freezing water hit him all at once, washing away his thoughts of saving Azelie as he focused on the pain of the cold water. It felt like a million daggers stabbing themselves into his body at once, pain spreading through his body like fire as he sank deeper into the water. His body suddenly jumped into action as he caught a glimpse of Azelie’s body in the shadowy water as he remember the reason he had jumped in, his mind focusing in on the motionless body that was being swept further and further away from him by the current of the river. He pushed himself off the muddy bottom of the river, accelerating through the water trying to get to her. Cole swam over to her, his heart jumping in his chest with happiness that he had her, his mind praying that he wasn’t too late. He grabbed hold of her, and her eyes opened wide, fear filling them. She tried to push him away, trying screaming for him to let her die. He ignored her, wrapping his left arm around her kicking body and pushing against the floor of the river and swimming up towards the surface. While his lungs screamed for a breath of air, Azelie screamed at him to let her go.

When Cole dragged Azelie out from the water and up the muddy banks of the river, she was still screaming at him in hysterics to let her go, to let her drown and die so that Lily would live. 

But, he refused, dragging her as far up the bank and away from the water as he could with her squirming in his arms, desperately trying to free herself from his hold. He stopped halfway up the bank, still trying to catch his breath from being under water for longer than he had been used to. The muddy bank made it hard for him to climb up the bank and hold Azelie at the same time. He wrapped his arms around her chest, lying on his side trying to get the tightest hold he could on the squirming girl, Azelie trying every move possible to free herself from his hold. All Azelie wanted to do was get out of his hold, so she could run up to the top of the bridge and jump again, this time making sure that Cole wouldn’t drag her out alive. She curled her fists up to make balls, hitting Cole’s chest to try to get him to release her, hitting him a little harder with every punch. 

Azelie didn’t want to be the cause of Lily’s death. Death hung over Azelie like a bug, killing those she dared to love, those who dared to love her. Cole would die without Lily, but he would survive without Azelie, he and Lily would live. Azelie felt like the cancer that kept returning to Lily, trying to take her life away. 

“Just let me go, Just let me go,” Azelie pleaded, tears running down her cheeks, sobs stopping her breathing as she tried to peel his arms from around her body, trying to escape. “For her, Cole, for Lily! Let me go for her,’’ She cried as she tried to roll away from him, kicking and pushing her legs in the mud of the bank. She needed to get away; she needed to jump again.